Now I'm sure it's not intended, but this is why I usually feel a bit out of place. While I'm not into street racing, I am into tuning any car I have, and some may see my car as a racer.
I'm usually one to park away from everyone at these meets anyway and just come hang out........

 

Yup, you got it. The last thing in the world we want to do is exclude Jody and many of the other 6speeders who have all been really terrific to me and others. The only thing we gain with limitation is simply the management of the event, nothing more. Exotic owners aren't trying to be jerks, this is simply Exotics on Main moving to a new location and our attempt to give it an identity so that people have an expectation and we can hopefully meet at the event and so we don't get kicked out. I've been to Cars and Coffee and I loved it but you could see this building a long way off, long before it got as huge as it is today. Some people who had very rare cars came from a long way away with an expectation that they would show their car in a lot with other cars that were also interesting. Some people came to see specific cars that couldn't get in or park anywhere near the other show-worthy cars. It's probably going to kill C&C, not because of a lack of interest but because there are so many different viewpoints about what it should be and so much space. It keeps the police busy, and Ford could just shut it down. My LP was in CA for a while this fall and I absolutely didn't expect to show my other cars at EoM in the meantime just because I love cars. I wouldn't be that disrespectful. I fully expected to show up as a spectator and still chat with everyone. C&C set new rules that unless it's exotic (extremely limited in numbers) or built before 1978 you can't get in. Some have challenged this with some very good arguments, pointing out specific prototypes, first releases, etc., so they don't have a good definition either. EoM has been almost entirely exotics all winter and we've never asked anyone to leave. Many who are complaining never show up anyway so we can't give your protest much weight. We are open to suggestions.

 

Bingo. I agree 1000%.

If people don't agree, than spinoff and make your own gathering. That's the way it has happened in the past. Plenty of cars and space to have meets for everyone.

IMO, hurt feelings because your car isn't invited to an event that you had no real connection to in the first place makes very little sense.

 

Perhaps that's because you can't. Main St. is a public street, it's not a private venue. Good luck trying to make someone move when they're parked in the middle of the "show".

That's logical, why would anyone show up to an event that they're complaining about? The fact that they didn't show up IS their protest.

 

Can you point to an earlier post where you were excluded at EoM? Seems like you're just complaining about something you don't attend anyway.

 

Of course not, that's the whole point I'm making. I showed up to Exotics on Main several times even though my M3 is not an exotic. Just because you didn't see me there doesn't mean I don't attend. I don't make it out to all events, I do have other things going on during the weekends.

 

Wow, so much drama!

Troy, being an M3 driver myself I totally understand where you're coming from, but I can also understand Tommy's POV. I've been to a few EoM events and I never really thought of taking up a spot on Main street because my car isn't an exotic. I had the opportunity to talk to some of the owners and they were nice people and obviously car enthusiasts. I never got a weird/rude look when I said I drove "just" an M3, so I don't think this is a "snobbish" crowd. At the end of the day we're all enthusiasts and while some might be more fortunate than others (or as I like to think of it, I'm not "there" yet) it's all about sharing this passion and enjoying the cars together. A good friend of mine who owns an F430 is always telling me there's no point in having a Ferrari if you don't "share" it.

Now Tommy, the first time I read your post about E@RTC being only for exotics I felt like persona non grata for the event, your post about it being only for the "display" area made things a bit better but I still think the wording wasn't quite right. I understand the preocuppation with organizing the event, and I appreciate the effort being put into it. However, I think that it's all about respect, I wouldn't take a "prime" spot because I respect the spirit of the event, not because someone told me I'm not allowed to.

 

FerRari: Great to meet you on Saturday.

None of the guys associated with EoM are snobs. We're just a bunch of car guys. Vic, Tommy, Sid and myself spent a great deal of time on Saturday morning taking about how crap our first cars were (mine had a 0-60 time of 17+ secs with a tailwind). None of us was born into aristocracy or wealth; we've just worked hard and had some modicum of success, and diverted a certain amount (some would argue too much, eg my wife) into a rapidly-depreciating asset that is desperately appreciated.

An M3 was an (attainable) dream-car of mine for a number a years, and I got to enjoy a '95 model and absolutely loved that car. You're welcome to park it next to my car any time. Trying to balance the right amount of exclusivity against not wanting to appear elitist is hard. Your friend is right; sharing the love of these cars comes a very close second to driving them. The biggest concern would be the guy in the '89 Civic with the fart-can exhaust and home-made spoiler thinking his car is the chit and bringing the event down ...

 

I don't think anybody here is like that, like you said..."The biggest concern would be the guy in the '89 Civic with the fart-can exhaust and home-made spoiler thinking his car is the chit and bringing the event down ...". i think we are all gentlemen and ladies here.

 

Last time I checked, there weren't a lot of fart-can-equipped '89 Civic owners perusing the 6speed forums looking for meets. And even if there were, and they showed up to a EoM or C&C meet, I personally wouldn't ask them to leave or not park their car next to mine, lowly M3 that it is. Besides, my daily driver is a fart-can-equipped '06 xB, and I acknowledge that anyone can appreciate fine cars, no matter their mode of transportation/budget/career/education/etc.

In the end, in my opinion, I find it odd to post an exclusionary meet on a public forum. I have no problem with meets that only allow certain cars (I do this myself with certain friends and associates), but I would never post these meets on a forum. I would IM them to suggest a time and location to get away from the masses and to hang out at a favorite spot. That's honestly what I see this as, I guess I'm just having trouble grasping the idea of telling others where I'd be with my rad ride in case they wanted to look at me. </beating dead horse>

 

so what's the verdict?

 

Wing it.

 

Another map, now coffee enhanced....

There's also a Peet's Coffee and Tea if you follow Bear Creek Pkwy further East.

 

That's the point, on one hand you're calling us elitist snobs, then you bashing us for posting here. A few of us ALSO own M cars and don't bash them either. We're trying to create a destination that meets an expectation for those who come a long way to get to RTC. You could see at EoM that nobody treated you badly or asked you to park somewhere else. Paul has it exactly right and there is no way to word this so it fits everyone's ears or meets everyone's expectation. It's really simple, when I bring my LP to EoM, I park on street so people can see my car. When I drive any of my other cars, I don't park on the street so that other exotics can park their cars where people can see them. He's also right that none of us came from money and we're sharing what we have as best we can. I tell people my first car went from 0-60 in 3.4 days, depending on if the mechanic was working. You'd laugh if you saw the pictures. I had more bondo than metal and when I hit something with it, it sounded like someone dropped a can of erasers. We want an event we can grow, where people come and see the unexpected because that owner of that special car felt this was the right place where their car would be respected.

 

alrite everybodyy....this is just a misunderstanding. don't make this worst than it is already. we are all friends here, right?