The Varsity, !964 Mustang Introduction And A1968 Datsun Road Test

Stories, videos and photos by Miguel Caparros.

An Automotive tradition in Atlanta is the cruise in the 1st Thursday of every month. The Varsity down town cruise in has been going on since the 70's. It is hard to imagine Thursday nights with out the thousands that flock to the Iconic anchor of the Varsity empire that is billed as the worlds largest drive in with out what is with out question is one othe the largest gathering of cars in Atlanta. I have never been able to put an actual number on the crowd, the fluidity of the event makes it very difficult. Some visitors have their spots that they have been at for two generations and others just float in and out but many stay past the departure time of 9pm. One interesting thing I noticed when I first attended 4 years ago was the diversity of the people and the wide range of the ages. 

Here is my Tribute Video to The Varsity Downtown.

1965 Ford Mustang GT Fastback. 

In 1964 I was the luckiest kid in the world. I lived a few subway stops form the New York Worlds Fair. Dad took the whole family on opening day and I was presented with a golden ticket. I could get in to the Fair for the next two years any time I wanted!  And you know I did!  The first day was very special as it was the Introduction of the Ford Mustang.  The Ford Pavilion is the first place we went. Since we were there early the line to ride in a new Mustang was not very long, I picked a red convertible for us to sit in for the ride inside the Ford pavilion.  The following April I would meet Carol Shelby at the New York International Car Show, he gave me a poster of the GT350. Four years later I would own one of Mr Shelby's creations. Thirty years later I would be working for him. I guess you could say the Mustang was an important part of my life.  Where the GT 350 was very good for what it was intended it was not the best street car in the world, Hair trigger clutch, a very stiff suspension and lots of noise are not acceptable in a daily driver, unless you happen to be a teen ager, or race car driver or both! The Mustang Fastback presented in this video is in my opinion the best compromise of  Style and Performance as any car of the period. This GT even came with the milder of the two 4 barrel V8 with a rated 225 HP. The optional engine was a solid lifter High Performance unit that was rated at 271 HP and was the basis for the GT350 engine that put out 306 HP. The GT was a dream to drive, Smooth, a transmission that was a smooth to shift, the clutch was firm and did not need the strength of The Governator to push the pedal down. The suspension was firm without being jarring. If you wanted to abuse your self you could order it with out power steering, something I would never suggest as the manual steering is not only slow but very heavy at low speeds. The GT350 came without power steering and a very fast ratio that made it almost impossible to steer at anything below 25 MPH, I remember the GT350 it came with an ad for Weider muscle building system.  Today the GT is a wonderful collector car that can be driven any where.  The closing credit Photo is the roof of the New York Pavilion at the Worlds Fair. You may remember it from the movie Men in Black, the flying saucers! This was the roof of the building that connected the two buildings supporting the saucers. Much to my mothers horror I laid down on the floor and took the photo on that first day. 

Here is the Video of the Mustang.

In the early to mid 60's Datsun was the one on the move in the US market while Toyota was still sleeping.  Datsun was taking on the British car industry head on as it recuperated from WWII. Datsun was one of the companies that benefited from the leadership of  W. Edwards Deming, he was chosen by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) a title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II.

I remember the first time I saw an SPL 311 and my reaction to it. The quality of build seemed much better than the MG, Triumph or Alfa Romeo, given the fact that much of the technology was under license from US and  Great Britain.  As great as the quality of the mechanical aspects were concerned, the quality of the interior vinyl and plastics left much to be desire.  In spite of that, they slowly chipped away at the established manufacturers with a product of superior 

mechanical quality and value for the money spent. The SPL 311 line finished in 1970 with the Datsun 2000, A car that had to be taken very seriously as a performance sports car. It was the follow up that put the final nail in the coffin of the British dominance, the 240Z, Fairlady.
Driving impression of the Datsun 1600 from 1968.  First thing I noticed was the size of the car, it felt bigger than an MG Midget but smaller than the MGB. The controls and switch gear had a quality feel to it and the standard Am Fm radio was completely integrated into the dash. Also well integrated was the heating and ventilation levers and switches and they had a light feel as opposed to some of the British cars that felt as if you were trying to move a rail road track change lever with a tooth pick.

One stab of the gas pedal and a light pull of the choke and the car started right up and the choke was not needed after a few seconds and the engine settled to a smooth idle.  The clutch was unusually light as was the shift the lever. As I took off I could immediately sense that although the steering was light it did not have the precision of the British rack and pinion and the ride motion was both soft and choppy at the same time. Getting on the power made me smile as the little 1600 had power equal to if not better than the 1800 in the MGB. But it was the great feel of the gearbox that got my attention. Both precise in movement and light in feel.  Taking it through my favorite set of twisties in Coral Gables It felt good but not as well planted as an MGB or my own Alfa. But there was no question in my mind that Datsun had a winner here, specially when you take into consideration the price. 

The video on this Datsun is here.

Driving the Chevy Volt Through The Streets Of Atlanta

Story by Miguel Caparros

  We have been hearing about it; saw one on Hwy 400 a month ago, sat in one at the Atlanta International Auto Show. Today I got to drive one.  Walking around it out in the open air the car looks much better than in the photos or in the lights of the auto show. The Chrystal Red Metallic paint looks real good, and those of you that know me and paint jobs can attest that I am brutal in my quality inspection. This car's fit and finish were way above from what I have come to expect from the General. The color also made the car look bigger than it really is. With a wheelbase just short of 106 inches it is not a large car but the forward cabin placement makes the best use of the space. At 6' and 225 lbs I am a heavy weight in the ring and most of my height is in my torso, yet I had no issues fitting in the drivers' seat and then in the back seat with the front seat adjusted for me. The all digital instruments and touch screen controls may seem a little daunting at first, get used to it, this is from now on the normal. The quality of the interior two tone leather like seats and the brushed aluminum look is very tasteful and right in line with what you would expect in a car optioned to $40,000. The MSRP for the base car price is $32,700.Chevy Volt Brochure here.

To start, put your foot on the brake and push the blue start button and you hear......nothing. The only indication you are ready to go is that the instrument panel is lit up. Pull the center console mounted shift lever towards you and you are ready to go silently down the road. In city driving is where this car can save you a fortune in fuel as it operates in full electric mode unless the battery voltage drops to low. When that happens, the performance management computer seamlessly kicks in to move you like a conventional gas powered car and charges the batteries. It's the electric motor that really supplies the performance of this car and it does accelerate well.

Driving the car in electric mode is eerily quiet; all that quiet dictated that Chevrolet Noise and Vibration Engineers had to pay close scrutiny all the things that can rattle and vibrate as there is no noise to mask and confuse the ears. I am happy to say the Volt NVH group did a great job, I have always preferred the ride motions of a firm suspension as long as it does not loosen my fillings or rattles things in the interior. Once again I was very surprised how tight this car felt driving around the streets near Piedmont Park. Like most major older cities, the streets are less that billiard table smooth, and there is lots of torn up spots where there is construction going on. The Volt's suspension handled every thing perfectly and maintained perfect comfort inside. 

There was only one thing that I did not like and it would not be something most people would notice unless they sit in the drivers' seat as far back as I do. As a racer of all kinds of vehicle I rely, and I am very aware of what is going on in my peripheral vision. Due to my seating position and the very thick B pillar, that is also a key to achieving side crash protection and roll over integrity, when I would scan my eyes to see what is over my left shoulder all I would see is the pillar. Please understand that I am part of a very small minority of people that this would affect, I just have to rely more on the mirror and lean forward to see around the pillar. 

Hopefully in the near future we can bring you a long term Video test and answer questions on long distance driving, overnight charging and then perform instrumented fuel consumption and performance test. I want to thank General Motors Southeast Region for making this car available.

Import Alliance, The Secret Is Out

This April will be the 3rd annual ImportAlliance gathering at the Atlanta World Congress is coming in April.

Last April I heard of an up coming event in Atlanta, that was not on anyone's published calendar of events. It was publicized through bulletin boards and emails. Although part of my job is looking everywhere for events, I have child hood issues with bulletin boards, Dungeon and Dragons and failed physics experiments due to a misplaced digit. So there is much I miss and have to rely on the kindness of others to keep me informed on what goes on in "the Boards".

So when I heard from one of my sources that this was the second year of this event in Atlanta, I just had to go, I a;ways though a parking structure was a great idea and here was someone doing it.  I got up early Sunday morning to drive to the parking structure of the Georgia World Congress Center pay $5.00 and hang out with a bunch of other worshipers.

Even though I arrived early there was a line to get in and there were already quite a few imports in the garage. I wound my self up to the floor where Abby Cain from NOS told me the organizers were set up.

 

There were already a couple of thousand people milling around and others picking out parking spots there was a huge crowd and what seem like a party going on in a corner occupied by the most unconventional Honda 2000 I had ever seen. This car looked like a race car, and inspite of its Georgia registration if it looks like a Duck....Its a race car.

At every turn there was something of interest, with unique vehicles and the great variety of people just having a good time talking about their cars. I think I counted 9 levels to this garage the operator was reserved the first to levels for customers and employees of the Center and many more parked out side for free and walked in.

if you want to see the complete album go here  http://southeastwheelsevents.com/photo/albums/import-alliance-atlan...

So how did this begin?

From the ImportAlliance web site

The ImportAlliance concept is the brainchild of a group of Nashville, Tennessee based import car owners and enthusiasts. The three principal owners of ImportAlliance, Ron Cartmell, Don Napier, and Omari Winbush, embarked upon the mission of organizing a grass roots event to bring together all aspects of the import car culture in April of 2006.   The first ImportAlliance occurred on July 30, 2006 and was a tremendous success.  Since then we have grown to become the largest all import car meet in the country.

It’s a grassroots style… cruise-in/ meet/ social gathering/ show-n-shine/ learning opportunity/ teaching opportunity/ marketing opportunity/ motorsports event. ImportAlliance is everything that you love about import cars. It is not a lifestyle event. It is how people who enjoy import cars get together and have fun while learning things to make their cars better. ImportAlliance is about import cars and the people who drive them.

For the import car enthusiast, ImportAlliance is a truly laid back, relaxing, and  fun atmosphere that will allow you to interact with other people just like you. For the aftermarket and OEM manufacturers of import cars and performance parts, ImportAlliance will give you unfettered access to real import car enthusiasts. Also you can take the opportunity to conduct market research, as well as to debut, demonstrate, and position new product lines.  ImportAlliance attendees are credible customers who know how to spot quality and are committed to using quality products and services.

The meet began in 2006 and has since become the largest Multi-Manufacturer Import Car meet in the country. The number of cars and attendees has steadily grown from the beginning.

2006- 700 cars and approximately 1500 people in 2006 for our first event

2007- 1200 cars and approximately 3000 people for the 2nd annual event.

2008- 1900 cars and approximately 4000 people for the 3rd annual event

2009- 3500 cars and approximately 5000 people in attendance.

National and Local Sponsors and Vendors have increased for every year.I