Cars and conversation
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 28, 2016 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Bill Autry of New Bern shows off his car to a group of people at the first ever Cars and Coffee on Center Street Saturday. This is the 27th Mercedes car that Autry has purchased. He was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in 1972.
When master plans for Streetscape were first laid out, there was no mention of its being a potential draw for residents to bring their cars and enjoy a cup of coffee.
But that's exactly what happened Saturday morning, as nearly every parking spot at the end of Center Street was taken up by vehicles from around the region.
Bill Autry of New Bern -- retired Air Force, formerly stationed in Goldsboro -- learned about the "Cars and Coffee" event and took advantage of the brisk sunny morning to drum up interest among some friends.
"Four of us came up here together," he said. "That's part of it, is driving up here together."
The caravan made for quite a picture on the highway -- he in his 2016 Mercedes AMG-GTS followed by his buddies driving a 2015 Viper, 2016 Challenger Hellcat and a 2013 Corvette.
"So the four us cruise up here. We like these little car shows," Autry said. "Some are too structured. But this, you've got cars from every scale and just people that are interested in showing their cars and talking.
"It's a common denominator between men and, of course, for women. That's a healthy thing."
The "Cars and Coffee" concept originated with Shane Kilpatrick, who started a business on Grantham Street back in May. At Blacksheep Garage, he handles general maintenance, custom builds and racecars, but the bread and butter of the operation is oil changes and brakes.
Even before he set up shop, before the Streetscape construction was complete, he introduced "Cars and Coffee" at his business. By the time he opened the doors, it had already built a following.
It is held on the first Saturday of each month.
"It's been really well-received," he said, explaining that unlike the more traditional car shows, which can last all day, his version is more low-key. "It's a chance to bring your car out. It's been really popular over (at my shop).
"We wanted to do that since all the construction was finishing downtown. This is the first one. It brings business downtown and builds the excitement for the car scene, too, and what better place to take pictures of cars?"
One by-product is the relationships being built and how many travel in to reconnect.
"We've got people today from New Bern, Jacksonville, Raleigh. For the inaugural one we didn't know what to expect," he said.
Much of the momentum has been generated through word of mouth and social media, particularly Facebook, he said.
"It's all free. You show up, grab a spot," he said.
The Wayne County native -- he grew up in Seven Springs, now lives in Grantham -- said he wants to see the "Cars and Coffee" continue and believes it can become even bigger.
"This one will be a scheduled event, the last Saturday of every month," he said. "We reached out to the mayor, to the downtown development. We went around to the business owners to get their input also."
He envisions a variety of ways it can develop -- to a possible evening event, maybe a barbecue, a downtown outdoor movie night. And it all starts with people driving in and parking their cars.
"It's just something to get everybody excited about, something different," Kilpatrick said. "It's not limited to any particular car or brand or anything. It's some of everything here."
Stedman Williams and buddy Johnny Blevins said they enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of checking out motors and engines and picking up a few pointers.
"Just looking at the different vehicles and the customized cars," Williams said. "There's a lot of expensive cars on that end."
Blevins was impressed by the variety of display, although admitted some of it would be out of his price range.
Williams had brought his own car, a 2005 Subaru ST. He has had some work done to it, he said, including exhaust, headers, custom tuning, "basically did it myself," he said.
It's an ongoing effort to really do it right, he said.
"It's an every day process," he said. "It's like a baby. You've always gotta check everything."
Chris Evans of Goldsboro, who brought his '72 Dodge Dart, said he knew Kilpatrick and his staff and wanted to support the event.
"It's good for the community," he said.
He was enjoying a cup of coffee with friends, Samuel Lilly and his wife, Cherish Lilly, of Smithfield.
"We brought one of our cars. Maybe next time I'll bring mine," Mrs. Lilly said.
The couple drove their 2004 Dodge SRT-4. Her vehicle, she said, is a 2000 Mustang GT.
"A lot of times when you have something like this, its not usually like a car show," Samuel said. "These are all car enthusiasts. Usually we just come out, hang out, ask questions, compliment each other.
"It's basically a car guy hangout. (It's) more lax than a car show, kind of a peaceful way to enjoy your hobby."
Mrs. Lilly, in the minority at the male-dominant event, was not uncomfortable in the least.
"It's nice, a lot of times just getting to know people that like the same things you do," she said. "A lot of people aren't into cars. They just buy a car to get to work."
The venue was also as impressive as some of the vehicles, said Samuel, who previously lived in Goldsboro and said this was the first time he had seen the downtown renovations.
He said he has been to larger scale car shows in Raleigh, with upwards of 1,000 vehicles on display. That, he said, could happen here.
"If this keeps up, it could eventually grow," he said. "This is a nice area."
The "Cars and Coffee" event, in addition to continuing on the last Saturday morning of the month downtown, is also continuing at Blacksheep Garage on the first Saturday of the month, which is next Saturday, March 5, from 8 a.m. until noon.