Cars and Coffee

One of the great things about attending Cars and Coffee at Ford’s Irvine HQ is the incredible diversity of vehicles on display. Every Saturday morning, there are more than 300+ cars in attendance, and this past weekend, there was an especially diverse collection. But nothing caught my attention like this duo from 1956, Dave and Linda Jennings’ Chevy Nomad and vintage Shasta trailer combination.

Cars and Coffee grew from an earlier event held at a strip mall overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Crystal Cove, south of Newport Beach. When it outgrew that venue it relocated to the parking lot between the Ford and Mazda headquarters in nearby Irvine, just north of the intersection of Interstates 5 and 405.

Every week the selection of cars changes. It’s an eclectic mix of prewar iron, vintage cars from the fifties, muscle cars from the sixties, hot rods, kit cars, and—because it’s Orange County—old and new exotics from Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati, Iso, and many more European marques. And with so many design studios close by—the Ford advanced studio is in the adjacent building—it’s not uncommon for well-known designers to trot out their creations, like when Ford’s Advanced Design VP Freeman Thomas rolled out this Shelby GR1—once planned as the successor to the Ford GT—or when Franz von Holzhuasen showed up with the Mazda Kabuka concept.

More than anything, Cars and Coffee is an event for the participants. While spectators are welcome, it’s a low-key function where owners leave multi-million dollar collector cars—like the Zagato-bodied Aston Martin coupe above—unattended while they go off to look at other machines on display. Occasionally, clubs organize gatherings for specific marques, or cars from a certain country. In the past, these have included include British cars, Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Porsches and 190SL Mercedes-Benzes. Last year, in conjunction with a national event, Car and Coffee played host to the largest gathering of Ford GTs in one place!

For me, it’s the unusual marques, like Isos, Bizzarrinis, Borgwards, and the unusual hybrids like the Mazda Miata-powered Ford Cortina, or the Toyota Supra painted with an SR-71 Blackbird matte finish which hold so much attention. Other cars that have caught my eye over the many weeks I’ve attended include the 1974 Chrysler Imperial 2-door hardtop above—this must to be as long as an aircraft carrier!—and the many classic Mercedes-Benz models brought by the nearby Mercedes-Benz Classic Center.

Given the current preoccupation with fuel economy and the price of petrol, it should come as no surprise that Cars and Coffee attracts more than its share of rare high-mileage exotics. These include the usual suspects, like pristine vintage Volkswagens looking as if they just rolled off the ship in Port Newark, along with original Fiat 500s, Isettas, and even Vespa cars.

I have a thing for the new-generation postwar Fords that debuted in 1949. Tasteful and modern, they’re  credited with saving the Ford Motor Company, and one of the coolest examples I’ve ever seen is Kent Wilken’s two-tone 1950 Crestliner 2-door sedan. Two-door Ford sedans were one of the first favorites in the Southern California hot rod culture, and looking at Kent’s Crestliner shows you why. Look under the hood you’ll see he’s equipped his yellow and black beauty with multiple carbs and Offy heads.

While the occasional Bugatti Veryon, Ferrari Enzo, McLaren F1, or Porsche 959 are always a big draw, the diversity of the cars, combined with the access to them, is what makes Cars and Coffee such an attraction for car geeks. This past weekend a Metalcrafters-built (they do concept cars for the likes of Chrysler) new-Gen ‘Cuda showed up, built on a Charger/Magnum/300C platform.

For more photos click through to the image gallery over on Automotive Traveler, where you’ll find more than 100 high-resolution images available for download.

If you’re visiting Southern California, Cars and Coffee is held every Saturday morning from 7 AM to 9 AM. Those with special interest cars wishing to park in the show area should plan to arrive before 6:45 AM.