If you think Winston-Salem is only home to family-friendly SUVs, you’d be wrong.
Seemingly, all we see on campus are the seemingly endless supply of Toyota 4Runners and Jeeps that all coincidentally have a unique collection of rubber ducks squatting on the dashboard. “Bland” seems to define the city’s taste in cars in every imaginable way.
To our collective good fortune, however, Winston-Salem is not all about getting from point A to point B in an inconspicuous fashion. There is a vibrant cult of car lovers hidden in the labyrinth roads that comprise Winston-Salem; people who see cars as not just a tool, but an expression of the self.
This was the major point emphasized at the “Cars + Coffee” event, hosted by NASCAR at The Nash Museum, on Feb. 2. The event consisted of a car meet-up to celebrate the Bowman Gray Cookout Clash.
“This event was crazy for Winston-Salem,” Mark Hedrick, a seasoned car meet vet, said. “Usually, we get around 100-150 people in Winston car meets, but we got here early and there were already 300 people, and more and more people kept showing up.”
I have been to a few car meets in Winston-Salem. Some were very informal and saw their beginnings in a group chat, some were hosted by Cars + Coffee. This event topped every last one of them — in every way possible.
Parking was harder to find than a room in the basement of Tribble, as most of the streets next to the museum were closed off for the event. This meant most attendees had to park two streets down. Luckily, eye-catching cars dotted the streets to the museum like polished gems, and as a staunch car enthusiast, it was well worth the walk.
After finally getting through one of the most entrancing car parks ever, the main event more than exceeded expectations. To begin, there was a live DJ on stage, multiple vendors peddling all sorts of incredible car merch and even a racing simulation challenge created by “Race Mode,” a race simulation company located in Winston-Salem.
Someone even brought a low-rider RC car that could adjust its ride height, which was something most people couldn’t help but grin at. The organizers also created a competition for the cars involved; each car got a QR code sticker that attendees could scan to vote on their favorite car.
Each car on the main strip was handpicked from a set of entries and invitees to create one of the most diverse arrays of cars Winston-Salem has ever seen. There were even real NASCAR cars, but those were merely warmups for what was to come.
Predictably, there were many modified cars, but these weren’t just standard changes to make them go faster, these were real statement pieces. Among the fan favorites in the modified class was the 1997 Honda Odyssey, which was given the engine of a Honda Civic, on turbocharged steroids. It was also lowered and was lovingly renamed: “The Radyssey.”
There was also a beautiful family of BMWs who had simply lowered the ride height of their cars. They added some good-looking tires and window-shaking exhausts, creating a simplistic but beautiful build. The BMW crew even contained a 90s series 8, with the coveted pop-up headlights!
The overall popularity winner of the event, was a 2013 Mustang monikered: “the Hulk” with a “Hulk” inspired paint job — and a performance to back it up its name. Massive rear wheels, enough engine modifications to write a thesis on and an exhaust that rang so loud, fog horns would feel inadequate.
These types of cars, while amazing, were standard for Winston-Salem’s car meets, but the organizers made sure to bring out the unique side of Winston-Salem, as well. One of the crown jewels on display was a Ferrari Mondial (it’s real I swear), that had everyone’s attention because nobody had heard of it. Everyone was crowded around this forgotten child of the Ferrari line, a sporty car with a good engine that was eventually overshadowed by its big brothers.
Many classic cars were also in attendance with 1965 Mustangs, old Corvettes and even a 1950s Studebaker with the same owner who bought it when it was released. He and many of the other cars had amazing stories to tell.
Attendees were just as varied. Some young, some middle-aged with kids — and some “old looking” individuals that say their mental age is far younger!
Needless to say, this event seemed to put a smile on everyone’s faces. But make no mistake, this event came with its drawbacks. “The more people that come to these events, the more chances that someone does something stupid,” Damian Peters, a local car enthusiast, said.
Many drivers left the event at high speeds, though I cannot confirm whether they were breaking the law. Some even did what’s called a burnout, where the car doesn’t move, but the back tires spin, resulting in lots of smoke and frowns from attendees.
Now I know, some are reading this going, “Isn’t that what those cars are for?” and while you are not entirely wrong, there is a time and place for passionate driving. Many attendees were worried that the event would be shut down for reckless driving, as had been done in Charlotte two years ago.
However, the good in this event vastly outweighs the bad. This event brought together so many parts of Winston-Salem’s car culture to appreciate it holistically rather than in fragmentation. It was amazing to see people from all walks of life and taste in cars, come together and talk about all the things we can’t talk about to non-car enthusiasts.
