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A Hollin Hall Shopping Center parking lot became a sprawling automotive display on March 30, when 50 meticulously maintained vehicles arrived for the bimonthly Alexandria Cars and Coffee meetup.
Under the Sunday morning sun, owners and visitors compared everything from horsepower and suspension systems to window designs, exhaust pipes, finishes, cylinders and engine components. The eclectic lineup stretched from vintage Chevrolets and Cadillacs to British TVRs and high-powered Nissan GTRs.
Mount Vernon resident Bill Bock described the gathering as “a Sunday morning social club” while fielding questions about his damson-colored 1972 Triumph TR6. Bock bought his first TR6 after returning from military service in Vietnam, then purchased another 51 years later.
He maintains the English sports car himself, accepting smashed thumbs and broken fingernails as part of the experience.
“If you didn’t build it, it’s not yours,” Bock said. “You own the car.”
First-time participant Bill Lorenzo drove up from Stafford with his red 2017 Cadillac CTS-V. The supercharged car can reach 200 mph, a capability he tests during track events at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg.
For Lorenzo, owning a Cadillac fulfilled a childhood ambition formed while growing up poor on 86th Street in Brooklyn.
“When I saw Cadillacs going down the street, I said to myself, ‘If I make it out of here, I will drive a Caddie,’” he said.
Richard Murray of Lorton displayed a red 1974 Jensen-Healey two-seater. He called the model rare because its English manufacturer, Jensen Motors, went bankrupt in 1976. Although the cars can sell for less than $10,000, Murray said restoring and maintaining his has become a 30-year undertaking.
The car was a college graduation gift to himself, and he continues working on it largely for the nostalgia.
Around the corner from the event’s main display area, a fire-engine-red 1933 Chevrolet drew its own crowd. Its Mount Vernon-area owner, Chett, who declined to provide his last name, said the all-steel antique has a V8 engine and can reach 60 mph.
“The doors even shut good,” he joked before departing in the loud, sputtering Chevy.
Jim Gravina brought a silver 1981 DeLorean whose stainless-steel body and upward-opening gull-wing doors made it one of the morning’s standouts. Gravina became determined to own one after watching “Back to the Future.” Thirty-five years later, he found one for sale in Virginia Beach through Facebook.
The cars were manufactured in Northern Ireland from 1981 to 1983, with about 9,000 produced, Gravina said.
“It was futuristic,” he said. “It stood out and still does. It takes me back to my childhood.”
Alexandria resident Nolan Walton traced his enthusiasm for his lemon-yellow, British-built TVR Griffith to age 16, when he first began longing for the car.
Jeremy Dehart of Springfield acquired his 1991 Toyota MR2 under less predictable circumstances. A former girlfriend wanted to get rid of it after their relationship ended, and Dehart bought the car for $1,200.
Angel Wells of Upper Marlboro was among the relatively few women exhibiting a vehicle. She and her husband, Damein, each own a black Nissan GTR. Hers produces 800 horsepower and features turquoise accents and a “Bad Girl” license plate.
“It’s fun,” Wells said. “I like the way it feels when I drive it.”
Near Fort Hunt Road, Hollin Hall resident Doren Weston showed his dark-green 1952 Chevrolet pickup, which has 87,000 miles on its odometer.
The truck was not running when Weston obtained it, but he had it operating within a week. He went on to rebuild much of the vehicle, installing a new exhaust system, commissioning fabricated sheet-metal pieces, reupholstering the seats and painting the interior.
Its gearshift sits on the steering column, a configuration known as “three on a tree.”
“I love old pickup trucks,” Weston said. “They speak to me. It embodies hard work and America. It symbolizes everything that’s good.”
Alexandria Cars and Coffee began meeting at the shopping center in 2012 and usually attracts 40 to 50 vehicles. Organizers describe it as a “shine-only” gathering governed by three rules: no burnouts or engine revving, treat everyone respectfully and leave politics out of the event.
On this Sunday, the conversation remained firmly fixed on cars.