CB1100 Monthly Photo Challenge

[Cormanus]

That sounds like a great way to spend a day, Gone.

[GoldOxide_imp]

I want to go to Donut Derelicts on a Saturday morning.

[Gone in 60]

"That sounds like a great way to spend a day, Gone."

It was, Cormanus! After my sandwich and time communing with the world on the bluff in San Pedro, I rode up to El Segundo. Less than a mile South of LAX is a neat little car collection called the Automobile Driving Museum. They are unique in that the cars are driver-quality, and they let you sit in them. They also take a few out each Sunday to give rides in them. A few of my fellow Petersen docents volunteer there, and as I was chatting with them, one of the musuem guests asked about the pretty red Honda parked out front. He and I started chatting about bikes - he has a new Indian on order and was looking forward to getting it when he returned home. It turns out that he is a cargo pilot for Amazon, and was spending some time checking out the cars while his 767 was being loaded at the airport nearby.

Then, close to home, riding through Old Town Orange, I happened across my English friends, driving to the pub in their Model A Ford. I joined them for a quick pint before the final mile home. A perfect day out!

[Nachodaddy]

Well, Gone, it just doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Gone in 60]

I want to go to Donut Derelicts on a Saturday morning.

Donut Derelicts is the original, and a fantastic way to spend an early Saturday morning. Just a bunch of cool guys out to show off their cars. No pretentions, nothing fancy. But, if you're not there by 7:00 am, you'll miss the good stuff. The reason this show has been going on for so many years is the respect everyone shows for the venue and the community. There are no loud radios, no engine revving... if you do, you'll get a stern talking to. Same if you leave any trash on the ground. When the stores open around 9:00, the parking lot is empty and clean.

To give a little history about the birth of the Cars & Coffee scene, in the early 2000s, people started showing up to Donut Derelicts with newer Ferraris, Lamborghinis, etc. They didn't get a very warm welcome from the old guard who showed up in old Chevys, Pontiac GTOs, 32 Fords, etc. So, the rich guys with new cars started their own Saturday morning show near Laguna Beach at a very fancy shopping center along the coast. If I showed up to this show in my nice, modified, but non-exotic Mustang, a security guard would politely point to the general parking lot. Unless someone like Boyd or Foose built my Mustang, it wasn't good enough for THIS show!

Unfortunately, a bunch of people whould start lining the coast highway with cameras, encouraging the exotics to make some noise when they pulled out of the parking lot. They obliged, which caused a caucophany of shrieking V12s, angering the owners of the nearby multi-million dollar homes.

As this was brining that show to an uncermonious end, someone at Ford's PAG building in Irvine coordinated to offer their vast parking lot to a new type of Saturday morning show, that would be welcome and open to any kind of special interest car. New, old, exotic, all were welcome. PAG was the Premier Auto Group, and was the headquarters for Ford's luxury brands at the time - Lincoln, Aston Martin, Range Rover and Jaguar. The building was beautiful, with a current example of each brand's car showcased in a fore-court, and huge columns proudly displaying each of these special brands lining the highway.

The building featured a massive parking lot for the show cars, as well as a parking structure for spectators who came to see everything. Eventually, they started offering coffee and breakfast treats, and the term Cars & Coffee was born. There was also display space for about 100 motorycles, so whether you rode or drove, one could show off their vehicle. It was fantastic. Every imaginable type of vehicle would show up, and it wasn't uncommon for local dignitaries like Dan Gurney, or design engineers from OEMs to show up to check out the scene. I saw my first prototypes of many new cars at this show, brought to let enthusiasts check them out. You might pass a new Enzo because someone showed up with a GTO (Ferrari, that is).

This was in the Irvine Spectrum area, which was mostly commercial. Yes, every now and then, somone would spin the tires for the crowd that would line the streets, but overall it was respectful. To keep the peace, a few Irvine PD motor officers would usually be present at the exit from the parking lot.

We started to hear people talk about starting Cars & Coffee shows around the country, and then around the world. It was a really good feeling.

The harbinger of doom came eventually, when new apartments started to be built near the show area. Then, a few hotels started construction directly across the street from the show. We knew that the days were numbered, and it wasn't long until we got word that the show could not go on. People who wanted to ensure that they got the best parking spots would show up very early, and loud cars rumbling around near hotels and apartments before dawn would not be welcome.

The show struggled to find a new place to gather. I recall meeting up at a shopping center in nearby Tustin, but by the third week, we were told that we were an "unlawful gathering." Today, there are smaller, early Saturday or Sunday meetups all around the Orange County area. The largest is now at a shopping center in San Clemente, and it gets a very good turnout. But, nothing will match the original.

And Ford's glorious PAG building? It's now the corporate headquarters for Taco Bell.

[Lord Popgun]

For you car guys in LA you may have heard that Jay Leno was badly burned enough to be in the hospital. Some kind of car fire and one side of his face is burned. Thats all I know. Hope Jay is going to be OK!

[Gone in 60]

Whoah, didn't know that! Hope he will be OK.
He's become something of a fixture at a show in late December for pre-1932 cars, and always shows up with something... unusual.

[Lord Popgun]

If you Google Jay Leno fire a lot of the news sites pop up with stories.

[Cormanus]

Gone, I didn't think your day could have improved. Just goes to show ...

Thanks, too, for the history of cars and coffee. That it came to an end is sad. It irritates me no end when a well-established activity is ended by people who move into the neighbourhood and then discover there is something that irritates them.

And, only two nights ago I was watching Jay Leno with Jerry Seinfeld on Comedians in cars getting coffee. They were driving a hand made 1949 Porsche. Leno had never drunk coffee and, I suspect, never well again. I hope he's not too badly hurt and makes a speedy recovery.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Thanks Gone for the background history of a pleasant Saturday ritual.

As for Leno, I am sure he'll find a way to entertain us by turning a negative into a positive.