Back-to-Back Cars+Coffee Doubleheader!

Jaguar E-Type, the car that Enzo Ferrari called the most beautiful.

For the 2nd weekend in a row I managed to visit two Cars and Coffee events over one weekend. Maybe I'll take next weekend off... but don't bet on it! On Saturday my son Brian and I visited the monthly Concord NC Cars and Coffee right at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and this is a very popular event! In addition to a great mix of classic American rides, alongside plenty of modern cars and trucks, AND some super cars (looking at you Ferrari, Lamborghini) there were multiple vendors, sponsors, and even a free raffle giveaway of NAPA tools and NASCAR parts from some Hendrick racecars! 

Cars and Coffee round 2 was on Sunday morning with the "Exotics and Espresso" group in Charlotte. These monthly events allow their members to display their cars at the SouthPark Mall, and this even also has sponsors, vendors, and a big spectator turnout. The cars tend to be a LOT of Porsches, and I think almost entirely European brands. I saw Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Triumph, Smart, a Tesla Cybertruck, Jaguar, Aston Martin, etc. The SouthPark Mall area of town is where we tend to spot cars like Ferraris driving around, and thats what inspired our "Cool Car Bingo Cards" a few years ago. 

Enough chit-chat, let's check out some cars: 

BMW 2002. Not from the year 2002, it's the model number!

A sign on this Willys Jeep said it was modified by the owner to be their hunting vehicle back home in Texas. Awesome!

SPOILER ALERT! The fine folks at Hendrick Porsche had some new cars on display. This GT3 RS goes 184mph. 

Spiderman was there!

Lotus

Chopped Mercury. Chrome baby!

If you haven't seen a Tesla Cybertruck yet, NOW YOU HAVE! This is the rear view. 

More Cybertruck. A detailing business was cleaning it up, so that explains the water spots on the ground. I was going to joke about they spilled some gas there, since it's an all electric vehicle, but that would be too much Dad Joke for NMS. 

1959 Plymouth Fury. Whew!

Hey, do you NEED an off-roading Lamborghini? Meet the Hurracan Sterrato!
Luggage rack, extra front lights, V10 power, aluminum skid plate underneath, etc.

The deTomaso Pantera put a Ford motor in the middle of an Italian car and was sold by Mercury dealers in the US. 

The Ferrari TestaRossa is instantly recognizable with the intakes on the side. You probably know it means Red Head for the red valve covers.

All Ferraris are not red! Here's a new Ferrari F8 Spider

A North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) Ferrari

To honor their rally heritage in the Paris-Dakar race, an off-roading Porsche 911 Dakar.

Porsche Dakar
If you are rich enough to buy an off-roading Porsche 911, I can only guess you might keep some extra bags of money on that luggage rack on top. 
They plan on building 2,500 of these, with 600 coming to the US, starting at $222,222. 

Lamborghini Countach

Antique Auto license plate...now I'm feeling older!

There were a lot of modern Porsche cars, mostly 911s, so this older 356 really caught my eye! It had been restored and is in awesome condition! You could eat off the engine in the back, seriously. 

I liked this badge that identified that the Porsche 356 bodywork was built by Reutter in Stuttgart. There are a lot of famous design companies and other bodywork builders around Europe. 

See, I TOLD you that you could eat off this engine!
Porsche 356 1500 Continental.
Ford didn't like the Germans using the Continental name because they already had a Lincoln Continental, so apparently this model got a new name, and a real Continental is a rare thing. 

Ferrari 308, which of course means it's a 3-liter engine with 8 cylinders. No, I didn't see Magnum PI anywhere near this car. 

Alfa Romeo GTV6, sold in the US from 1981-1986

Triumph

This license plate reminds me of a joke I just read. 
"My boss wants me to do a 401K, but there's no way I'm running that far!"

Just one of the sponsors, Foreign Cars Italia Charlotte.

Your everyday Lamborghini wheel, with a one-piece knock-off hub. 

Here's a question for you. What epic car was designed by Bertone, and is considered just an awesome car, and possibly the first mid-engine supercar?
HINT: Lambo

Answer: The Lamborghini Miura.
It is considered the first mid-engine performance car, starting way back in 1966. The Miura was built until 1973, when Lambo came out with the Countach (see photo above.)

"Hammer Down"
A few thoughts here: First off, they probably just mean to push the gas pedal and go fast.
Or, it could have something to do with the superhero from Marvel comics, the mighty Thor, who swings a mean hammer. 
Maybe this is Lewis Hamilton's car, since when he drives all out he says it's Hammer Time?
Hammer Time? You mean M.C. Hammer and You Can't Touch This? 

This is a Rossion. From what I could find out, these cars were built for a few years in the US, based on the Noble body, but I don't think they are in buisness today. 

I'm taking a guess here, that someone took a regular Smart car, and then modified it as an off-road version with a taller suspension and off-road tires. 

Or now that I think about it, given the color, maybe they're copying the Lamborghini Sterrato (see earlier photo above.) If nothing else, they have a great sense of humor with the "Llamaghini" badge and license plate! 
Like we used to say in my college marching band: If you're not having fun, it's your own damn fault!