Cars and Coffee Dallas - October 2013 October 05 2013

Sunlight had just started to seep into the dark morning sky as I accelerated through a sweeper onto the tollway. I was on my way to Dallas Cars and Coffee  - a monthly gathering of automotive enthusiasts from all corners of the automotive world. As the sun began to rise through the cloudy horizon, it revealed ominous rain clouds that moments ago had been too dark to see. It was doubtful that the event was going to be a dry one, but the turnout was strong nonetheless. Here are the people and cars that stood defiant or indifferent to the looming rain clouds.

This particular VW Golf is about as low as it can go. There was a healthy following of people from the slammed hellaflush school. This group seemed to be significantly larger than what it was in months past.

I don't think I could slide a credit card between the wheel and the lip of the fender. 

An ESS M3 showed up, wearing a unique shade of blue. 

Looking under the hood, you can see that the engine has been supercharged.

Next door was an unmolested Acura NSX with low miles. The owner Ian picked up this example about 4 months ago. With the impending resurrection of the NSX nameplate, these first generation NSX's are anticipated to increase in price. If you plan on ever owning one, now would be an excellent time to buy in. We think it still looks great 2 decades after it was first penned.

It wasn't the only NSX at the meet though. There was a sizeable contingent of NSX owners.

Jeremy from SCW Performance brought his Acura NSX. It has intake, test pipes, and suspension upgrades. We may feature his shop in a later article.

This particular BMW 3-series had some nice detail in the grille.

I was digging this tastefully modified Toyobaru.

It looks great against the backdrop of the Texas sunrise.

Plenty of Subarus showed up. A high percentage of Subarus I've seen run COBB stickers. However, there was a sticker in the engine bay that I hadn't seen before.

For some reason, Subaru owners and memes are a common theme...

The lines of this Porsche Cayman R reflected the sunrise brilliantly.

The dive canards on this Nissan R32 Skyline hint at its serious intent.

Under the hood is a monstrous turbocharger.

This hot rod was built by our friend Brad and his Dad over the course of two years. The body is fiberglass, though you wouldn't be able to tell from the glassy smooth surface and paint. 

The interior of this hot rod was done very nicely, if not a bit cozy. It's details like the shift knob and a flowing interior that make this a nice build.

Under the hood is a high compression 355 cubic inch V8 running a 11:1 ratio. The car makes plenty of power for its light weight.

The Tesla Model S turned heads with its empty "engine compartment". 

This is the first LFA that I have seen in the flesh, and I think it looks fantastic. The owner is a woman, which is refreshing to see when most automotive gatherings are sausage fests.

The LFA drew quite a crowd, and for good reason.

The details on the spoiler are nice. The bare metal looks mechanical and robotic.

A 2013 Nissan R35 from Jotech showed up. This car makes 1042 AWHP and those HREs are a thing of beauty.

No neon, or flashy bits. This engine bay is clean and purposeful.

The Lamborghini Diablo VT was the fastest production car in the world when it was first released. The owner had the car repainted from silver to white. 

Out back is the 5.7 V12 which produces 492 hp in stock trim. 

This Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster caused quite a stir.

The carbon ceramic brakes are ridiculously huge. The large 20" wheels make the rotors look vaguely proportional in the photo, but in person, they are absolutely enormous.

The winds had steadily been picking up as the morning progressed, and at this point the skies started to sprinkle over these supercars. The Lamborghini roadster owners scurried to retrieve their hard tops and fasten them into place. The LFA packed it up and headed for the exit. There was a mass exodus, and just like that, the morning was over.

The morning was cut short by the rain, but on the drive back home, I thought to myself, "Even if I had showed up and rain had completely cancelled the event, I would still have thoroughly enjoyed the early morning drive with no cars on the road." As automotive enthusiasts, how often do we get in our cars and just drive for no other reason than driving? For some the answer might be often, but for me, I rarely make the time to do that. For others, the question might be, "How often do we forget to savor the experience of driving when we're headed to work or out to the auto parts store?" It was a reminder to live in the present. 

I am certainly not a morning person, but the right combination of car and coffee can make a morning drive something truly special. I had a spectacular morning, and hopefully you enjoyed being brought along for the ride. Until next time, live, love and drive.