Winter 2025 Newsletter • Volume 81
Winter 2025 Newsletter • Volume 81
There is something uniquely rewarding about setting out early on a Saturday morning in a special car, before traffic builds and the day fully wakes up. The roads are quiet, the air is cool, and each curve offers a reminder of why these cars were built to be driven. For Tom, that feeling was front and center on Saturday, December 13, 2025, as he took our 1972 Porsche 914-6 GT Tribute out on the back roads en route to a long-standing gathering of automotive enthusiasts in Rancho Santa Fe.
Cars, Coffee, and the Joy of Driving in Good Company
Southern California has a deep and well-established car culture, and the Rancho Santa Fe Cars and Coffee gathering has been part of it for more than 15 years. Held in the heart of the village, the event regularly draws hundreds of cars and spectators, filling the downtown streets from early morning through mid-morning. It’s the kind of gathering where arriving early matters, not just for parking, but to fully experience the atmosphere as cars continue to roll in and conversations begin to form organically. The drive itself is as much a part of the experience as the destination. Taking the scenic route through Rancho Santa Fe’s winding roads, the 914-6 GT Tribute felt perfectly at home, offering an engaging and rewarding drive before even reaching the event. By the time Tom arrived, the village was already buzzing with activity. A wide mix of cars filled the streets, from carefully preserved classics to modern performance machines, each drawing its own small circle of admirers and conversation.
What makes gatherings like this special isn’t a formal program or scheduled highlights. It’s the ease of the morning. People wander, stop to talk, reconnect with familiar faces, and meet new ones. Conversations flow easily between longtime enthusiasts and first-time attendees. The cars serve as a shared language, but the focus quickly shifts to stories, experiences, and the simple enjoyment of being part of a community built around a common interest.
For many longtime participants, the morning does not end when the larger gathering begins to wind down. A smaller group of friends and fellow enthusiasts often continues on to another nearby location, extending the experience with breakfast, conversation, and more time spent enjoying the cars and each other’s company. It’s this continuation of camaraderie that gives mornings like these their lasting appeal. The cars become part of a broader experience that blends driving, friendship, and shared appreciation.
The Camaraderie That Carries
the Morning Forward
For Tom and our Team, moments like this reflect why the hobby remains so compelling after decades of involvement. Years spent restoring, preserving, and driving important automobiles have shown that there is no single “right” way to enjoy a classic car. Some are carefully maintained as concours-level reference points, admired for their originality and craftsmanship. Others are built as refined show-drivers, meant to be both displayed and driven regularly. Both approaches offer their own rewards, and both contribute to keeping the culture surrounding these cars active and accessible.
Events such as Rancho Santa Fe serve as a reminder that special cars, regardless of how they are enjoyed, have a unique ability to bring people together. They thrive in settings like these, early mornings, open roads, and easy conversation, where the experience extends beyond the machine itself. For those who already own a classic, gatherings like this offer a natural way to stay connected to the community. For those considering their first step into the hobby, they provide a welcoming glimpse into what ownership can truly mean. At Classic Showcase, this perspective shapes much of how we approach our work. Whether helping preserve a historically significant car, preparing a show-driver meant to be enjoyed on the road, or assisting an owner in better understanding and enjoying a car they already love, the goal is always the same: to make the experience approachable, rewarding, and lasting. We live this world every day, and we naturally help others find their place in it as well. If mornings like this spark your interest, it’s worth exploring what’s happening in your own area. Many communities have long-running gatherings built around the same spirit of driving, conversation, and shared appreciation. You may find that an early drive, a cup of coffee, and time spent among like-minded enthusiasts becomes one of the most enjoyable parts of owning a special car.