We cover a lot of auto shows here at AutoSpies. Detroit, Chicago, Paris and Geneva all host impressive auto shows with glitter and lights, countless beautiful models (you have noticed those haven’t you?) and of course every type of motorized vehicle conceivable. If you want to see the biggest and best you might believe these are the only places to go. While the show circuit has its place, you don’t always have to wait for the show to come to you.
Once a month my son and I catch Saturday morning breakfast at a Little Gus’ a little café’ in Plano. While the eatery itself might not be remarkable for other than good food, the regular gathering of car buffs is our main draw. Every Saturday local enthusiasts gather the in the parking lot and show off everything from custom cars to even the latest exotics. Gearheads it seems can appreciate almost anyone’s ride if they put in the TLC to make is special. My 9 year old son is closely following the progress of his personal favorite, a 1960’s split window corvette that is being restored. He thinks it is so cool that something that old it being transformed weekly into something that is better than new. To us this little haven is a prime example a place to go where the owner of a Ferrari Scagletti can be seen drooling over a chromed out 50’s Chevy.
Now just last week I got a call from my friend Eric Mass over at Classic BMW in Plano, inviting me out his monthly gathering of enthusiasts called “Cars and Coffee”. With our history at Little Gus, and even the occasional Sonic gathering, my son indicated this was right up his alley so we made plans to attend.
I have to admit I know when Eric puts on a gathering, they tend to be big, so I expected this could be no exception. The idea came from a video he found about year ago. Eric says “I was trying to keep my 4 year old, car-crazy, son occupied on a long flight. I realized that the video he was watching was from something called Cars & Coffee in Irvine California. I thought it would be interesting to see if we could do it here. So I called them”
What started out as a grass root event in May spread only by word of mouth and email, ended up with over 150 cars in attendance.
Not bad for the first time, but Eric knew he could do better. June was bigger, and by July it was already over 400 cars. August became even bigger, and by November he had over 600 cars in the show! Clearly Eric was on to something.
This is truly a grass roots event in the truest sense. The great thing about this show was that each month it is different; you never know what you will see. Even though the event is held on the lot of a massive BMW dealership, everyone is welcome no matter what you drive.
On the morning we went, it was overcast, cold and windy but that didn’t stop almost 450 enthusiasts from showing off their hard work. While there are no entrance fees or even an admission fee to the event. it would always be appreciated to stop by the charity tent and make a small donation to the cause. This month was to the American Red Cross Relief Effort In Haiti.
It always amazes me is the variety of individuals brought together under the common bond of an auto show. Gone are stereotypes and egos are checked at the front gate, everyone is just there to enjoy event.
What did we see? Everything from a freshly detailed Porsche GT3 that showed up to a 60’s Ford Ranchero that was ready for restoration. There aren’t any show girls here (Eric you can add that anytime), but there are a lot of serious owners that will gladly talk shop with you, and some may even let your 9 year old sit in his first Roll Royce. (Yeah that was a big hit)
Cars and Coffee is typically held on the first Saturday of every month and lasts from 8 to 12 and is open to everyone regardless of age. It is a come and go event, so if you can only stay a few hours that is fine, the main thing is to come out and join the crowd.
If you know of a local event in your area let us know if we are in the area we can stop by, or better yet take a few shots from an event you attend and submit the post so everyone else can enjoy.