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Cars & Coffee Alternatives: April 2015

Another month goes by and it’s another month the original Cars and Coffee goes without a home. While a recent Orange County Register feature focused on yet another site for South Orange County enthusiasts to meet on Saturday mornings, other local spinoffs have continued to grow organically and become subtle substitutes for former C&C regulars such as myself. Starting furthest south, the South OC Cars and Coffee event in San Clemente has really gained steam since the closure of the original Cars & Coffee. With the support of local dealers such as Lamborghini and McLaren Newport Beach, the Target parking lot off Avenida Vista Hermosa has become a favorite despite it being located so far off the beaten path. This amazing Ferrari F40 is one of the few of the classic supercars that shows up every Saturday morning: sc_f40 McLaren Newport Beach recently brought out its latest offering to share, the new 570S. Considered entry level by McLaren's standards, it's hardly so with its aggressive good looks; enthusiasts refer to it as the "Baby P1" - a reference to McLaren's Hypercar. 570S_SC2 Despite the 570S sharing the same carbon tub as the 650S, subtle changes to the interior, such as a lower door sill and revised seats, allow for a roomier feel. 570S_SC_3_int McLaren's trademark vertical doors are a staple of their entire lineup, and they look great on the 570S. There was a lot of negative talk regarding the headlights upon the first reveal of the 570S at Geneva (myself included), in that they were oddly sized for the vehicle. After seeing it in person, I take back what i said. 570S_SC San Clemente isn't just about the new stuff; case in point, part of the current air-cooled madness, this curvaceous Porsche 930 Turbo.   930_sc Now here's something I can say I've never seen before: a Hudson Pickup! hudson_pickup_sc Making our way north-east into LA County, David Lee of Hing Wa Lee Jewelers puts on a bi-weekly event in the city of Walnut. It's a very small parking lot, but it's usually filled with solid, newer exotics; huge bonus, breakfast is served! Here's something you don't see everyday, a Bentley Continental Supersports wrapped in baby blue velvet (we're not kidding). If you have the means to buy a Supersports, you absolutely can wrap it with whatever you want. bentley_ss_hwl The Mercedes SLS is a rare find in itself, but a full Brabus wide-body SLS? Extremely rare. You can see the extended rear fender flare on the door edge. brabus_sls_hwl Next, I made my way towards the beach to one of my favorite shows, the Sunset Beach Sunday show, which is the closest thing to the original Crystal Cove event I've seen. With an amazing variety of vehicles, it wasn't much of a surprise to see this incredible Morgan Aero 7. Morgan Car company vehicles are one of the very few if not only manufacturers that utilize a wood frame. morgan_sb How about this gorgeous Packard Eight? The Packard was one of the few cars of its time with available suspension dampening for ride comfort and shatterproof glass. packard_eight Similar to Sunset Beach, the Palos Verdes meet also provides that same old school Crystal Cove-type feel. bentley_pv This completely restored Bentley roadster was parked subtly in the back corner. diablo_pv_tips Not nearly as subtle, this six-tipped Lamborghini Diablo had more than a few of us scratching our heads. tips_diablo_pv We didn't get a chance to hear it play a symphony, but the fabrication looked on point. Overkill perhaps, but they definitely turned heads. Just in time for the release of Furious 7, someone brought out one of the Fast Five movie Porsches. ff_911 Normally I'd be really tough on the fact that this is not a real GT3RS (the 996.1 headlights are the dead giveaway as the RS was only available with the 996.2) but this gets an obvious pass as it's a movie replica. ff_GT3 An American classic, the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird was the original Big Winged muscle car. The variety of cars at the Palos Verdes event is one of its biggest draws. rr_pv A lot of us miss the original Cars & Coffee because it was a great combination of cars that helped create these SoCal spin-off. As summer draws closer, I've heard rumblings of some consolidation, which is all good as long as we continue to have a place to enjoy seeing these vehicles every weekend.   (The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Driving Line editorial staff.)
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