Cars, Engines, and Speed at Car Day

Jonathan Bautista y Nestor Pinacho

Chrome rims reflect the powerful sun shining directly on the "Lázaro Cárdenas" Plaza; polished and vibrant colors on hoods, doors, and trunks; whitewall tires, logos of traditional car brands, and, as a touch, the roar of six and eight-cylinder engines fill the esplanade where 39 classic cars are on display as part of Car Day to celebrate Polytechnic Day.

Students take pictures of the most impressive models parked in this historic space named after the founder of IPN. The cars that draw the most attention are a black Chevelle SS with its immaculate engine exposed for visitors' delight, a pistachio green Porsche 1074 with brown leather seats, and an electric blue Shelby AC Cobra, which can reach a top speed of 298 kilometers per hour. All these cars had to undergo a diagnosis to obtain the antique car certification at the Polytechnic's Centro de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (Ciitec).

A group of young people gathers around a mint-toned 1964 Volkswagen. Arturo Fernández Urrutia, who has owned this car for 40 years, explains that the vehicle was made and imported from Germany. "The car is in perfectly original condition, it has a 1200 engine and its electrical system is 6-8 cylinders," he assures.

Most of the exhibited vehicles reflect the pride of their owners, who agree that these are "whim cars" with a value that is only estimated, as there is no way to value all the effort to acquire the parts and maintain the impeccable condition of the units.

Speakers attract the attention of those wandering among the history of these cars, inviting them to the next spectacle, the F88 race. The track is already laid out with cones and yellow tape marking the path the small electric remote control cars will follow.

In this competition, four teams from the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Energy and Mobility participate Autotrix, Morondongas, Furia Rosa, and Noisy Boy. The eliminations measure the best time around the circuit in a solo race; the winner is the Autotrix team with a small prototype called "Pequeño Fruto," skillfully handled by Eduardo García Hernández, an eighth-semester student of Engineering in Energy Systems and Smart Networks.

It took a month and a half to assemble "Pequeño Fruto" with reused parts from other cars, which reached a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour, as demonstrated in the last race against "Noisy Boy." "Pequeño Fruto" dominates the track and has time to spare to catch up with "Noisy Boy," who is still on its first lap. Despite this, smiles and jokes among the teams do not cease; there will be other competitions to test their ingenuity.

Now attendees begin to move to the side of the "Cheese" towards a kart track that has taken shape in the parking lot of the "Jaime Torres Bodet" Cultural Center. Four karts await the starting flag. The teams from the Valdivia, Los Pits, and Frogy Cero Kilómetros stables are ready to make the track burn. The clouds give a break to the intense heat that has been stifling during the afternoon.

Again, the laps will be individual. The best time will be the winner. The kart from the Frog stable is the slowest, and the initial boos and jokes turn into cheers and applause for the driver, who smiles embarrassedly.

The checkered flag waves again for another start. After two false starts, the kart from the Cero Kilómetros stable does not start. It is on the third attempt that the car shoots off and takes the first straight at great speed. The rest of the circuit is easily and quickly covered, skillfully attacking the curves to achieve the coveted victory.

Driver Braulio Saúl Moreno Dávila, "Chicha," a student in Automotive Systems Technology from the "Miguel Bernard" Centro de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos 2, is lifted on shoulders and leaves the track amidst applause, marking the end of the day's events.

Gaceta Politécnica #1796. (May 31st, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.