Cars and Coffee events have become increasingly common both here and abroad, allowing drivers to show off all different kinds of vehicles to the general public in an accessible, welcoming space.
They tend to be held in easily accessible locations, rather than some far-flung field far away, and as the name suggests there’s coffee to be found as well as food.
Instead of being restricted to one brand or country of origin, they’re open to pretty much anything and everything. At the last one I went to in Brisbane, I found a Wolesley close to a new Ferrari and across the street from an old Abarth and a Holden Torana.
Melbourne’s Highball Cars and Coffee is even more dizzying in its variety and scale.
It was at one of these events where I saw a sight that transported me back years: two 1980s Mitsubishi Magna wagons, both in mint condition, parked in the Bell Street Mall which seems lost in time itself.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to walk right past modified Skylines and mint-condition Lamborghinis at car shows. What I gravitate towards are the cars you’re actually surprised to see at a show: mainstream cars that have largely disappeared from Australian roads because they were never perceived as collectable.
I’m talking about the kind of car you or your parents might have had 20 or 30 years ago, the kind of car you haven’t seen on the road for years.
It’s perhaps not all that surprising that I’m saying this, given I used to write for a blog called Curbside Classic which primarily chronicles cars spied, well, by the kerbside. But I know I’m not the only weirdo out there who gets more excited to see a mint-condition Holden Piazza than a Ferrari Testarossa.
That’s why I’m pleased to hear there’s a show seemingly tailored just for me and my fellow weirdos, though unfortunately it’s a long plane trip away.
Ever heard of The Festival of the Unexceptional? Hagerty, best known for providing insurance for classic cars, organises the event, which has been running since 2014.
It’s a showcase for cars from the 1960s through to the 1990s that were considered ordinary when new, but which have become rare over the years. In the UK, we’re talking about humble hatchbacks like the Austin Maestro and Vauxhall Astra, or classic company cars like the Ford Granada and Rover 800.
It’s not the only show of its kind. Concours d’Lemons – cute name – is a similar event over in the US with an emphasis on more derided vehicles.
Cars and Coffee events seem to draw people from hardcore enthusiasts to casual passers-by, and I can imagine something like The Festival of the Unexceptional would do the same were it to be hosted in Australia.
After all, even those of us who aren’t enthusiasts are bound to have some kind of connection with a vehicle. Imagine growing up in the back of an old Ford Telstar and seeing a similar one years later in seemingly showroom condition, long after most had been scrapped.
But there’s also the benefit to enthusiasts of having a venue where they can show off vehicles perceived as less desirable without receiving scorn.
I’ve been to plenty of lovely, welcoming car shows – Brisbane’s regular All-Japanese Day at Banyo is one of them – but others have given me the vibe some cars are more welcome than others.
Imagine pulling up to an American car show brimming with ’65 Mustangs in a Chrysler Neon, for example, or a JDM car park meet packed with stanced Skylines in a Nissan Prairie.
I can only imagine organising an event like The Festival of the Unexceptional is hard work, particularly finding a suitable venue. But I also reckon it’s high time we have a show like this in Australia, and I’d love to see it happen.
