By Jeffrey Zygmont
Auto Scene
August 24, 2008 01:07 am Jessica Plante, this year's Mrs. Massachusetts International, may have had to walk the Yankee Homecoming Parade if Dan Matranga hadn't acted very fast. After receiving a last-minute call that Plante needed an open car for the annual Newburyport event, Matranga loaned her a 2008 Volkswagen Eos convertible. The Chevrolet sales manager at Amesbury Chevrolet Volkswagen, Matranga said he would have preferred to put her in a Corvette convertible, but he didn't have one on the lot. "We had to do it in a pinch," said Matranga. "But we set it all up for her." The parade took place Sunday, Aug. 3, as part of Newburyport's annual Yankee Homecoming, an eight-day, communitywide celebration. Jessica Plante, 29, lives in Newburyport. Matranga said the car loan reflects Amesbury's ongoing commitment to community involvement. In another example, the dealership loaned a New Beetle Convertible to 99-year-old Margaret Spooner of Methuen for one day in November. The request for the car loan came from Spooner's pastor, to fulfill her longstanding wish to ride in a VW bug. "She went for a ride on the coast and then she went out to dinner in it," Matranga said. "We're working with the community a lot more," he emphasized. "We're getting our name out there."
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