As much as we enjoy Christmas, New Years and all the good times that come around in December and January, it's not unusual for car enthusiasts to start feeling the blues this time of year. For most of the country, the weather is cold, and the events are few and far between.
Even for those of us who live in California's mild climate, it can still be a slow time—and if you're like me, you've probably been itching to get out and enjoy some car culture, local or otherwise.
Fresno Porsche recently held its first Cars & Coffee event of the year, and gearheads and exotic car enthusiasts alike from around Central California were looking forward to the chance to take their cars out and enjoy some cool cars and like-minded company.
Fresno Porsche is part of the dealership group owned by former Major League Baseball pitcher CJ Wilson, and CJ happens to be an avid car enthusiast and racer. It's not surprising then, that Fresno Porsche holds various car enthusiast events throughout the year, including these Cars & Coffee gatherings.
Despite the fact that the winter had been unusually dry here in California so far, it happened to be raining on Saturday morning. I thought that might affect the turnout—but when I pulled up, I was greeted with a surprisingly big turnout of both modern and vintage Porsches, exotics and other interesting machines.
It's always cool to see people who are happy driving their prized vehicles in less-than-perfect conditions—and speaking about respect, how about the guy who brought out his Ariel Atom in the midst of the rain storm?
While most people probably imagine a supercar being painted in a loud yellow or orange color, I quite like the look of this McLaren 675LT in a subdued blue-gray hue sporting orange accents.
Needless to say, the turnout was heavy on Porsches, with this pair of white 911s helping to represent the aircooled side of the brand.
My personal favorite of the Porsche group, however, was this 911SC sitting on a perfectly fitted set of Fuchs. Such a timeless look.
While the majority of the cars were either Porsches or other high-end exotics, there were a few other models represented as well, including this stunningly clean BMW E30.
There were also a couple of JDM machines on hand, including this right-hand drive FD3S RX-7.
There was also this wild looking JZZ30 Toyota Soarer drift car. Both of the cars were right-hand drive and still wore Japanese "Y" license plates designating their former use by U.S. service members stationed in the country.
For those looking to take a beak from the cold and wet outside, there was plenty more cool stuff to see inside the dealership showroom—and not just new brand new cars.
The dealership primarily deals in Porsches and Audis, but you'll also find an extensive collection of other exotic and classic cars, including everything from a BAC Mono to AMG Mercedes models and more.
There are a lot of aircooled Porsches for fans to enjoy, including not one, not two, but three 964 Carrera RS models.
The trio includes one car painted in Rubystone Red, easily one of the coolest and most interesting colors Porsche has ever applied to a production vehicle.
Not to be left out was the equally desirable 993 body style, represented here by this yellow Carrera RS.
Or maybe you're more partial to the widened hips of the 993 GT2 model?
It might be a couple more months before the weather really warms up and the event season truly gets started, but it's never too early to start getting in the mood for another year of automotive-related adventures.
It may have been a small, relaxed local gathering, but Porsche Fresno's Cars & Coffee was a fine way to kick off 2018. Happy New Year everyone!