Cars and Coffee is Back at PVE
Cars and Coffee returns to the Paradise Valley Estates Community Center the morning of Saturday, April 23 after a four-year hiatus. Residents will be treated to a colorful array of very special cars to admire as they stroll around sipping Starbucks coffee and enjoying live music from Last Station West.
Cars on display are owned by residents and invited guests. They range from exotic sports cars to well-loved vintage vehicles their owners maintain with pride. Look for the highly modified 1957 Ford Thunderbird owned by Dr. Lawrence Kuznetz, flight controller of the Apollo 11 space program. Remember the 1969 Dodge Charger in the “Dukes of Hazzard” television series? There will be a dark gold one at the event. Also, in the line-up is a canary yellow, all electric four-passenger GEM street-licensed vehicle, a fire engine red Smart Car, a light blue 1967 Austin Healey, and a red 1965 Mustang convertible.
Perhaps one of these cars will make you smile, remembering your first car or very favorite. Another may make you ponder what it might take to own it, your child’s four-year college tuition, for example. Still another might trigger curiosity, how does it feel to ride in a car like that? Especially for seniors the question becomes, “Could I still lower myself into that car, and how would I get out?”
The 1931 Ford Model A is bound to be a favorite. If you didn’t own one, someone in your family probably did. The couple owning it love driving to Cars and Coffee meet-ups in the Bay area. New to this year’s show is a 2005 Lotus Elise British sports car, a 1951 Porsche, a 2007 Ford Shelby Mustang GT, a 2001 Ferrari, and a Lamborghini. Italian, German and English cars will be well represented along with American varieties.
Owners love to tell you what’s under the hood. Motor heads among us understand it, the rest of us can regard the whole package and dream a little.
The first Cars and Coffee at PVE was in 2016, held on the top level of the then-new parking garage. Every space was filled. The second Cars and Coffee, in April 2018, doubled the number of exhibitors and this year’s will be held in the Community Center lot which holds up to 40 cars. The increases of our event mirror the growth in popularity of Cars and Coffee gatherings nationwide. Dozens are held every weekend in the greater Bay area, with hundreds happening across the country. While the casual gatherings mainly provide an exchange among car owners with a common interest, they’re a relaxing way to start the weekend for anyone.
By necessity, at PVE, Cars and Coffee owners attend by invitation because we are a gated community. Unlike past events, this year visitors will be required to present Covid-free proof.
But a private event has its advantages. Starbucks coffee, delicate pastries and a live Country and Western band will be on hand to make your morning even more special.
