It was just last fall that the Houston Coffee and Cars event, one of many nationwide morning car meets, felt it had to temporarily ban Camaros, Mustangs, and Chargers after too many of those owners were doing burnouts and donuts leaving the event. They had another event this morning with a huge number of cars and… now they’re banning ‘all modern muscle cars.’ Permanently.
When this happened last fall, the organizers told us that “safety is a cornerstone of our events. We take significant steps to ensure it, such as hiring security officers for each gathering, comprehensive planning, ample event staffing, and clear communication of our rules against reckless behaviors like revving engines and performing burnouts.”
Images from the event show a fun mix of cars and a huge crowd, with hundreds of cars ranging from exotics like a Dakar-spec Porsche 959 to fun vintage stuff like a Ghostbusters Ecto-1 replica. The event was held at Post HTX, which is a food/workspace at the edge of Downtown Houston near UHD.
Unfortunately, not everyone wants to partake in the serene enjoyment of cars in parking lots and those people tend to insist on burning it out as they leave the event, resulting in situations like this (at the end of the video):
We’ve seen worse, but you’ll notice in this video there are kids, buses, and other people and things around that you generally don’t want to strike with your car.
Quick PSA here: Don’t be this person. There are times and places for car idiocy and they are far away from events like this. Car culture is not guaranteed to stick around and city governments in many places are looking for a reason to kick car events out, let’s not give them more ammo. Also, just because horsepower has become cheap, it doesn’t mean you need to cheapen the hobby.
Ok, back to what happened this weekend. There were burnouts and idiocy again and, with a million kids (and adults) armed with TikTok and Instagram, of course, the inevitable happened:
Here’s the official post:
If you can’t read it it says:
It all starts with you. These are the so called “enthusiasts” who have ruined our car gathering. Don’t complain when we do invitationals from starting today.
All modern muscle cars, mustangs, Camaro, charger & challengers, permanently banned.
And then there were interactions like this:
There’s nothing wrong with a V6 Mustang, of course, though I’m not sure it qualifies as a muscle car.
Again, I sympathize with the organizers here as it’s difficult to keep people away from a public event and, yet, it’ll be increasingly harder to find places that’ll host a car event if some percentage of people who attend act like they’ve got BB-sized testicles.
As our pal Zerin Dube, who alerted us to this, explained:
Houston people aren’t that smart, even though we’re surrounded by rural territory. They choose to do it right there. Been like that for at least a decade now and why I don’t go to any of those events.
It’s true. I grew up in Houston and there are a number of places you can do this without bothering anyone. At some level, I guess, bothering people is the point.
I do take some issue with the idea of “modern muscle cars” however, because it’s fairly broad and I’m not sure it’s just people with modern muscle cars who are doing this. For example:
As you can see in this video, proclaiming Houston Coffee and Cars “ruined” the first car is… a new Toyota Supra. Does that count as a muscle car? In the video from last year, there was an E90 BMW doing burnouts. Sure, people with Dodge Chargers and Challengers who put their Instagram accounts in their rear windows seem to be disproportionately at fault, but there are plenty of normal people who just buy new muscle cars.
It is possible to do these events without this happening. At the Galpin Car Show last fall there were tons of high-horsepower vehicles and very little shenanigans, which I put down to good security, good planning, and a mutual respect in the car scene that involves some self-policing.
If the modern muscle car set in Houston wants to continue to be involved it is, ultimately, up to them to prove they can behave like adults and not just wangs with steering wheels.
To paraphrase: “It’s a car culture, if you can keep it.”
Photo: Instagram SpeedHouston, TikTok CPHCarSpotter
I think a better solution is to identify the troublemakers, by using their plates or other means, and either banning or some other punishment, instead of banning all muscle car drivers.
Also, notice how a lot of the muscle car drivers DON’T do burnouts in that video.
While the drivers are idiots, these cars and coffee events need to get off their high horse too. “Invitational” for a weekly morning meetup? It’s not that prestigious people.
The drivers will just find someplace else to go, all it does it make it “not their problem” but it doesn’t actually find a solution to the problem, like say, not allowing spectators to line the roads to help discourage this type of behavior. They’re taking the easy route.
The could always work with the city to create a space that allows these types of antics in a safe environment too. Add in a small fee for drivers wishing to participate.
Lastly, why not ask the city to post an officer or two at the entrance/exit? It worked for Irvine C&C (even if that wasn’t a decision by the organizers).
Every new car is a muscle car now. Every new car is a luxury car now. People can’t afford new cars anymore, and all the new cars are powerful and fast as fuck.
Anyway, the C&C people should find out who the bad people are, ban them, shame them, and notify other event holders of the same shitty people so they can ban them too.
For that one screen shot, they should’ve told him that he’s banned no matter what car or bus he shows up in, or even as a pedestrian, then have da cops arrest him if he does show up, for trespassing.
And also, what everybody else said already
I really want to start going to Cars and Coffee with my 3 year old, and this is a real concern. He’s super well behaved, but I’m scared some mustang will careen into him faster than I can move him.
I’m one of those standing at the exit, watching the cars leave – but not because I wanted to see clouds of tire smoke – rather, I wanted to hear that Ferrari V-12 as it pulled away, or even that big block in the Chevelle, or a nice Alfa motor etc…..I wasn’t looking for “exhibition of acceleration” stuff, just a nice motor sound as it pulled away.
Meanwhile, travel 30 minutes north to The Woodlands and you get a nice, sleepy C&C filled with old dudes in car themed Hawaiian shirts, McLarens, and occasionally a Shelby GLHS! Funny what difference suburbs vs city makes….
Houstonian here. I used to do Cars and Coffee all the time when it was a fun gathering at a suburban mall. Anyone could display their ride (I was even part of a small Saab contingent), and the crowds could mill around and talk cars. The crowd dispersing had a little mayhem, but police officers all over the surrounding area did a great job with handling that.
Then they moved the event to downtown (not yet at the Post), and between paid parking and invitation-only displaying, it lost its allure. The move to the Post made it worse – invite-only, paid parking, and the same old expensive garage queens where it just became a measure of “dickmanship”. No thanks.
the burnout drivers are all the worst of the worst, but the crowd of people at the exit wanting them to do the stupid burnouts are also not far behind.
It’s like peanut butter and jelly. They go hand in hand.
That’s a fair point, I mean they’re obviously doing it for attention and they are 100% getting it. I’m sure a majority of the spectators want the crash to happen as well.
I bet of you eliminated the spectators (difficult as that’s probably public property) this behavior would go away.
The fact that this seems to be a common complaint with big open car shows sorta reinforces my decision not to wake up at the crack of balls to see a bunch of cars in a parking lot.
Best of luck to the H-tine folks in reeling this stupid garbage in and keeping a location. It may not be my kind of event, but something’s gotta give for them.
I regularly attend Cars & Coffee in Evansville, Indiana (about 35-40 minutes from where I live), and we had similar issues with the burnouts and crashes.
We now have a heavy police presence and a $5 charge is required to attend the event with your car to cover the insurance for the event as well as paying for the security/police presence.
Anything leftover in the fund after paying the security goes to a local kid’s charity.
Of course, I attend with my little Pontiac Sunbird, so I was never a part of the shenanigans. Not that I would be if I had a powerful car, anyway. Because I have common sense. Which isn’t that common.
And I would walk right past my own Mustang to drool over your Sunbird…
I’m the same way. I like all cars to a certain extent but the weird and unusual (especially the stuff that was once common and has all but become extinct) catches my eye the most!
But see in the old Houston Cars and Coffee, your Sunbird would draw a number of visitors. I’m one of many who love to see pristine and well-worn but still running ‘commoner’ cars….
There are some folks that seem to think that I don’t belong (and they are stinkers that always make themselves known), but by and large, the car is met with fascination and smiles by the Gen X and millennial crowds especially. I’d love to provide more insight on it for this site someday in the reader’s rides section. Maybe!
Maybe in a big city they have actual shit to do, but at my local event the cops are always parked at the exit. No one does burnouts
The Houston C&C would pay a handful of off duty cops to handle traffic at the end of the event but the nitwits w/V8s outnumber them.
Off duty is “security” on duty is citations..
Ditto, our monthly C&C has a cop sitting right at the exit with lights flashing. Nothing ever happens beyond a little engine revving.
A buddy of mine is one of the original “organizers” of the Houston C&C so I’ve been attending it almost from the beginning when it was in Uptown Park. They had the burnout and drag race issue at that location plus they outgrew that parking lot. They’ve moved to Vintage Park way up in Tomball TX for a while until getting kicked out of that location. The Marquis entertainment center on I-10 was a nice and central location, kicked out after just a few months. Memorial City mall was decent too, they were there for quite a few years, kicked out at the end of 2019 for burnouts and doughnuts in the Gessner/I-10 intersection. That’s about when I quit attending, my buddy who was one of the original “organizers” quit attending about a year before that and a friend of his took it over. They’ve moved about to different downtown and Tomball locations since but they keep having this problem. It’s a shame too, I would have loved to see Ecto-1 parked next to a Model T and a DeLorean.
I left a little early, but did Jason leave the Triangle Autopian meetup doing burnouts in the Changli?
Burnouts are different than fire and chainsaws.
I’ve never been to a Cars and Coffee, but I’m more of a Radwood-type person. I also think modern muscle cars are pretty cool but they are a dime-a-dozen.
It’s a fun rental next time you’re traveling. We’ve rocked a Mustang and a Camaro and while I’m not That Guy, the appeal is definitely undeniable.
Everyone is entitled to like what they want, but a car show that’s 50% (mostly)stock late model, mass market cars begs the question – what’s the point. If I’m having a hard time telling the difference between a C&C and a used car lot, there’s a problem.
Almost all safety rules are written in blood. It’s often just a question of how much and whose.
A few dumb people always ruin things for others.
I grew up in a small town. Every summer there would be a small car show with this type of shenanigans happening. Eventually, the local organizers and the local cops reached a compromise. During the show a section of road was blocked off and burnouts were allowed in that section.
I have to admit that when I would attend car shows back in the day, sometimes I would want to show off. When you’ve got a little displacement – even my short-stroke had 9.4 liters – once in a while you gotta turn a head or two. Not often, but once in a while I’d tap on the glass – it was a landaulet – and tell Eduardo to gun it a little for the pride of ol’ Bois-Colombe to make the crowd remember the name of Hispano-Suiza.
So I remember those days when I look at this, and I urge you all not to draw premature distinctions. I think of everyone as equal in that none of you are as good as I. And if I can do the work to make it look like I respect other people, surely you all can defer to my judgement and respect each other.
Oh no! Anyway.
The main young guy in the blue shirt in the video is like a young David Tracy
David is a young David Tracy, and I will die on that Mesozoic hill – but not without taking a bunch of you whippersnappers with me.
I don’t think Tracy was ever that much of an annoying little twerp.
If people cannot behave, then yup probably going to get banned. And I say this as a 21 Camaro Zl1 owner. It’s not a rare car, it’s not unusual and it’s not low production, not that interesting in the grand scheme of things in the car world…
I’m kinda over a lot of car meets, even here in metro Detroit some turn into Instagram or FB live or “You Tubers” events and it just gets stupid. I bought my car to drive it, go on trips, visit a track now and again. Why the hell would I do stupid s… in front a crowd of people many of which are trying to get Insta or whatever followers, subs, monetized, whatever. Great way to have police problems, your insurance claim denied, or even car repoed. I own our cars and I do not feel like getting back into car payments again due to a wrecked car…
Yeah I’ve got a (relatively) newer Mustang, and some of the crap I see Mustang owners doing just makes us all look bad.
Yes I see lots of bad behavior out there in the Camaro world too, if I had a 21 C8 I’d pay about 20% less in insurance because I can thank all of the Sketchers never drive em C8 crowd for being reasonable drivers…
There’s no T in Skechers. They made it pretty clear during the Super Bowl.
Good to know, I missed the SuperBowl as I usually do…
Hey now, some of us far younger than the Hawaiian shirt c8 owner crowd were equipped with wide, long, and high-arched feet, and Skechers caters to us. They always have a not-horrible shoe in the size and comfort I need, in stock, usually “on sale.” Sure, they look frumpy and won’t last 2 years, but I’d rather be frumpy and comfortable for 2 years than be stylish and suffer for 10.
I do have a couple of pricier pairs when a Skechers isn’t appropriate, but there is absolutely a legitimate case for them.
So there :p
I’m okay with this, seeing the same straight-piped Mustang/Camaro/Challenger/Charger over and over at every meet gets old real fast. If I had it my way, I’d have a car show with just older (pre-2000) European cars only.
We have a few of those around my area and they are great. Most of the attendees keep things stock, or just mild mods. I like all types of cars, but I do get tired of seeing SBCs in every retrorod at a traditional show.
They are belly button cars, everyone has one, so who cares about seeing another one?
TBH I’d be way more excited to see a BMW/Supra than any modern muscle cars, given that they’re already freaking everywhere and I can get most of them at the rental car counter. Owners are delusional if they think anyone going to see cool cars at a show would think that they’re anything special
Could just require signing up videotaping and turning buttholes over to the cops. Or maybe temporary speed bumps or slalom. We have a guy near me rebuilds classics to sell. Beautiful cars. He had a salesman who had someone videotape him doing burnouts in a car for sale and posted it. Salesman list his job. Old Iron horsepower is way more expensive and owners don’t do stupid things or buy cars where the seller does stupid things. It voids the warranty.
“Salesman list his job.”
Did yu mean ‘lost his job’?
Frigging auto correct! Yes, but his lost job did get listed.
I hope “yu” was intentional.
Autocorrect in action…
Last time I left our local C&C in my 1917 Stephens I laid down a non-posi stripe about 50 feet long. It was an oil leak.
Pardon me, I must go get my son’s Legacy with a leaking oil pan gasket to compete with that…
I mean, it’s 100 years old: if I make it that long, I’m sure I’ll be leaving streaks, too!
Am I correct in assuming you manually pump up the oil pressure?
It has an oil pump of sorts but the bearings are poured babbit bearings and the lubrication is splash rather than pressurized.
I use synthetic for stealth.
Today’s topic:
The relationship, of any, between very immature individuals in powerful new cars, and a decade of low interest rates. Discuss…
Don’t forget the 84 month financing!
Funny thing is that we’ve kinda seen this before, in the world of motorcycles.
There, power is super cheap, there’s one-size-fits-all licensing, and the only limitation is your own judgement.
An ex-rider friend once pointed out, way back, that the situation is only possible b/c in most crashes between a common car and a relatively rare motorcycle, the car wins; if cars had that kinda power, the destruction would be immense.
His observation, germane then, is woefully out of date now.
Also the venn diagram intersection of social media and trying to show off to the world. I guess 20-30 years ago hard to show off the stupidity, now it’s a click away…
I’ve done more than my share of burn-outs and donuts, but yes, before the days of social media, so we did them on back roads and out-of-the way vacant lots. Still did some stupid stuff, but when we were cruising down Main, there was no stupid behavior. Might have had a bit to do with doing our own work on our cars and putting our last dimes into them as well. Couldn’t afford to mess them up.
That has certainly contributed, but the idea of what is powerful hasn’t helped, either. Horsepower has increased over time, but the average dumbass buying it hasn’t become a better driver.