Weekly auto cruise-in East of Cooper an early morning wake-up for dozens of car enthusiasts

By JIM PARKER

The Post and Courier

There aren’t many rules to take part in Cars and Coffee.

Be able to arise by 8 a.m. or so on a Saturday; own or have access to a car, preferably in tip-top shape; and be trusting enough to park the vehicle so others can take a look.

That’s about it, although bring a few bucks because you’re on your own for coffee.

Cars and Coffee is the brainchild of Dave DeNunzio and Don Curtis, two car buffs who wanted to start up a regular get-together for vehicle enthusiasts.

The event is a cruise-in, meaning that there are no trophies or registration fees like at car shows. Cars aren’t judged, either, at least not officially.

“I don’t call anybody really in charge,” said DeNunzio, who drove a reproduction Shelby Cobra sports car to the Feb. 2 cruise-in held at Brookgreen Town Center in Mount Pleasant.

The cruise-in has had just two sites in its history: Towne Centre for a year or so and for the past few months at Brookgreen, located off Coleman Boulevard. The date and time is always the same, 8-10 a.m. Saturday.

While there are no fees, the organizers at least once got word out that donations would be accepted for an East Cooper charity. It was the cruise-in’s largest showing, with 150 aficionados on hand.

“There’s a core group,” said Rick Steuer, a regular at the Saturday morning event. “We get along; young guy, old guy,” he said.

“It’s interesting to look at the different cars,” said Bob Driscoll, another devotee of Cars and Coffee.

At the Feb. 2 cruise-in, vehicles on hand included a rare ’50s era British Daimler, at least two Ferraris, a blue Lamborghini VT and a Tesla S electric vehicle. Three new Minis parked beside each other, while a red Corvette held the left flank of two Porsches. New model BMWs and Mercedes’ were popular attractions, as were Mustangs.

Curtis brought a Birel Motorsport racing go-kart capable of 75 mph on speedways. With all the G-forces, the low-to-the-ground vehicle “wears you out in a couple of laps,” he said.

In launching Cars and Coffee, the light bulb idea was, “Why not have a gathering early Saturday morning,” DeNunzio said. With an 8-10 a.m. time span, eventgoers still have most of the day free to “do all the things that they have to do.”

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.