Katie's Cars and Coffee: November 23rd, 2013

It's been a few weeks since I've been to Katie's; last weekend I shot an awesome wedding. This weekend brought in a cold front, which, predictably, kept some folks from coming out. While eating breakfast inside Katie's you could overhear conversations; "Ive put the Ferrari away for the Winter, so I just brought the Porsche." The weather today was cold and blustery; it made for a short show, as most people gathered inside for coffee, and promptly left, avoiding the 35°F cold + wind chill... all while yesterday it was 65°F.

Jake (Bengal55) and I also ran into Patrick (Jagvar), and we toured the show together.

There was also this guy drove up to me in his Daimler and asked me if my camera records sound. I said, "it can" and proceeded to record him as he drove off. Not sure what that was all about... but hey, if you find this video, here it is!

This blog post has been republished by J. David Buerk onto Oppositelock. For the full set of photos, view the album at his Facebook Page. All photography is by J. David Buerk, and is copyrighted All Rights Reserved.

Katie's Cars and Coffee, November 2nd, 2013

It's been quite some time since my last visit to Katie's, but now that I've wrapped up some client shoots I've had waiting, and am back in the area after several trips, I decided to stop by Katie's. There were some interesting additions to be seen; until last weekend, I'd only seen one C7 Corvette Stingray in the wild, out at Leesburg Outlets of all places. It's clear that the takeover is imminent, because there were 5 C7s that I counted at Katie's this past weekend - I wouldn't be shocked if there were more. It won't be long before these beautiful cars will become commonplace, and, well, not shocking anymore, like most Corvettes (sorry Corvette lovers... it's true. But don't be sad; Ferrari has quite a few models that are the same way. Let the flames begin...). I think it looks good in silver, but better (evil) in black. The Corvette finally has been given a proper, though long overdue, refresh.

With the time change, Cars and Coffee began wayyyy before the sun was up, but this also prompted some folks to show up a bit later, and run Cars and Coffee a bit longer. Even given the Daylight Savings Time change, I think most people missed seeing the Shelby GLHS, and Washington Nationals Right Fielder Jayson Werth arrive in his lifted F-250. This was the first I can recall seeing a Carrera GT in person.

This street rod and Toyobaru are what I love about Katie's; it's about car enthusiasts coming together to appreciate car culture, young and old, stock and modified. Katie's is very Come As You Are. Anything and everything can fit in.

And the most Jalopnik-ist car ever goes to?...

...and yes, it was a diesel.

"Ohhhhhh shit.... OHHHHHH shit! Shit, shit, shit! Ohhhhh shit!... Awwwwwwwwwwww......."

This thing died pretty hard; note the black smoke as the engine says it's had enough. It got trailered home... but not before the amazing reactions of the two gentlemen riding it.

Jalopnik at Katie's Cars and Coffee

UPDATE: This blog post was featured on Jalopnik on August 26th, 2013. See the full story and comments there. It's been a busy month of exciting things happening this August at Katie's Cars and Coffee in Great Falls, Virginia. The weekly auto drive-in and show has recently grown in popularity this Summer, thanks to more frequent appearances of extremely rare and expensive cars, such as an original Cunningham C2R that first made an appearance on May 25th (and a return trip on August 17th)...

...and more recently, two separate Bugatti Veyrons. The first made an appearance on July 6th, coming from nearby Volkswagen corporate offices in Dulles, and a second, privately owned Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport on August 10th, which flew in earlier this month on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight to Washington Dulles International Airport, and has been seen touring its way up the Eastern seaboard. This is the same Veyron which has been spotted in Georgetown, downtown Washington, DC, and most recently sustained damaged in a collision with a truck in New York City, just yesterday.

All this attention hasn't gone unnoticed by local automotive enthusiasts of car news website and blog, Jalopnik, and this past Saturday (August 24th), a number of Jalops (active members of the Jalopnik community) met to enjoy a Cars and Coffee event at Katie's Coffee House. Among the group was Washington, DC based Jalopnik writer, Patrick George, who arrived in a Cadillac ATS on loan to him for review.

The group met in the company of fellow car lovers, and toured this weekend's Cars and Coffee offerings, stopping to chat with drivers, and discuss interesting stories of ownership, and automotive history behind some manufacturers and their innovations.

The meet was an amazing success, only made better by perfect weather. The group stood for a picture in front of the classic Bently, and parted ways, until the next time we choose to meet. A special thanks to Nick for helping organize, who unfortunately was unable to attend.

Washington Auto Show: 2013

It's become a New Year's automotive tradition of mine to see the Washington Auto Show every year, much like my annual Fall trip to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park to enjoy the car culture along Virginia's most scenic Autumn route. This year, just like the last, I brought only my beloved 85L II lens to take in the petroheads' art. I enjoy using a tight lens like the 85L because it forces me to be creative in creating new perspectives to an auto show that thousands of people photograph. It takes a lot of effort to get a full car shot using the 85L, and that's just part of the challenge... because that's what everyone else is shooting; do I really want that shot? How can I make it unique? I hope you enjoy my carporn from the 2013 Washington Auto Show! Bonus points if you can identify the cars from just their detail shots; leave your guesses in the comments section!

You can also see the entire set of photos at my Facebook Page here. Don't forget to LIKE my Page!

This Chrysler 300 has had a $10,000+ drop-top conversion done to it. It was for sale, and had a potential buyer place it on hold. The US Army also had a display, featuring a minesweeping Bobcat, and soldier launched UAVs. I wonder if anyone actually returns the drone in a conflict zone like the sticker asks, like a library card.

There were also some local celebrities on hand. DJ Flounder, known to the DC area from his time with DC101 on Elliot in the Morning, and Captain Planet! I also feel that the kid below was paying too much attention to the Maserati, and ignoring the awesome Chevy tow truck begging for attention just a few feet away. It had a Stingray on the back, for sale.

Jake and I also had the rare opportunity to demo Jaguar's latest model, the 2014 F-Type S: a 380HP roadster that aims to compete with Mercedes' SLK55 AMG and SL Series, and BMW's Z4 sDrive35is. It is also available with a 450HP Supercharged V8 engine. We found it very comfortable, and we enjoyed the envious looks of onlookers as we tried the vehicle out in the enclosed Jaguar display area.

I was also happy to see the direction Lincoln is continuing to move in. I truly hope to see them continue to recover and separate themselves as a retro-modern luxury brand. That being said, the Chevrolet Impala is a welcome sight with a refreshed yet understated look, but a rear end that reminds me of a VW Passat.

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Katie's Cars and Coffee: November 23rd, 2013

Katie's Cars and Coffee, November 2nd, 2013

Jalopnik at Katie's Cars and Coffee

Washington Auto Show: 2013