Madison drive report
I could not believe it when Bruce Weiner, host of this year National Meet, asked me to drive the lead car for the two drives around Madison, GA. The car he chose for the occasion was the Red and White 1959 PTV. Built in Manresa, near Barcelona, Spain, the pretty little PTV (named after company owners Perramon, Tachó and Vila) was the second-biggest-selling microcar in Spain, next to the Biscuter.
During the quick familiaritzation tour of the car, Bruce told me about the gear shifter, found on the steering column. 3 forward plus reserve, in a simple "H" pattern, first gear located forward and up, second gear is engaged by pulling the shifter towards the driver and down, third is just above second. Reverse is located bellow the first A foot switch, similar to the old hl-lo beam switches of early cars, operates the starter. The single cylinder engine, all 250 cc's of it, came to life immediately with the familiar 2 stroke "ring-ding-ding ring ding" melody. I felt comfortable with it, as it reminded me of the KR200's and Goggomobils.
My co-pilot was Shannon, the photographer in charge of documenting the Meet. And we were off, turnin left from the Museum, with the Police Cruiser showing the way. The PTV accelerated nicely, and pretty soon I mastered the shifting mechanism. The weather was wonderful, and we were soon surrounded by the lovely green landscape of Madison, the winding roads that border Georgia's farmland.
Everywhere, people waved at the caravan with their similing faces. I am sure they had seen some of these cars before: Bruce probably drives them around the area often.
I was constantly glancing at the rear view mirror, to catch a glimpse of the cars and scooters behind me. It was a beautiful sight, seeing the mile long assembly of Isettas, Fiats, Goggomobils, Messerschmitts, Vespa 400's, Citroëns, BMW 600's, plus the immense sea of Vespa scooters that accompained us throughout the week. These Vespas can sure keep up their speed in traffic, in spite of their small caliber engines.
Throughout this first drive, I tried to hold between 35 to 40 miles per hour, but sometimes the terrain made it hard for the PTV to manage. I had to down shift several times when approaching small hills. I still had not assimilated the perfomance characteristics of the car. The steering felt nice and soft, very predictable. During this Friday afternoon drive, the attention to detail was apparent everywhere, as police cars manned all intersections, giving way to the herd of microcars. Our destination for the day was downtown Madison, where a special area was reserved and cordoned off, specially for us to park our contraptions. Try to picture this: lovely small town, peaceful atmosphere, slow pedestrians touring the clean sidewalks full of old fashion stores, suddenly being invaded by all these blue-smoke-yielding vehicles of strange shapes, with their minute sizes. It was wonderful, an immediate success!
People converged into our parking area, which was soon full of townsfolk, fascinated with the colorful variety of vehicles present. Many asked questions, and some even told stories of remembrance, when these cars where common means of transportation. It was a great moment for picture taking. Many drivers and riders took the opportunity to stroll around town, stopping for lunch at one of the local restaurants. The place was full of microcar activity.
By 4:30 PM, it was time to head back to camp. We loosely cruised through Madison for our short drive to the museum grounds. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
On Saturday, the tour was of a totally different nature. After checking our cars, making sure there was enough fuel in the tanks, we turned right out of the Museum, going straight into town. We then headed to the open roads of Morgan County, Georgia.
Once again, Shannon was the copilot, constantly taking pictures of the caravan. Police cars were once again escorting our entourage. I was trying to go a little bit faster this time. The car seemed to be responding nicely. In the down hills, I tried to gain momentum, but the police lead car was making me drive "too slow" so gear shifting was needed once more. Despite this, the car was able to keep going at an average og 40 MPH.
The PTV's suspension keeps the car nicely on track, feeeling solid and secure on curves. The engine never sounded weak or undepowered. It is a fine example of post war Spannish engineering. I really liked the feel of it as we passed the horse breeding farms with their green covered land. This is great territory to enjoy driving microcars. Light traffic, lovely weather, smooth roads, nice people all over.
It was a ling drive, but I am sure everyone had an unforgettable experience. I for one, drive my microcars mostly in the city, sometimes next in aggressive traffic, stop lights, buses and trucks side by side, so this was as nice as it could get.
When arriving back at the Meet grounds, I was able to see the smiling faces of the drivers that were following the PTV lead car.
I would like to congratulate the organizers of this very successful event. It will be remembered as one of the finest ever.
George Blau. Article appeared in Minutia magazine
If you want to see pictures from this meeting click