NEWBURYPORT — Growing from an informal gathering of half-a-dozen car lovers to a weekly gathering that regularly draws in over 100 enthusiasts from around the region, Cars & Coffee organizer Bernie Casey recently reflected on how much the event has grown over the span of a decade.
“This year we’ve been over 100 cars for the last six or seven weeks in a row, and people are just amazed,” Casey said.
Cars & Coffee has long invited gearheads and anyone who appreciates a good engine block to come to Port Plaza each Saturday, from 7 to 9 a.m., as long as weather cooperates.
A local auto enthusiast who used to own a NAPA Auto Parts store in Salisbury, Casey founded the informal car show in 2017 when he and a small group of fellow enthusiasts began meeting in front of McDonald’s restaurant on Storey Avenue.
Casey said he was inspired by a series of long-running, weekend meetups near a coffee shop at Huntington Beach in California organized by a group called Donuts Derelicts.
“I wrote a letter 10 years ago saying to my friends and people that I knew had cars, I said, ‘Why are these West Coast guys having all the fun? There’s no reason why we can’t do that,’” Casey said.
Casey said all cars are welcome at the event, noting that one woman from Georgetown has become something of a regular with her car from Lucid Motors, a luxury electric vehicle manufacturer.
“She loves cars as much as the guy next to her in a Model A Ford,” Casey said.
One thing he said he loves about cars is that it brings all different folks together, noting that at last Saturday’s event he was blown away by a group of young men and the cars they had, which included two McLaren’s, a Ferrari, and a brand new Corvette.
“And they just came, hung out with everyone else, and talked cars,” Casey said.
In total 131 cars came last week.
“Every single person that I talk to, first of all, they have a smile on their face,” Casey said. “A lot of them get kids hanging on the hanging on to the dads or grandfathers, little kids, and the camaraderie is wonderful. People make new friends every single week, and that’s all I hear from the people that show up.”
He said that Cars & Coffee usually lasts as long into the year as weather allows, typically sometime in October, and that he is always sad to see the season end.
“I do this because I like cars, I like people, and I like people meeting people and having a good time,” Casey said.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.