Eighteen year old foreign exchange student, Nicolas Carranza from Quito, Ecuador brought with him not only his Ecuadorian culture but a strong love for the automobile.  He turned 18 over the summer and came to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and attends high school as a senior. His hometown with a population of 1.5 million, is the capital of Ecuador, but he and his family live in the outer parts of Quito, what we would call the suburbs. 

It is often in these areas that there will be local car shows.  Nicolas tries to attend as many as he can.  In fact, Nicolas and his father entered one of his father's classic cars, a 1972 Mercedes Benz 280, in a local car show recently.  Nicolas recalls that it was a very exciting moment when the car won a showmanship trophy and he and his father enjoyed the many compliments they received about the car.

Nicolas isn't fully sure why he has such a love for cars.  His father is a program officer for the United Nations, so he is often away on business.  His mother is a chemical engineer.  So that often leaves Nicolas and his younger brother on their own, mostly spending time with friends.  Nicolas believes the time he had to spend with friends, who also love cars, is probably the reason why cars hold his fascination. 

Back in Quito, Nicolas was able to take an automotive repair class at his high school.  He says this was by far his favorite class.  Last year, he and his friends were lucky enough to work on one of his favorite cars, a Ford Mustang.  In the class, the focus was on taking an engine from a '64 Mustang apart and then putting it back together.  The class project lasted almost six months but Nicolas says it was very exhilarating and something that he'll never forget.

When Nicolas arrived in Chippewa Falls, he hoped to take an automotive class at the high school he was going to attend.  Unfortunately the class was already full, so instead he   went about looking for a local car club with which to get involved. He ended up calling the Chippewa Valley Sports Car Club.  He isn't a member since his stay in the U.S. is so short, but he is able to meet with the club once a month. 

As part of the car club, Nicolas was able to be a part of the “Wheels & Wings” event this past September which had an aviation fly-in, air show, and a collector car show.  Nicolas says that it was a blast and he saw many amazing vehicles.

Of course, like everyone, Nicolas is more partial to certain vehicles than others. His favorite car is the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer.

He really loves the sleek styling of the body and the performance-tuned suspension.  Back in Quito, he was able to test drive one with his father and he said it drove so smoothly and had “amazing” power.  When it comes to something more classic, Nicolas really loves the '67 Porsche 911 as he says it has a lot of power and rides very comfortably.

He has really enjoyed his time in the United States, but he is excited about his future as he finishes high school.  He plans to do something automobile related.  He'd like to try his hand at car racing but also likes taking cars apart.  So his initial plan is to go to mechanics school back in Quito, Ecuador.  He'd also like to collect some classic cars on the side and fix them up in his spare time.

By Carson Honaker

Carson is a computer engineer and personal trainer as well as a freelance writer.