Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

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On any given weekend, more than 100 automobiles fill
every parking space in the lot and overflow into adjacent
spaces. Almost universally, those vehicles are unlike any oth-
ers seen daily on the Lowcountry’s highways and byways.
There are Ferraris and Maseratis, Lamborghinis and
Aston Martins, classic MGs, Jags and Triumphs, vintage
pickups, tricked out motorcycles and plenty more.
There’s no racing and no judging, just the opportu-
nity to showcase everyone’s favorite car and give others a
chance to admire it, ask questions about it and maybe even
sit in the driver’s seat and
imagine what it would be
like to take it out on the
road or track.
Charleston Cars &
Coffee got its start not
long after Hurricane
Hugo, meeting for several
years at various locations
in the Old Village. About
five years ago, a handful
of the car faithful struck a
deal to hold their regular
meetings at their current location, and car buffs from as far
away as Myrtle Beach and Beaufort began showing up to
show off their prized possessions.
One of those founding members is Don Curtis, who
lives in Brickyard and drives a Porsche Carrera. Charleston
Cars & Coffee continues to grow, he admitted, but added
that “It’s not about the numbers. We don’t have any goals.
We’re a niche community of interest. We’re a ‘multi-
marque’ gathering, so we’ve seen everything here: Model
Ts, Model As, vintage Packards, McLarens, Vipers, Hum-
mers, half-million-dollar street hot rods – you name it.
About the only exotic car we haven’t had yet is a Bugatti.
“The Porsche Club has staged their cruises here, and
the British Car Club has more or less adopted this as their
meeting spot as well.”
Of course, not everyone has an Isotta Fraschini in their
two-car garage, so you’re just as likely to see a Jeep Chero-
kee or a Hyundai Sonata
parked next to a “Bug Eye”
Sprite or a classic 1960s
Toyota Land Cruiser look-
ing as if it’s ready for a race
through the streets of To-
kyo in pursuit of Godzilla.
Jim D’Damery of Dar-
rell Creek, who works as
safety director at Wando
Trucking Company, ar-
rived one Saturday in a
pedestrian silver SUV. A
diehard Corvette fancier, he explained that his regular ride
was having electrical problems, so he drove his backup
vehicle so he wouldn’t miss the meet.
“My Vette wouldn’t start this morning, so I just
jumped in my truck and came anyway. No one even
noticed. What’s important to me, and, I think, to everyone
who attends, isn’t so much the showing off of fancy cars