By Bill Thorpe
Ever wonder how the “cars and coffee” craze exploded across America?
It all started in sunny Southern California in 1983 when a group of four car enthusiasts gathered at Adams Avenue Donuts in Huntington Beach on Saturday mornings to talk about cars and politics.
They were soon dubbed the “Donut Derelicts” by the locals. By 1985 the group had grown to include hundreds of car guys, mostly hot rodders, from South Bay to Laguna and parts unknown. Chip Foose was a frequent visitor.
The original group had decided to move on because of the overcrowding of hot rodders and their desire to be with more traditional classic car folks.
By 2003 they were gathering at the Crystal Cove Shopping Center on the Pacific Coast Highway, just south of Corona del Mar. Soon word spread of this gathering of car guys on Saturday mornings and they quickly outgrew the parking spaces available. Mall security started blocking the entrances and people like Dan Gurney and Reeves Callaway and their friends were being turned away.
Soon afterward, John Clinard, head of Ford Motor Co.’s West Coast relations, heard about this unique group of car guys and stepped forward. He offered to host the cars and coffee events at Ford’s Irvine, Calif., headquarters. From then on the sounds of Ferrari flat-plane crank V-8s and Lamborghini V-12s buzzing at 7 a.m. on a Saturday could be fully appreciated.
Cars and coffee gatherings will be held from 9 a.m.-noon the second Saturday of the month through October at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum parking lot.
Until next time, happy cruising!
Ever wonder how the “cars and coffee” craze exploded across America?
It all started in sunny Southern California in 1983 when a group of four car enthusiasts gathered at Adams Avenue Donuts in Huntington Beach on Saturday mornings to talk about cars and politics.
They were soon dubbed the “Donut Derelicts” by the locals. By 1985 the group had grown to include hundreds of car guys, mostly hot rodders, from South Bay to Laguna and parts unknown. Chip Foose was a frequent visitor.
The original group had decided to move on because of the overcrowding of hot rodders and their desire to be with more traditional classic car folks.
By 2003 they were gathering at the Crystal Cove Shopping Center on the Pacific Coast Highway, just south of Corona del Mar. Soon word spread of this gathering of car guys on Saturday mornings and they quickly outgrew the parking spaces available. Mall security started blocking the entrances and people like Dan Gurney and Reeves Callaway and their friends were being turned away.
Soon afterward, John Clinard, head of Ford Motor Co.’s West Coast relations, heard about this unique group of car guys and stepped forward. He offered to host the cars and coffee events at Ford’s Irvine, Calif., headquarters. From then on the sounds of Ferrari flat-plane crank V-8s and Lamborghini V-12s buzzing at 7 a.m. on a Saturday could be fully appreciated.
Cars and coffee gatherings will be held from 9 a.m.-noon the second Saturday of the month through October at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum parking lot.
Until next time, happy cruising!