After our July event’s success, we were full steam ahead for the second installment of Cars & Coffee Presented by Front Street Media in 2020, and then came the weather forecast. A week prior, it looked grim, as the weather authorities were not only calling for a 100-percent chance of rain but thunderstorms, too. While we were hesitant to host an event in the most inclement weather, we kept pushing along and hoped it would change.
By the Friday before the event, the forecast hadn’t improved, and we started getting messages from people asking if we would continue as planned. Before, I noticed the heaviest rain would hit later in the afternoon, but then it dropped by a few hours, updated to hit directly during the C&C timeframe. With Saturday’s precipitation still in the balance, we figured late-summer humid days were bound to have unpredictable conditions, and we were right.
Overnight, the forecast changed again, and I awoke on Saturday morning to dry weather with a soaked ground. If the rain could hold off for a few hours, we could have pleasant and favorable conditions for our second event of the year.
As always, we set up earlier than the event’s start time and were again greeted by attendees already on location. It was a warm welcome to know enthusiasts were still keen on gathering despite the forecast we all saw.
In contrast to last month’s attendance, I’d imagined that due to the weather, the cars and enthusiasts that made the trip would be of a more reserved cut — I was wrong. Crazy projects like this turbocharged 4G63-swapped Porsche 911 still showed their support for our event. I can’t even imagine the custom work that went into stuffing this motor into this chassis. Still, the modifications don’t stop there as various aero additions, and fog lights adorn the exterior.
As always, we enjoyed seeing the diverse vehicle makes in attendance. Even if you only like white cars, you could take your pick from a street-spec R35 GT-R with Advan GT Premium wheels, a Tesla Model 3 with Volk Racing TE37 Ultra wheels, or our Director of Marketing’s finely-tuned ZHP-clad E46 sedan daily driver with BBS Motorsport CH wheels.
The threat of inclement weather cannot impede the Subaru crowd. We know this from our coverage of Boxerfest many moons ago. Delighted to partake in any event in which they can meet fellow Subaru enthusiasts, we were happy to have them. I especially enjoyed this Legacy GT with a Liberal Albero front end, Volk Racing CE28 wheels, and STi front brakes.
Quite frankly, we couldn’t stop staring at this gorgeous M5 Estate — a car never formally offered in America. Just converting the docile US-spec 5 Series wagon into an M5-lookalike would have been plenty for us, but this car takes it a step further with a supercharged, carbon fiber-enveloped S62 V8 engine from the E39 M5! I missed the owner, but we’re super interested in knowing more information about this car.
Elsewhere in the lot, I found this unique Volkswagen Beetle. I say it’s unique because of how spotless the exterior is. After chatting with the owner, I found out it was not only completely restored on the inside and out, but he drove it from California to Pennsylvania. That’s a trying journey in such a dated vehicle, but we’re glad he made it, so we had the opportunity to pore over his machine’s immaculate features.
As a die-hard Honda fan, I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss these next two vehicles in detail. First, we have this rust-free, virgin Frost White CRX, complete with the optional sunroof visor. These cars are becoming incredibly difficult to find in this condition on the East Coast, so it was a pleasure to witness one, and we’re appreciative the owner brought it out. I owned one of these earlier in my life, and I’ll never forget pulling up to a Rita’s Water Ice in it and hearing a young child yelling, “Look at that! It’s like half a car.”
I’ll finish today’s recap talking about this flawless S2000. Now, yes, I am incredibly biased here, as I currently own a white S2000 myself, but this car is what my dreams look like. Resprayed in fresh Grand Prix White paint, it hosts the front bumper, front fenders, and rear flares from ASM Yokohama — a boutique parts manufacturer/retailer in Yokohama, Japan that specializes in S2000 enhancement. I like the addition of the CR wing on the trunk, and the Volk Racing TE37 wheels with Advan tires filling every ounce of room in the fenders. It’s an aggressive, yet clean take on a car I thoroughly enjoy. After discussing its specifications with the owner, I was told he has an ASM rear bumper on order and has plans to race it on the track. It doesn’t get much better than that.
In the end, the rain ended up holding off until 11:02 am, coming down exactly as we began cleaning up all of our signs, flags, and tables. The timing was perfect. From all of us involved with Front Street Media, thank you to everyone who came out to our August event and made it another successful, incident-free showcase. We’ll be back again with another Cars & Coffee on September 26th and we hope to see you then. For now, take a look at the gallery below and enjoy!