Together the words ‘Cars’ and ‘Coffee’ represent some of the best free automotive events in any locale. Following a formula originally perfected in California Cars and Coffee events celebrate everything that is automotive enthusiasm.
Little more than what the name implies; Cars and Coffee, these events feature no heavy-handed corporate sponsorships, three-foot tall trophies, or scantily glad ‘models’.
The cars and the people are the focus and it all works extremely well.
Year after year, and event after event, Engineered Automotive‘s Cars and Coffee Toronto events continue to grow. EA has managed to capture lighting in a bottle and they let a little more out the first Sunday of every month.
The weather for 2018 season opener was exceptional and as a result it was a full house. Cars were lined up in the front, rear, and sides of Engineered Automotive and overflowed into the surrounding lots.
Engineered of course had a few on display inside as well.
It’s a good thing Engineered Automotive is located where it is, because if it were a street or two closer to houses I don’t think the event would go quite so uninterrupted.
With so many cars present it’s really hard to choose exactly what to look at. Fast, slow, lifted, slammed, muscle, exotic. If you can’t find something you like at this Cars and Coffee then you might have a hard time finding something you like anywhere.
For those who have yet to go it might sound like I’m embellishing but trust me I’m not. There is quite honestly something for anyone who likes cars beyond their ability to take you from point A to point B.
Something about the atmosphere of Cars and Coffee also makes people that much more approachable. Maybe it’s the lack of formal organization beyond park here, don’t park here, or maybe it’s because it’s so early on Sunday, but everyone is laid back.
I’m not an extrovert by any means but I often end up in lengthy conversations with complete strangers, and their cars in general, at Cars and Coffee.
That’s exactly what happened between the owner of this Triumph and myself. The car arrived about twenty minutes before I made my way over to shoot it and I remembered that as it rolled by something seemed off.
Of course it wasn’t until I went over to investigate that I discovered why the car sounded so different.
The custom badge, spoils the punchline, but also totally explained why I didn’t hear the car when it drove in.
The somewhat distinctive me mechanical sound of the inline 4 cylinder motor has been replaced by the nearly inaudible hum of an electrics.
When it comes to electric cars, I don’t really know head from tails, but, I do now there’s a lot going on here. Through a HPEVS AC50 3-Phase AC motor the car puts down 77 wheel horsepower. This might not seem earth shattering but it’s worth noting that electric cars are pretty much instant on, at the jab of the gas pedal.
The 77 horsepower combined with the 120 ft-lbs of torque mean that first gear of this car is pretty much unusable. Unless you want to roast the tires of course.
Ithe build is a father son project, and the owner admits that he’s a little scared of it. Or maybe scared isn’t the right word.
He’s very aware of how little in safety features the car has in the event he did get in a crash.
Remember what I said about variety? ‘The E-Fire’ Triumph was parked nearly directly across from the BMW S38 powered Datsun I featured in last week’s Motor Monday post.
Variety, these events are all about variety.
The sheer number of unique, spotlight worthy, cars at every event is making me somewhat rethink the way I present the Cars and Coffee Coverage. I’m still mulling a few ideas in my mind but I may transition into mini features on certain vehicles versus the entire event.
Though I do truly enjoy covering the event at large, so I’m at a cross roads.
All that said, you can expect at the very least for me to continue to attend these events because how could I not. Checking out an amazing variety of cars and having the rest of my Sunday afternoon free to do whatever I want?
It honestly doesn’t get much better than that.
Thanks again Engineered for keeping the dream alive here in Ontario.
