Final Crystal Cove meet was the 14th....will it live on?
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Final Crystal Cove meet was the 14th....will it live on?
**OC Register article on Crystal Cove** Oct 14th is final CC day.
From yesterdays paper:
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Auto event hits bump in road
Irvine Co. says gathering held at Crystal Cove Promenade needs to move on.
By JEFF OVERLEY
The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH – Gentlemen, start your engines somewhere else.
That's the message being delivered to a popular weekly gathering of auto aficionados, who every Saturday morning for the past three years have filled the Crystal Cove Promenade shopping center with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and the like.
What began as a small sunrise powwow among friends has blossomed into a spectacle with 200 exotic cars and 600 spectators. The event now boasts a glossy newsletter, a Web site, even a small apparel line.
The get-together, officials say, may have become a victim of its own success.
The Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center, on Monday announced that after Oct. 14, it would no longer allow the event to be held on its property because of the size and noise complaints from adjacent neighborhoods.
"This started off as a small, loose-knit gathering," company spokesman Bill Rams said. "Over the last three years, it's evolved into this large-scale event."
Despite an order to decamp, organizers are vowing a fight.
"How are they going to stop their patrons from coming in?" asked Marc Greeley, co-founder of the event. "Am I going to drive in and they're going to say, 'No, you're a car guy, get out of here'?"
For some time, the Irvine Co. has blocked the center's entrance until 7 a.m. to keep things quiet during pre-dawn hours.
This year, police stepped up patrols and ticketed speeders leaving the two-hour gathering, resulting in a mellower event, said Bill Hartford, Police Department spokesman.
And Greeley says he's put the kibosh on efforts by local car dealers to use the Saturday event as a virtual showroom.
Some nearby residents say they enjoy and even attend the gathering. "I don't have any problem with it at all; I think it's great," said Josh Sitea.
But homeowner Raul Varela was among those who described a Saturday morning din of revving engines. "It's a complete deterioration of the peace and quiet that the coast is supposed to be about," Varela said.
The search is on for a new venue, but supporters expect an uphill drive.
"It's tough to find. You've got to find a place you can put 200 cars and 600 people and it doesn't bother anybody," said Newport Beach Councilman Ed Selich, who occasionally brings his black 1949 MG sports car to the event and appreciates the prime Crystal Cove views.
"And that was a great location. How do you find another location that even compares?"
From yesterdays paper:
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Auto event hits bump in road
Irvine Co. says gathering held at Crystal Cove Promenade needs to move on.
By JEFF OVERLEY
The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH – Gentlemen, start your engines somewhere else.
That's the message being delivered to a popular weekly gathering of auto aficionados, who every Saturday morning for the past three years have filled the Crystal Cove Promenade shopping center with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and the like.
What began as a small sunrise powwow among friends has blossomed into a spectacle with 200 exotic cars and 600 spectators. The event now boasts a glossy newsletter, a Web site, even a small apparel line.
The get-together, officials say, may have become a victim of its own success.
The Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center, on Monday announced that after Oct. 14, it would no longer allow the event to be held on its property because of the size and noise complaints from adjacent neighborhoods.
"This started off as a small, loose-knit gathering," company spokesman Bill Rams said. "Over the last three years, it's evolved into this large-scale event."
Despite an order to decamp, organizers are vowing a fight.
"How are they going to stop their patrons from coming in?" asked Marc Greeley, co-founder of the event. "Am I going to drive in and they're going to say, 'No, you're a car guy, get out of here'?"
For some time, the Irvine Co. has blocked the center's entrance until 7 a.m. to keep things quiet during pre-dawn hours.
This year, police stepped up patrols and ticketed speeders leaving the two-hour gathering, resulting in a mellower event, said Bill Hartford, Police Department spokesman.
And Greeley says he's put the kibosh on efforts by local car dealers to use the Saturday event as a virtual showroom.
Some nearby residents say they enjoy and even attend the gathering. "I don't have any problem with it at all; I think it's great," said Josh Sitea.
But homeowner Raul Varela was among those who described a Saturday morning din of revving engines. "It's a complete deterioration of the peace and quiet that the coast is supposed to be about," Varela said.
The search is on for a new venue, but supporters expect an uphill drive.
"It's tough to find. You've got to find a place you can put 200 cars and 600 people and it doesn't bother anybody," said Newport Beach Councilman Ed Selich, who occasionally brings his black 1949 MG sports car to the event and appreciates the prime Crystal Cove views.
"And that was a great location. How do you find another location that even compares?"
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CC Meets In Danger
Three years ago, a couple of guys who had been attending one of Orange County's longest running early morning hot rod gatherings decided they needed a change. Mark Greeley and Bob Cheatley loved meeting with their friends and fellow "Donut Derelicts" at the corner of Magnolia and Adams in Huntington Beach every Saturday, but the 4 am wakeup time was getting to be a pain. Also, it was a bit of a drive. So they decided to meet a little later in the morning at the newly opened Crystal Cove Promenade right down PCH from them. Little did Mark and Bob know that this would eventually grow to be one of the most talked about exotic and classic car gatherings on the planet. Follow the jump for the rest of the story and links to previous galleries.
As more of their friends found out that Mark and Bob were now at CC, they followed them over there. And as people started to notice the gathering, they'd stop in too, to see the cool cars. Every Saturday morning since they started meeting, a who's who of Southern California automakers and a roll call of every enthusiasts' dream garage has passed in and out of that parking lot. The Starbuck's had to eventually hire an additional 6 workers to handle the customers. On a non-show day, two is sufficient. The problem is that the show got too big. As word spread, the crowds grew from a couple hundred people to the point where the entire parking lot fills up by 7:30 each week. So who in their right mind would complain about having too many customers and too much traffic in its shopping center? The Irvine Company, that's who.
One of the problems with the location is that it butts up to a residential area. A residential area with $5 million condos. Those people tend to get a little annoyed by a Lamborghini wakeup call at 6 am. And so the owner of the property, the Irvine Company, has had to deal with a steady stream of complaints. Changes have been made over the years to help manage the traffic and noise, additional security was hired too, and finally, tickets were issued to slow people down and stop any reckless driving that might occur as enthusiasts gather and get overenthusiastic at times. Not that that was a major issue at this show. The CC crowd tends to be a little older and more mature. But the Irvine Company has decided that the show has reached a point where it would need a permit, more official organization, and most importantly, a new home.
In what appears to be a preemptive move, word is already spreading that it doesn't want these cars at any of its other, larger facilities either, and that has really upset many of the regular attendees. They are not only upset about losing their gathering place, but are also wondering how the company can enforce such a ban on nice cars, and the paying customers who drive them. Some select comments from regular attendees off of Ferrarichat.com:
"So, If I show up at 7 am on Saturday with the F40 to get some Starbucks and I happen to see a friend of mine and we sit down and talk, am I going to be arrested?!?!?"
"Make sure we all show our disapproval with our pocket books.
DON'T SHOP CRYSTAL COVE!!!"
"Irvine CO SUCKS!"
"We all knew that this day was coming. Like others have said, they can not keep us out... we park our cars and have coffee or eat at Pacific Way Cafe; what are they going to tell us? The difference will be that the "show area" will no longer be there. Is that such a bad thing?"
...and the best yet...
"If Starbucks and Pacific Wayy are open then I guess I'll stop in on Saturday mornings anyway to have coffee and breakfast with friends. If they are open then we must be welcome no matter what we drive. They can't make us go away and be open."
"I can just see the newly posted signs: No Ferraris, No Lamborghinis, No Porsches, No Corvettes, No Vipers, No old cars, No new cars, No for sale cars, No fast cars, No expensive cars, No exotic cars, No trucks with trailers, No Motorcycles, No skateboards, No rollerblades. No loitering, No looking at cars, 15 minute parking only."
Good points there. It does seem a little counterintuitive for a landlord to tell a couple thousand fairly wealthy people it doesn't want their business. It's not like it's a bunch of hooligans doing donuts in the parking lot. So although this seems very short-sighted on the part of the Irvine Company, they are resolute, even turning down regular showgoer Barry Meguiar's plea to move it to a larger, non-residential mall down the road a bit. The lost business will probably be huge and will surely have a ripple effect throughout the community and the other properties the Irvine Company owns.
So what's next for the few hundred regulars who still need to have their weekly "church service?" Well, the most likely scenario has them breaking up into smaller shows at restaurants owned by individuals who are sympathetic enthusiasts, who also like the idea of having regular weekly customers. Apparently that's not something the Irvine Company needs right now.
Three years after Mark and Bob started this thing, only Mark remains to see the show's demise. Bob Cheatley passed away a few months ago and that made Mark appreciate the camaraderie the show represents more than ever. "The Irvine Co. is the biggest landlord in town and for the Irvine Co. ... to tell a group of guys they don't have the right to come here and gather, that's a blow to the community," Greeley said. Wherever the show ends up, whether it be all together or in smaller, marque-specific shows scattered around OC, we'll be sure to keep you posted.
We've brought you photos from this event a couple of times, including just last week, and it has been a truly must-attend event for anybody thinking of visiting SoCal. We've heard it time and time again how enthusiasts have made sure they arrange their vacations or business trips to make sure it includes a Saturday morning so they could attend the show. It is a very sad day, but thankfully we've been on hand to capture some of the good times. Check out some of the photos from another
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/03/n...car-show-thre/
Tons of pics here
http://www.pcars.us/viewalbum.php?a=391&start=15
Seems the Ford design studio has agreed to host it from now on and several other spots wanted to host it.
Three years ago, a couple of guys who had been attending one of Orange County's longest running early morning hot rod gatherings decided they needed a change. Mark Greeley and Bob Cheatley loved meeting with their friends and fellow "Donut Derelicts" at the corner of Magnolia and Adams in Huntington Beach every Saturday, but the 4 am wakeup time was getting to be a pain. Also, it was a bit of a drive. So they decided to meet a little later in the morning at the newly opened Crystal Cove Promenade right down PCH from them. Little did Mark and Bob know that this would eventually grow to be one of the most talked about exotic and classic car gatherings on the planet. Follow the jump for the rest of the story and links to previous galleries.
As more of their friends found out that Mark and Bob were now at CC, they followed them over there. And as people started to notice the gathering, they'd stop in too, to see the cool cars. Every Saturday morning since they started meeting, a who's who of Southern California automakers and a roll call of every enthusiasts' dream garage has passed in and out of that parking lot. The Starbuck's had to eventually hire an additional 6 workers to handle the customers. On a non-show day, two is sufficient. The problem is that the show got too big. As word spread, the crowds grew from a couple hundred people to the point where the entire parking lot fills up by 7:30 each week. So who in their right mind would complain about having too many customers and too much traffic in its shopping center? The Irvine Company, that's who.
One of the problems with the location is that it butts up to a residential area. A residential area with $5 million condos. Those people tend to get a little annoyed by a Lamborghini wakeup call at 6 am. And so the owner of the property, the Irvine Company, has had to deal with a steady stream of complaints. Changes have been made over the years to help manage the traffic and noise, additional security was hired too, and finally, tickets were issued to slow people down and stop any reckless driving that might occur as enthusiasts gather and get overenthusiastic at times. Not that that was a major issue at this show. The CC crowd tends to be a little older and more mature. But the Irvine Company has decided that the show has reached a point where it would need a permit, more official organization, and most importantly, a new home.
In what appears to be a preemptive move, word is already spreading that it doesn't want these cars at any of its other, larger facilities either, and that has really upset many of the regular attendees. They are not only upset about losing their gathering place, but are also wondering how the company can enforce such a ban on nice cars, and the paying customers who drive them. Some select comments from regular attendees off of Ferrarichat.com:
"So, If I show up at 7 am on Saturday with the F40 to get some Starbucks and I happen to see a friend of mine and we sit down and talk, am I going to be arrested?!?!?"
"Make sure we all show our disapproval with our pocket books.
DON'T SHOP CRYSTAL COVE!!!"
"Irvine CO SUCKS!"
"We all knew that this day was coming. Like others have said, they can not keep us out... we park our cars and have coffee or eat at Pacific Way Cafe; what are they going to tell us? The difference will be that the "show area" will no longer be there. Is that such a bad thing?"
...and the best yet...
"If Starbucks and Pacific Wayy are open then I guess I'll stop in on Saturday mornings anyway to have coffee and breakfast with friends. If they are open then we must be welcome no matter what we drive. They can't make us go away and be open."
"I can just see the newly posted signs: No Ferraris, No Lamborghinis, No Porsches, No Corvettes, No Vipers, No old cars, No new cars, No for sale cars, No fast cars, No expensive cars, No exotic cars, No trucks with trailers, No Motorcycles, No skateboards, No rollerblades. No loitering, No looking at cars, 15 minute parking only."
Good points there. It does seem a little counterintuitive for a landlord to tell a couple thousand fairly wealthy people it doesn't want their business. It's not like it's a bunch of hooligans doing donuts in the parking lot. So although this seems very short-sighted on the part of the Irvine Company, they are resolute, even turning down regular showgoer Barry Meguiar's plea to move it to a larger, non-residential mall down the road a bit. The lost business will probably be huge and will surely have a ripple effect throughout the community and the other properties the Irvine Company owns.
So what's next for the few hundred regulars who still need to have their weekly "church service?" Well, the most likely scenario has them breaking up into smaller shows at restaurants owned by individuals who are sympathetic enthusiasts, who also like the idea of having regular weekly customers. Apparently that's not something the Irvine Company needs right now.
Three years after Mark and Bob started this thing, only Mark remains to see the show's demise. Bob Cheatley passed away a few months ago and that made Mark appreciate the camaraderie the show represents more than ever. "The Irvine Co. is the biggest landlord in town and for the Irvine Co. ... to tell a group of guys they don't have the right to come here and gather, that's a blow to the community," Greeley said. Wherever the show ends up, whether it be all together or in smaller, marque-specific shows scattered around OC, we'll be sure to keep you posted.
We've brought you photos from this event a couple of times, including just last week, and it has been a truly must-attend event for anybody thinking of visiting SoCal. We've heard it time and time again how enthusiasts have made sure they arrange their vacations or business trips to make sure it includes a Saturday morning so they could attend the show. It is a very sad day, but thankfully we've been on hand to capture some of the good times. Check out some of the photos from another
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/03/n...car-show-thre/
Tons of pics here
http://www.pcars.us/viewalbum.php?a=391&start=15
Seems the Ford design studio has agreed to host it from now on and several other spots wanted to host it.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,466
Likes: 14
From: Cali
I've heard that Ford here in Irvine has offered the use of their facility - they even offered to open their cafe/cafeteria on Saturday mornings. It's an ideal location (but not as scenic as Crystal Cove) right at the 5 and 405 freeways.
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 497
Likes: 0
From: CA
so sad it had to end
that's how i knew about the mastor's restaurant
yeah we were there last sat. and it was really packed with people, been there couple of times but this time we ended up parking way too off the scene
if u guys want to see the real ferraris, lambos, porsches, lotus, not to mention tommy kaira version skyline etc. in action this is the place to be i'm not fond of these cars whenever i visit the shows - this could tell u the difference seeing high powered vehicles in action! in shows it's all about the cleanest car, being at c.cove u can tell that these exitics are being enjoyed by it's owners, rock chips here and there dusty engines etc! anyhow heard about that tentations but i'm not sure yet when will it start
...will load some pix soon.
that's how i knew about the mastor's restaurant yeah we were there last sat. and it was really packed with people, been there couple of times but this time we ended up parking way too off the scene if u guys want to see the real ferraris, lambos, porsches, lotus, not to mention tommy kaira version skyline etc. in action this is the place to be i'm not fond of these cars whenever i visit the shows - this could tell u the difference seeing high powered vehicles in action! in shows it's all about the cleanest car, being at c.cove u can tell that these exitics are being enjoyed by it's owners, rock chips here and there dusty engines etc! anyhow heard about that tentations but i'm not sure yet when will it start ...will load some pix soon.
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Lead Lap
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 497
Likes: 0
From: CA
some pix...
here a link from my bro. i did'nt get enough time to load it up here in the office...
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=61291
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=61291
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,068
Likes: 1
From: California
People who work for the Irvine Company are a bunch of paranoid *****. I have had personal experience with them and people I know who had to deal with them in business in one way or another think they are very anti-business and over controlling.
A big thumbs down to them for trying to break up a succesful even. They probably got 2 phonecalls from a couple of senior citizens who don't like cars so they feel they need to put an end to it.
I'm sure the organizers will easily find another location.
A big thumbs down to them for trying to break up a succesful even. They probably got 2 phonecalls from a couple of senior citizens who don't like cars so they feel they need to put an end to it.
I'm sure the organizers will easily find another location.
Guest
Posts: n/a
People who work for the Irvine Company are a bunch of paranoid *****. I have had personal experience with them and people I know who had to deal with them in business in one way or another think they are very anti-business and over controlling.
A big thumbs down to them for trying to break up a succesful even. They probably got 2 phonecalls from a couple of senior citizens who don't like cars so they feel they need to put an end to it.
I'm sure the organizers will easily find another location.
A big thumbs down to them for trying to break up a succesful even. They probably got 2 phonecalls from a couple of senior citizens who don't like cars so they feel they need to put an end to it.
I'm sure the organizers will easily find another location.
1. Egos of the property owners and from my understanding they own a LOT of businesses in the area.
2. Egos of the land owners/house owners, from my understanding these homes are 5 mill plus
3. Egos of auto owners. We are not talking about Lexus and BMWs here. We are talking some EXOTICS!
They don't even meet weekly, its once a month for a few hours. I cannot believe the home owners *****ed so much to cause this to shut down. Its not like the car guys were not spending money eating/drinking here.
As someone who has organized meets, I can see how things do go from 2 to 10 to 50 to 100 people if its a good meet but if its a GOOD MEET how can people NOT want GOOD people around?
Sad...very sad....
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