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Car Club of the Month
Southern Alliance
The ATX Grupo South consists of car enthusiasts whose motto is: "Love thy neighbor"—southern style
By Dinzo Tabamo; Photography by Chino Acosta
When people discover a passion, there is nothing more satisfying than sharing it. This is the natural evolution of car clubs. People from different walks of life are brought together by a common obsession. But there is another factor—all things being equal, people also form bonds with people close to them (aka their neighbors).
Nothing beats the convenience of being able to hang out with friends living in the same area. This is one of the tenets of our car club this month, the ATX Grupo South.
Formerly called Auto Technix 02 Club, it was started in April 2002 by Christian Gonzales, now the group's president. Their first grand EB was held on February 24, 2004, at Caltex Alabang near Filinvest. They now have 30 attendees including newbies, guests and full-time members.
The name was changed to the current ATX Grupo South to help reunite all the car enthusiasts in southern Metro Manila. The members are also free to join other car clubs.
In fact, one of the things that make the club special is their openness to different kinds of makes and models. The cars present during the shoot ran the gamut from 'classic' compact sedans to the usual street racer favorites (clue: brand begins with 'H'). Some standouts were an MX-5, a Supra drift car, a highly modified Echo, and a souped-up Audi A4.
The diverse collection of cars also gave more variety to the conversations. There was a Toyota Altis that looked a lot taller than the EK Civics parked beside it. We wondered if the Altis was really that tall over the Hondas, when someone said the owner had raised the suspension to enable it to wade through floods. Cool.
With clubs like ATX, you learn about different cars. Hence, your appreciation of other cars is enhanced. There are also sub-groups within the club for those who prefer that sort of thing. There are the Southside Spins, Pluspeed, Team Ground Zero and Beda.
If you're from the south, own a driver's license and want to meet car nuts with different cars, you may log on to their website (www.atx02grouponline.tk), e-mail them at atx_southside02group@yahoo.com or drop by Petron Westgate Alabang during weekends and just approach the group. Surprise: You're already a club member.
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Top Gear Philippines - April 2007
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