For years, Kennedy Commons was the spot to show off your ride. Considering it’s just a plaza, that’s kind of pathetic in a suburban kind of way. Since there’s no Bob’s Big Boy in Scarborough. this was the place to be on Wednesday nights.
How cool that an OG spot is back on the scene again.
Those weekly car meets were huge in the Y2K era with hundreds of cars in the parking lot. There would be all kinds of vehicles, from Mustangs looking for a drag race, to a sea of ‘riced out’ Honda Civics with neon underglow and coffee-can exhaust tips. Sometimes there was even a rare car like a Subaru SVX, but not often.
The car scene at Kennedy Commons is a little different today, but the spirit is the same. A bunch of automobile enthusiasts getting together to show off their rides, talk about their cars, and generally have a good time.
Everyone knows that the police are around, and they’re just looking for an excuse to shut the meet down. So ‘burnout corner’ is gone, but guys still rev their engines when leaving the show.
Music was always a big part of the scene. Booming systems with serious SPL numbers made the bass sounds bounce off the cavernous walls. It wasn’t a problem though, since the plaza is closed by the time the cool cars show up.
Last Friday there were so many cool cars at the Commons. Everything from high-dollar Lamborghini and Audi supercars, to a bunch of Mazda Miata convertibles from stock to wildly customized. There was an early generation Toyota Celica in bright yellow sharing the parking lot with a mint-green Ford Thunderbird playing yacht-rock.
Mostly there were ‘tuner’ cars like the Subaru BRZ, plus the Infiniti G37 and a bunch of BMWs. We brought our ’92 Subaru SVX to show off its air-suspension and rev the flat-six powerplant a little . But there was a grey-haired guy in an orange Datsun 210 with matching lawn chairs who took the title of best old-school ride from us.
Despite what you read about in the media, or see on TV about ‘high-speed hooligans’ there really was no trouble at the meet. No fights, no burnouts, racing in the parking lot. Nothing!
Police never showed up because there was absolutely no need. Maybe they were parked at donut shop watching, but they just let everyone be. Zero interference.
Think about it this way; whether you like these ‘tuner’ cars or not, or appreciate the style of music being played, isn’t it better that gearheads (especially the young, dumb ones) have a place to go and cut loose a little?
Chase them away, and they’ll be speeding across Hwy 401 to find some place to race out by the airport. That’s not good.
It’s a really sad day when a 49-year-old guy has to be the one defending the young gearheads hanging out in the parking lot. Usually guys my age are telling these kids to turn the music down!
But this isn’t about cars or music at all; it’s about freedom. Being allowed to peacefully gather without being harassed or having rights violated is something we can all stand up for.
~ by Chris ‘#16’ Demaras ~