If I were to describe the perfect morning to meet up, outside nonetheless, with a bunch of buddies and talk cars, or in my case photograph them, the ideal weather would be 60 degrees and slightly overcast.
Overcast skies are very favorable to photographers.
The season opener for the Cars & Croissants group was almost that. Sure, it was overcast, which is the best kind of sky for capturing cars in a glare free state, but the temperature was hovering around the freezing mark instead. In fact, it had just stopped raining the night before and the roads were still a little damp, which no doubt hindered some people's attendance.
The damp road is visible by the reflection of this F360 Spider's headlights on the pavement.
Despite that, more than 75 cars came and went throughout the morning. I arrived, as usual, far earlier than was necessary. I parked the WUTmobile off in the corner, a tradition I will not break until the car is more presentable, and waited for the cars to roll in. The first on scene was a gentleman named Jose in a beautiful Guards Red 964 Carrera 2 Targa. The time was just about 8:15. I approached to inform him that the C&C started shortly and advised him of the local bagel shop were he could get coffee and some breakfast for him and his young passenger. He thanked me, offered to grab me a cup, and headed out.
Jose and his minimally modified Guards Red 964 Carrera 2 Targa as seen leaving the lot.
Shortly thereafter, the cars started to pull in. I scouted out a pretty great vantage point along the road, making sure I could capture all the cars entering the lot. I was successful in calculating my locale and managed to get most of the cars head on.
A Ferrari 458 Italia is caught entering the Chatham High School parking lot.
The EV contingent was strong, with just around 10 of the electric wonders showing. There were both Teslas, the Model S and the Roadster, three BMW i3s, a Nissan Leaf, Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive, Honda Fit, and a plug-in Smart. Although I prefer the pure sound of pistons clanging up and down, as well as rowing my own gears, you can't deny the fact that EVs are catching on as more and more people are seeing the benefit to them.
Two of the three BMW i3s that were in attendance. Although they are a bit quirky on the outside, they are quite inventive throughout.
All aspects of the automotive spectrum were present; American muscle, European tourers, Japanese sports cars, etc. The usual suspects included numerous new-age Porsches, a few Ferraris, and a handful of Bimmers. Only a few classics showed up, notably Gill in his brass-era Buick, a '55 Chevy Bel Air, a Big Healey, a Series III E-Type and Bob in his blue QQ-plated Isetta., leading me to believe that the wet roads were more of a deterrent to some than others. I would place a heavy bet that more of the older metal will start to surface once spring shifts into high gear.
If my memory serves me right, I believe Bob's family has owned this Isetta since day one. Or at least for a very, very long time, as noted by the blue NJ QQ plates.
Some additional cars that are worthy of the honorable mention include the second-gen MR2 finished off in Tropical blue, a white E30 M3, and another rare Bimmer, an 850CSi with a six-speed manual. There were also a pair of early 911s there decked out with hood-mounted auxiliary lights and other tasteful goodies.
No matter what your taste in cars, it's great to be able to mentally get out of that winter state and congregate with a bunch of like-minded individuals. Although I said a lot of hellos, I was more focused on keeping my eye behind the camera to try and capture every moment of the meet. My calendar is already starting to fill up with the more organized shows this year, but I always enjoy making it to my local Cars and Coffee. You just never know what's going to show up and that's a big draw for me.
Please take a look at the full galleries below and make sure to CONTACT ME if you're interested in any digital or analog prints.
Click HERE for Part 1!
Click HERE for Part 2!
Click HERE for the EV gallery!