Cars and Coffee of the Upstate

I’ve only been back in the great state of South Carolina a week, but I’m hitting the car-nut trail fast and hard. I decided to head up to Greenville for the M Coupe’s maiden voyage out from hail damage repair. I think I drove for about 30 minutes before I remembered I have a 6th gear! The weather looked unpromising yet all the forecasts called for the rain to hold until later in the day, so my father and I ventured on.

I’m ashamed to admit this was my first Cars & Coffee event, still kicking myself for not making it to the renown Austin event held at the Oasis while I had the chance. I suppose there’s a difference between track-day folks like myself and car show folks. My weekends were usually spent turning laps or turning wrenches in preparation for them.

My parents, on the other hand, have settled into BMW ownership once more with their 328i wagon and have already attended this event twice. Held monthly at the Michelin North American Headquarter’s parking lot, it has rapidly grown to the point of regularly seeing well over 500 cars in attendance.

For the uninitiated, Cars & Coffee is a back-to-basics approach to car owner socialization. Held across the country in most large cities (I suppose Greenville is large where SC is concerned), it’s simply an early morning parking lot meeting of like-minded automotive enthusiasts. There aren’t any judges or prizes to be won, so put away the detail spray, just park your car and take a look at what shows up.

For more info check the Upstate (Greenville) Facebook page here: facebook.com/CarsCoffeeUpstate

There are some nation-wide organizations that promote these events, but most seem to be very local and unofficial in nature. Your best bet is a Google search or look to Facebook, as most have their own page or event postings.

While I normally take photos of everything imaginable, I spent most of my time this morning just walking around and talking to other participants. There was a healthy contingent of BMWs in attendance, though I was the only M Coupe (or M Roadster… or Z3) there today. Notables included an E24 M6, a clean 2002 roundie, and an E36M3 with a Vorshlag LS swap.

Many of the owners had grouped themselves with other cars of the same marque and model (a Mustang row, BRZ/FRS twins, Corvette commune, etc.) I found a decent E21 and 2002 to park next to, though the majority of the Roundels were at the rear of the lot. There were quite a few odd-balls as well, such as an original Mini sporting an RX-8’s rear drive powertrain.

The event runs from 0800 to 1100, so you don’t even lose a whole day attending, and it fit perfectly with the expected afternoon showers and sweltering heat. A very enjoyable and low-key event, I’ll be back. Heck you might see me at Cars & Coffee Charlotte next week and in Savannah the week after that. I suppose I need to update the blog calender to reflect all these Southeast events!