Photography by: ©2014 Toni Avery

©2014 Toni Avery

Car shows offer some of the best drooling material for free anywhere. Now I’m not talking Pebble Beach stuff, just good old Cars & Coffee gatherings where car guys and girls bring their prized possessions and look at others.

The biggest Cars & Coffee event near me is all the way in Irvine, CA, which is over an hours drive even without traffic. I found out about a new Cars & Coffee that just got its start this month in Malibu, CA. Most people think Malibu and picture the uber rich with beach front homes, I do, but this new Cars & Coffee might be one of the most humble shows I’ve been to in quite some time.

The ride over to the show is also one of the best I’ve been on. From the 101 freeway to Malibu Canyon for a fun run. Leaving at 6:30 AM on a Sunday ensures no traffic, except for the occasional Volvo trundling along. The show’s right across from the beautiful Pepperdine college campus. I was one of the first cars there, behind my dad, so I got a Hot Wheels toy! Coffee, Orange Juice, Hot Cocoa and some morning pastries awaited show goers.

Standing around talking to fellow car guys/gals a nice orange 911 pulls in and someone says “That’s Chad McQueen.” My grandfather photographed Steve (Chad’s dad) and I’ve got the famous shot of Steve driving his XKSS from the perspective of my grandpa in the passenger seat, hanging on my wall.

I got a shot of Chad with his car and before I knew it my dad and him were talking about my grandpa and Steve and old stories they’d shared. I was lucky enough to grab a few minutes of his attention for some questions.

Tell me a little about your dad. Chad leaned back a little and replied, “Well, that’s such a broad thing. He was a wise man, very informative with cars. That’s one thing we got to enjoy together was a lot of car stuff. He had a huge collection of cars and motorcycles. I was the guy that got to wash and wax them,” he laughed. I asked if he still has any of his dads cars and Chad commented, “Yes, I’ve got the first car he ever bought new, which was a ’58 Speedster and his two-liter 911 S. It’s getting to the point where I can’t enjoy them like I used to because of the value, but I still drive them maybe 1,000-2,000 miles a year.”

After being pulled away by other car people and McQueen fans, Chad came back for one last question. What’s one car you still lust after? “Race car or street car? I’m actually pretty satisfied, very satisfied with the Porsche’s I have. I’m a Porsche guy obviously. I just spent 1,400 miles in a 997 GT3 RS, I like that a lot. I drove the 918,” I interrupted to ask how he liked it and Chad replied, “It’s unreal.”

It was unreal to meet Steve’s son. He was such a cool dude, genuinely nice and just a big car guy. This won’t be my last time at Malibu Cars & Coffee. I love the feel of the small gathering, but I have a feeling with the way LA car people are it wont be small for too much longer.