Returning to your car at the end of a show to find that somebody’s kindly flung a handful of cards for their fledgling detailing business through your window is annoying, but worse yet is seeing a note on the seat informing you all future events have been canceled. We’ve brought back coverage of our favorite Sunday morning gathering at Trancas Country Market in Malibu, CA, for a while now, but today is likely to be the last time, seeing as the local community finally told everyone they’d like it to stop. With the snake of parallel-parked cars creeping steadily deeper into residential areas over the last few months, it seems we’ve reached the point of too much.
This happens all the time with events following the Cars & Coffee format, and they’re canceled for any number of reasons. Though it can be fun watching people hip-check highway dividers with their V6 Mustangs from the distance of YouTube, it’s not so fun to think about anyone getting hurt because some moron who ripped off his mufflers in the garage last night wants to do a burnout. That’s one of the quicker methods for ending the party. Whatever it is though, it never seems to come from the people who are having the most fun, does it? Instead it’s the dude with the leased entry-level supercar cold-starting it and sending the revs to the fuel cut because he wants to feel “what Enzo intended.” It’s not one specific group of brand loyalists or whatnot that does this of course: it’s just people with either too much ego, not enough respect, and probably both. But then again, sometimes it’s simply too many people in one place and that’s that.
I think I’m patient when it comes to waiting for a photo, so this gallery doesn’t do justice to the density out of frame. Representing the show’s growth was the fact that I arrived earlier than ever and had to walk further than ever to and from my eventual parking spot. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few toes were run over in the course of the morning. It’s sad to know it’s over, but we’re still spoiled for choice in Southern California so we can’t whine too much, and after all it really was outgrowing the location, however great it was—besides the static show at Trancas, it was an excuse to take a drive into the canyon roads nearby to accelerate the maintenance schedule on one’s car.
It is with typical bittersweetness then that all of us at Petrolicious look back on the good times had here, and even if you’ve never been to Trancas nor seen a previous article on the shows, we’d like to share just one more little gallery. As always, the group that assembled on Sunday was full of choice vintage cars. Here’s to the places we’ll meet them in the future.
