Cars & Coffee Show

Cars ‘n Coffee Show, every Saturday morning, 7 to 9 a.m., Irvine, California

By Rob Mullner, photography by the Author

We can thank the Internet for many things; chief among them is the ease with which it puts information at our fingertips. Activities like finding cars, parts and like-minded people for our favorite hobby for example. Think about how the web has revolutionized how you find cars and parts for sale. Plus it makes placing an order at MossMotors.com extremely easy and efficient.

One of the overlooked benefits of the web is how it simplifies and streamlines the process of communicating about events that were previously unheard of. I’ve written about stumbling across the “No-Frills Iron Bottom Tour” and I’m sure I would never have heard of it or participated in it (twice) if it weren’t for the Web.

To the list of web bounty I can add a little car show called Cars and Coffee that happens every Saturday morning at the Premier Auto Group headquarters in Irvine, California.

Much like the Internet, the C&C show is a smorgasbord of something for everyone with a huge helping of rarely seen lusted-after sports cars making early morning appearances in the heart of Orange County.

This show was previously known as “Crystal Cove” and was held in a slightly swankier part of Orange County on Pacific Coast Highway, overlooking the ocean. When the high-buck neighbors started to complain about early morning motors rumbling and pre-brunch burn-outs it was only a matter of time before this popular show wore out its welcome.

Fortunately our friends at Ford-Mazda-Jaguar-Volvo-Land Rover-Lincoln/Mercury offered up their Premier Auto Group facilities and the show moved effortlessly to Irvine ending up with improved freeway access, breakfast facilities and indoor plumbing! 

On a recent Saturday my friend George and I rolled down to the show to see what delights would drop by. As usual there was a featured marque, in this case Corvette, and a multitude of various Vettes graced a special section of the lot. For me the real fun of this event is strolling the aisles, looking for the unique and obscure cars you just don’t see on the street. These days the majority of classic British iron falls into that category and a host of MGs, TRs, Jaguars and Healeys were scattered across the parking lot.

Many owners were happy to swap stories about their cars and projects recently completed or in the dreaming stages. Plus, where else are you going to see a real Cobra parked two slots away from a Ferrari Daytona; and both cars are unattended as their owners are walking around looking at the other cars?

God bless the Internet! For more information on Cars and Coffee please visit: www.carsandcoffee.info