Cars and Coffee Los Angeles

Every Saturday, an otherwise unremarkable carpark in Irvine in outer Los Angeles becomes Mecca for car enthusiasts as it fills with an amazing array of rare, exotic and just plain cool vehicles.

You’d be hard pressed to find another place where week in, week out you’re guaranteed to see everything from Pebble Beach concours-winning 1950s Ferraris to classic American muscle cars to the latest McLarens and Lamborghinis.

As the various groups of enthusiasts tell their circle of friends the reach of the group expands exponentially. This word-of-mouth approach means Cars and Coffee meets transcend specific scenes or styles of car appreciation, and the Irvine meet is a perfect demonstration of this.

Watching the flow of arrivals and departures, some people come for a few minutes, see what they need to see then head off again, while others hang around all morning, catching up with friends and talking shop to anyone who’ll listen.

You’re unlikely to see the same set of cars two weeks in a row – hell, I couldn’t even find cars I’d seen drive in 30 minutes before when I tried to track them down.

And just when you need a break from the new-age tin, restored classics like a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker keep the mix turning over. On top of the plethora of homegrown classics, there are plenty of local contemporary supercars, like one rather mean Ford GT in red.

As for favourites? Harder to pick than a broken nose. Personally, I love the super-rare ‘lightweight’ 1963 Ford Galaxie built for NASCAR homologation and packing a factory 427 cubic-inch (7.0-litre) V8; the Ferrari Superamerica; and the beautiful reproduction of a Hakosuka GT-R Skyline sitting next to a dead-stock R33 GT-R.

It’s car perve heaven, all in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. If you ever find yourself in the City of Angels on Saturday, set the alarm early and head to this unremarkable carpark in Irvine.