What is Cars and Coffee?
An informal grassroots car meet format held in parking lots on weekend mornings, where enthusiasts gather to display and discuss their vehicles over coffee with no registration or entry fee required.
Cars and Coffee is an informal car meet format that originated in Southern California in the early 2000s and spread to virtually every major city in the United States and internationally. The format is simple: enthusiasts show up to a designated parking lot (often a shopping center or business park) on a Saturday or Sunday morning before stores open, display their vehicles, drink coffee, and talk cars. No registration, no judging, no entry fee in most cases.
The original Cars and Coffee event in the Coto de Caza (Irvine) area of California was founded by a group of enthusiasts in 2004 and drew an eclectic mix from supercars and exotics to JDM builds and muscle cars. The format's success prompted organic replication worldwide; today there are thousands of Cars and Coffee events operating independently across the globe. The name has become genericized, referring to any morning car meet of the format regardless of official affiliation.
Cars and Coffee events are characterized by their casual atmosphere and diversity of machinery. You might find a Bugatti parked next to a slammed Honda and a restored muscle car. The events are social rather than competitive. Some larger events have faced issues with reckless driving (burnouts and street racing after events), which has prompted some locations to relocate or impose stricter guidelines. The format remains one of the healthiest grassroots car community traditions.
