It seems that Hybrids and Electrics are not welcome at a New Cars and Coffee that open last weekend at the Costa Mesa fair grounds. Its a shame that they have placed restrictions on what is worthy and what is not. Hybrids and EV not allowed? I can't see many manufactures will be wanting to show case new cars at this venue as they did at the Irvine location with this type of thinking. Imagine no BMW I8 can be shown! No Tesla can be shown! No Toyota Mirai can be shown, no modded Prius can be shown!
You can look up their Face Book Page. occarsandcoffee.com DISPLAY REQUIREMENTS OC Cars and Coffee List of Eligible Display Cars Cars we emphasize — price/value is NOT a consideration Preference is given to Cars 1975 and older – older cars will take precedence over newer cars Sports Cars, Classics, Exotics, Hot Rods Nostalgic/unusual – cars that draw a crowd! Cars you want to photograph! Cars that are not regularly seen on the roads of Southern California Cars that are not daily drivers Lowest preference is given to 4-door cars 1975 and newer – most will be asked to park in spectator parking Electric/hybrid cars of any make Trucks, vans, wagons, SUVs 1975 and newer – only the following cars: As space allows, the following 1975 and newer cars are accepted individually, but not in groups unless prearranged with OC Cars and Coffee Acura – NSX only Ariel Atom Aston Martin Audi – R8 only Bentley BMW – Z8 only Bugatti Callaway Chevrolet – Corvette and limited production ZL1 and Z28 Camaro only Concept Cars – as prearranged with manufacturers Dodge – Viper and limited production SRT8 Challenger only De Tomaso Ferrari Ford – Ford GT and limited production SVT Boss + Shelby Mustangs only Jaguar – 2 door cars only Koenigsegg Lamborghini Lexus – LFA only Maserati – 2 door cars only McLaren Mercedes Benz – 2 seat cars only Morgan Nissan – GTR only Noble Pagani Porsche – 2 door cars only Replicas/Special Construction cars – on a case by case basis Rolls Royce Ruf Saleen – 2 door cars only Spyker Shelby
I'll post this Proposed Gas Tax Hike Takes Aim At Hybrid Vehicles « CBS Los Angeles but I think there is confusion about plug-ins and hybrids. If CA starts taxing hybrids, the rest of us are hosed.
It looks like they are simply limiting the cars to the very high "wow" factor cars unless it is an older classic. While it is true they are giving hybrids/electrics low priority, they also give low priority to trucks and SUVs. Electrics simply aren't as special s they once were, especially in California. I am a bit surprised they didn't list the i8 in their exceptions. It is a very fancy looking car.
True, they should have even stricter gun laws in California to make it much harder for them to continually shoot themselves in the foot.
They'll rethink that policy when it becomes evident that it's affecting the number if spectators that feel welcome. Count me out.
The crazy part is that when Cars and Coffee in Irvine had to shut down, because it was growing too large, and the city asked them to shut down, several weeks later a new location was found in Aliso Viejo. My understanding is that at this location all are welcome. So this new location in Costa Mesa is competing against the Aliso Viejo location. We should show Cars and Coffee Aliso Viejo our support some Saturday morning and have the SOCAL CREW show up.......
So now it gets better.......... Hmm....I thought Lowest preference is given to Electric/hybrid cars of any make??? If your gonna have rules you should follow them.
They ARE. Their rules don't state hybrids won't get in, they say they are a low priority. While I don't agree with their priorities, it is pretty obvious what they are.
My point is they are being selective on what car is considered worthy or not for their event, regardless if it is a hybrid or not. This is not in the true spirt of what Cars and Coffee was all about.
The very list they provide shows that they are being selective. This is no secret. You can dictate what ever the "true spirit" is of the C&C is that you host. You can also decide whether or not to attend others that have a different idea of what the "true spirit" is. Most that I have seen are designed for car enthusiasts AND spectators to come and see cars that elicit passion that typically are not seen elsewhere. Thus it makes perfect sense why the Porsche you showed would be showcased. It fits three or four of the five qualifications for preferential status that you listed.
I agree with you on the point of passion and cars that are not seen on a daily basis should be displayed. The Porsche deserves to be seen at this venue. But as you know their are many types of car enthusiasts with different tastes. That is what made the Irvine event so great. You had everything on display. If you did not care for one type of car on display, you just keep walking. I guess I see myself as a Jay Leno. Every car is deserving to be recognized. I wish them luck and success. I just don't think I will ever be able to participate in their show.
That is the most effective way to show your support, or disdain. I have seen new C&C events that would welcome anybody as they had tons of space and few people attending. I have seen well established C&C events that had a thousand cars show up with limited room, so the only allowed the rare (e.g. Delorean) and exotic cars. I have seen some that are little more than shows for advertisers, and others that had no corporate presence. It depends upon the organizers, the amount of space they have, and the attendance. Every C&C has it's own character. You don't get to decide what that character is.
