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FIAT - An insane passion for an oddball car Mail Tribune photos / Drew Fleming Mark Scholz of Portland, above, is behind the wheel of his 1978 Fiat 128 during Saturday's running of the annual Cascade Lakes Hillclimb near Hyatt Lake. Mike Mittelstead, of Damscus, posted the fastest hill climb time (2 minutes, 16.87 seconds) for the Fiat group. Mittelstead navigated the turns, dips, cones and "marbles" of Conde Creek Road, bottom photo, and said "It's almost like automotive chess." By SARAH LEMON An intense interest in an Italian car brings them together one weekend a year. Fiat enthusiasts from Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Colorado brought their little cars to Howard Prairie campground Thursday. The weekend-long bash culminated in Saturday's fifth-annual Cascade Lakes Hillclimb race organized by the Siskiyou Sports Car Club of Medford. While a variety of cars - Mazdas, Hondas, Corvettes, Porsches - compete in the race, the Fiat enthusiasts are the only organized group of car-lovers on the hill. "It's a tradition," said Pete Angel, 45, of Colorado Springs, Colo. "Where else is someone going to share your insane passion for an oddball car." That tradition was started five years ago by Tom Bennett, 36, of Portland when he organized an informal gathering of Fiat lovers in a park near his home by posting fliers. When he arrived, he was amazed to find a couple who drove from Southern California waiting for the party to start. But Fiat lovers always have a lot to talk about, they say. "Everywhere you go, the cars strike up a conversation by themselves," said Angel. Fiat enthusiasts were talking about Mike Mittelstead, 49, of Damascus, Ore., Saturday as he posted the fastest hill climb time ( 2:16. 87) for the Fiat group. The overall winner won't be announced until after today's finals. In his polished black 1979 X-19, Mittelstead navigated the turns, dips, cones and "marbles" of Conde Creek Road with the practiced ease of a 32-year racer. "It's almost like automotive chess," said Mittelstead. He said he had no race strategy other than to remain focused on the task at hand. This is the second year Mittelstead posted the fastest Fiat time driving the car he spent about 500 hours restoring. A host of Fiat Spiders, two 148 Rallys, a Fiat 600 and a 3P joined Mittelstead and other X-19s in the competition. But one of the most unusual Italian imports around remained on the sidelines. Mark Mongillo's cherry-red 1959 Fiat 500 has a two-cylinder engine that resembles a Volkswagon motor turned on it's side. "It proabably wouldn't pass 'tech'," said the 46-year-old Oregon City resident of the "basket-case" 500 he couldn't race because he's putting it back together. Mongillo said he likes Fiats because the cars are inexpensive since a lot of people don't want them, parts are readily available if a person knows where to look and, of course, they are fun to drive. "We love to go up and down Dead Indian," said Bennett as he gunned his silver 124 Spider through the road's sharp curves. "If you drive (Fiats) really hard, they seem to love it," he said. For more information about the Fiat Enthusiasts, who also idenitfy themselves under the name "Mirafiori," after a Fiat factory site in Italy, visit www.mirafiori.com Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.