Stick a Fork in Briar Creek

I am torn... I enjoy the amount of non-owners who just show up to view the cars. Always a lot of questions and chat about the Ferrari which I really enjoy. If there is one aspect of the meet that I will miss, it is the "quantity" (hundreds of people). As for the car "quality", yes, it is getting dicey. A Mustang at the end of the day no matter how tricked out it is still is just a Mustang. But they are still car guys getting together for the love of their marquee just like we do. It was nice that someone did decide to rope off the area to keep those from parking that were not interested in the show, and since this is really an informal event they can only police it so much. Maybe that is how the Feiro got in (the Lexus thankfully was parked outside the roped area). If I had my say I would say segregation of the cars is more in order rather than just moving out. Park the exotics in one area, the old muscle cars in another, the Vipers here, the 'Vettes there. I know... easy to say but since this is really not a formal gathering with no count of what cars of what type will show, can something like that really be put in place and enforced?

 

I've been a very infrequent attendee, but I recall that in the beginning the marques generally clustered in different areas ... antiques were at one end, vettes a bit further over, exotics near the coffee shop, etc. Having provided maintenance support for a stang a long time ago when my sister owned one, I was thinking of voting for the 'stang display to be placed over by the Walmart. Perhaps we just had a bad sample :-(



Lou

 

Snob. It's an informal car show, not an Exotic show. I've got a bunch of friends that are now calling out Fchat and the elitist pricks on here... (several boards I frequent)

If the Triangle Italians want an exclusive place to park, I would bet that an organizer or Greg could approach the management company of the area and get a spot off to the side or something.

How would you feel if you went to a ferrari meet and were excluded due to your old and lowly 308???
I'm guessing you never come out to the Grill 57 or Chargrill meets either, due to the low class of people and cars that show up there???

I love the car (my lowly 348 spider), but not the stigma associated with it that comes from people like you.

 

I've attended this gathering and enjoyed looking at all the types of vehicles that attended. Now I also understand being I'm not a Ferrari owner, my opinion may be worthless to you guys. Honestly I say, we should all be happy that the event is growing and enjoy it. Look at it like a buffet, little of something there for everyone.

 

Let me start by saying that I am a Mustang owner.

Your comments seem justified until you point out that this is an informal gathering, that you do not run. Is this correct?

If you or your" club" do in fact put on this gathering, why do you take up thisissue with the leaders of your club?

If exclusivity is your thing, just start your own, and segregate all you like. Hold it at a private venue, rather than a public lot.

Maybe I speak out of my patoot. Who knows.

 

I was at the very first Italian Motoring Enthusiasts gathering at Brier Creek three years ago this October. At that time we were a spec of dust invading the space of the Porsche guys. I am amazed at how things have changed since then. I have no problem with any sort of vehicle that shows up.

It is an informal gathering, to some degree. The only owner intervention from Brier Creek management has been a request that car group leaders sign a liability document.

 

I am also torn by the nature of the event. I want to see the antique cars and I want to see the exotics. I love to see all the old Vettes there and I accept the fact that with the old Vettes comes the new Vettes, likewise with the Mustangs. I do appreciate the volume of people who come there and don't want to be branded a snob, but is there a way we could group the different "classes" or types of cars? Who could do that?

While I have my preferences of cars to look at and accept the "to each his own" philosophy, I was confused by the 2010 BMW 3 series car inside the ropes?!

Also, what is happening with our Porsche guys? What are they doing?

 

For crying out loud... this is a "Cars and Coffee" event... right??? They are held all over the country as a casual car show for ANY enthusiast with ANY make of car or motorcycle they would like to show. In Charlotte, we consistently have 200-300 cars show up every month. Usually we have only 5-10 Ferraris. It's still one of my favorite events to attend.
I take my Jeep Wrangler, but it does have a Scuderia shield on back. I figure it's about as quick as a 308QV.

 

I have to agree. It is great that everybody and anybody can come to the event. I have swung by for the past 3 years, and loved to see the event grow. I come with a bone stock s2000 and hang out with the crowd there, talk to just about everybody and have a blast. The attitude is kind of crazy, if you are a car enthusiast, you are an enthusiast, not everybody can afford a Ferrari, some people actually prefer to have a mustang, but that shouldn't mean they can't come and show what their hard earned money has gotten them also. Honestly, a slightly larger space I think should be found, so that more people can come, and more people can enjoy it. It is great for the area to have such a good event, that shows car enthusiasts in a good light with all the bad publicity we often get.

 

i havent been in a while b/c of conflicts and it is 1.5 hr drive for me. it has obviously grown cause when i have gone there has been plenty of parking. i agree that anyone should be able to "represent" but it would be nice to have sections set aside. not to be separists but so people can see all the cars easily in a group that most interests them.

what do you guys think??

Greg, jump in at any time with thoughts

PS. what was the porsche referrence about??

 

Apparently this meet got too big for the Porsche guys (or maybe they also felt that the quality of cars represented was lacking, pure conjecture here on my part) that they moved their meet to the LAST Saturday of the month when it used to be on the 1st.

 

And one last 2 cents.. I dont see why everyone is so butthurt about the Fiero. I actually thought it was a nice looking example of a car which is borderline extinct. Honestly between kit cars chopping them up and ragged out examples, when was the last time any of you guys seen a nicer example Fiero then that one?

 

i thought hte porsche guys met every saturday anyway

 

I was also at the first event and it has grown an enormous amount. I haven't gone since July, so I can't comment on the most recent gatherings. However, I remember an older 944 pulling through the lot bouncing off of the rev limiter with no muffler. I also remember an E46 M3 revving like it was nobody's business. That kind of behavior detracts from the image of the event. However, I don't think a Fiero or a 3 series takes away from the event. It has become a plethora of different types of automobiles and there is a little of something for everyone. I don't own a Ferrari and I helped start the event and get them off of the ground, and I intended for it to be a gathering for car and motorcycle enthusiasts of all interests and ages.

 

" I feel the same way sometimes when I meet the TIME folks in my lowly 911. "

which TIME folks are you refering to, or are you being overly generalizing.
the guys i know are enthusiasts and are not descriminating

 

I'm sorry Tom, but I have to agree with Thomas. I really enjoyed the old "get togethers" because they were get togethers. Now we have "events" and there are a bazzillion people there.

I dont mind 100's of people or 100's of cars. I dont even mind a yugo parked next to my Ferrari. What I liked was the group of Ferrari people like us all having a cup and chewing the fat and BS'ing. Now that has gone and the C&C is a full blown car show. I dont mind car shows, I go to a few of them. But I would rather have the old group. I miss them.

That's why I dont go anymore.

 

And that was kind of my point. Set up a ferrari specific meet, and it's all good. But back when it was just Triangle Italians (i'm assuming it was like that, I never made it out to anything back then) what happened when other makes and manufacturers started to "cut in"? If folks were unhappy back then, then the Triangle Italians should have changed venues at that time. But to allow something to grow and then have issues later is kinda like stepping on a nail, not getting a tetnus (sp) shot, and then complaining when you get gangrene. Cars and Coffee, not Ferraris and Coffee or Exotics and Coffee.

I'd love a Ferrari specific meet, to get to know some more owners who might not come out to the general style meets. And I'd love to have it be a lot more of a personal thing. I'd love to do some of the trips and such I have seen one here, but it seems that most of the time a Sat morning is about all the free time I have, and then it seems rare. Most of the owners I have met to this point have been great, but one bad apple.... Especially in today's Age of Information.

I will also say this: I even made it a point to let my friends know that they were crucifying all owners because one guy was complaining and one other wanted separate areas for the different marques. I try very hard not to promote any sort of stereotypical image on any other forums I am on, but on a public forum with the speed of information today, it becomes increasingly difficult to defend the actions/motivations of a group, when based on a single dissident voice, especially if the prosecution has preconcieved stereotypes of its own.

 

Nothing happened, but there were not many of them. Again, it was super informal and info about where and when was mostly by phone and email. In my opinion what happened was we settled at one spot and did not move from there. People saw the cars, and started to bring their own, so it grew then exploded into what you see now which is a circus and circuses can be fun. But not every week or even every month, at least not for me.

I dont think Thomas was being a snob at all, though poorly worded maybe I see him as lamenting the old days when we got together to enjoy each others company and talk cars and F1. Now days it is a circus and I personally think it has lost something.

 

I concur with the good Doctor S. He was there when the meet was in it's infancy... small and intimate. Maybe what we should do is meet at Briar Creek as we have and enjoy the cars we want to enjoy out of the hundreds but from there take a drive somewhere. I am much more about driving than sitting in a parking lot for a couple of hours. Maybe plan it so we have lunch somewhere each month? The Mambo Italiano drive was excellent. Something like that maybe for the future? This will allow us the circus and an intimate grouping after.

 

Great idea .

 

Well, it went something like this:

First meet - 3 or 4 Ferrari's, one Lambo, and a Ducati
Second meet - 8 to 10 Ferrari's, two Lambo's, an Alfa or two, and 5 Ducati's.
Third meet - 30 cars of various makes and what not
Fourth meet - KABOOM!

And now you see where it is. The three year anniversary will be coming up this October. Its one of those things where early on, everyone wanted to see it grow. It is one of those 'be careful what you wish for' things and it has grown beyond what anyone anticipated. Honestly, the pre-gathering gathering at Leith in Cary has generally been the most personal part of those Saturdays for me. I generally know everyone there. Once you get to Briar Creek, people tend to split off as everyone certain things that interest them.

However, in general, I think anything like this is destined to blow up into something big over time. I think Matt's idea with maybe some post gathering drives is a good idea.

 

I am new to this. My primary motivation in attending is talking to,listening and learning from the Ferrari owners.
I enjoy seeing some of the other cars: one of my favourites last week was than 58 Dodge Polara with the 426 Hemi.
Last week I got to Brier Creek about 10 and there was no parking inside the tape. That's OK, my decision I take the consquences. I was able to pull up inside the tape next to the other F-Cars when that Mazda pulled out though.
I will go (or stay) where the other F-Car owners go. We talked about that Cary location where An and Ruth's Chris are located....that's fine with me. I also like the drive to lunch idea....so if we meet at Brier Creek then take off, that's good too.
In any event, I hope that our F-Chat discourse can be civil and gentlemanly.
Thanks, Keith