22 November 2024
As the weather turns colder and wetter, Footman James’ Coffee & Chrome Collective calendar for 2024 is wrapping up. But it’s been another hugely successful year for the meetings, with thousands of cars and visitors attending the events.
The events aim to celebrate all the myriad strands of the enthusiastic vehicle community. Whether you’re into classic cars or modern, bikes or trucks, 4x4s or supercars… it doesn’t matter. All tastes are welcome, and there is a lack of snobbery to these meets.
April – British Motor Museum
The free-to-attend Coffee & Chrome Collective events launched in 2024 at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, on a blustery Sunday morning in April. The museum’s car park was filled with a selection of your cherished machines; a broad cross-section of our clients’ eclectic tastes.
From an imported Ferrari 250 Europa GT Pinin Farina Coupe wearing its patina with pride, to Harry Metcalf’s Jaguar XJC V12, it was great to see so many amazing machines – and people – attend on an unseasonably cold and miserable early spring day.
June – Chateau Impney
There was nothing planned by us the next month, but C&CC fans didn’t need to despair; June saw two events held by Footman James! Sunday 14th June saw almost 1,000 vehicles parked in Chateau Impney’s grand grounds, with significantly better weather than Gaydon’s meet.
Bright blue skies and warmer temperatures were much more ‘classic friendly’, which could help explain the huge turnout. The year’s most popular event had a host of wonderful classics and more modern machines alike on display. As always, a wide variety of models were on show, including an pristine Alpine A110 which was awarded Classic of the Meet, beautiful Peugeot 504 Cabriolet, and Fiat 500 Gamine Vignale with a fascinating history.
June - Boxengasse
This was followed up quickly by a new venue for the Coffee & Chrome Collective – Boxengasse, near Bicester. Unsurprisingly, considering the venue’s Porsche connections, this edition saw a large number of Stuttgart’s finest sports cars attend. At least a third of the vehicles parked on the wide field wore a Porsche badge, but there were also some fascinating models from Gordon Keeble, Lotus, Fiat, and Mercedes-Benz on display.
Whether tweaked – like the Alfaholics tuned Alfa Romeo GT Junior – or carefully built to create a dream car – such as the Porsche 924 GTS-inspired 944, the variety of vehicles on display was still considerable, despite a heavy Porsche leaning.
August – Chateau Impney
August saw another double-header, with a return to Chateau Impney held on 16th August. More than 500 vehicles and almost twice the number of visitors made it to Droitwich. We’ve talked of variety already, but this C&CC is the poster event for that ethos. Among the featured models this time around were a humble but gorgeous little Alfa Sud, through to a 1962 convertible Cadillac, which has to have been the longest car at this – or probably any – C&CC event.
August – Bicester Heritage
Shortly after Chateau Impney came our now annual visit to Bicester Heritage. This always has a different atmosphere compared to the usual Sunday C&CC meets, with the event taking place on a Wednesday evening.
Surrounded by the former RAF Bicester hangers and airfield, there were some amazing machines parked up. From highly-original Alpinas to immaculately customised Beetles, and burbling Corvettes to freshly restored Range Rovers, the parking areas were covered in interesting models.
October – Chateau Impney
Unfortunately, September’s planned trip to Prescott Hill Climb had to be cancelled, but the C&CC year rounded out with a final visit to Chateau Impney for 2024, and as always, the attendees didn’t fail to impress.
A number of new vehicles were on show in the grounds, which saw almost 500 cars, bikes, and trucks arrive on a cold, but dry autumnal day. As well as thoroughly modern machines, including brand new models from Maserati and Ferrari, there were also the usual smorgasbord of classics and modern classics. A few of the highlights include a beautiful, Ferrari-powered Lancia Thema, US-imported Datsun, and a Ford pick-up with ‘matching’ period motorbike casually stored in the load bed.
We’re not finished yet…
Footman James still has a handful of other events planned for the remainder of 2024, as well as plans being put in place already for 2025. Thank you to all who attended this year’s Coffee & Chrome Collective meets, helping the events become a staple of the calendar and becoming a big success.
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