In 2023 @MarkhamMeets started hosting some a parking lot ‘Cars & Coffee’ at the corner of Woodbine and 16th Ave up in York Region, north of the city. Every Monday night, a non-descript strip-mall parking lot is transformed into something special; an automotive exhibition.
Luckily the meet-up starts at 7PM and runs until really late. Those who actually live in Toronto, not the suburbs, don’t even want to think bout driving north on the DVP before sunset. Rush hour is a bitch! But after nightfall, it’s time to cruise. A full tank of gas, car wash, some music, and the top down.
Events at Markham Meets Monday are really diverse. There;’s definitely a focus on modern ‘tuner cars’ but there’s plenty of JDM classics too. Mixed in with the Blobeye Subaru WRXs and Nissan GTRs was a bright pink Honda S200 that looked like a million bucks. There was an early Toyota Celica Supra in all it’s angular glory. Several cars were running under-glow lighting, which gave the vehicles a real Y2K vibe.
On the extreme end of the spectrum there was a Porsche 911 GT3 and a heavily customized late 60s Mustang fastback. Too bad street racing is forbidden at these ‘park & chill‘ meets, because everyone would like to have seen those two compete on the ¼ mile.
We could be biased on this next part, but 1st & 2nd gen Mazda Miatas were some of the most beautiful sports cars at the event. The ren Miata NA with stock wheels and proper patina on the paint reminded everyone what a great idea Mazda came up with in the late 80’s. Of course, Demaras Racing’s track car, the No. 16 MagiSeal Miata looked very macho with its roll bar and way too-wide wheels.
The crowd was mostly young guys, but the number of ‘car girls‘ might surprise the uninitiated. Indian summer in Toronto has delayed the end of the car show season, so there were plenty of convertibles including a 1990 Mazda RX-7 drop top. Kind of the big brother to the Miata.
The police did show up late in the meet, and pretty much just ‘made the rounds’ but we could have done without the spotlight making everyone feel like a criminals. Maybe one day the police will learn to cultivate a relationship with the car community rather than antagonizing the gearheads.
It’s always been this way, from the hot rod days. Everyone has a good time just hanging out and talking cars until some dope lights up the rear tires and bring the heat on the spot. Once the black & white show up, it’s best to be on the way home. At least the highway will be wide open for another late night blast.
Hopefully a few more meet-ups before the season ends.
That Miata is so badass. Great post and sounds like a good time was had by all. Noticed Tim’s in the background and trust there weren’t any SUVs trying to to drive over top of the fuzz.
Yes, the Miata is highly modified and thinks it’s a race car, but it’s still street legal. Just rides stiff.
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The more of these meets I go to, the more I realize the antagonistic relationship between the police and the car enthusiasts … especially the young ones.
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No drama at the Tim’s this time!
Maybe the car enthusiasts should invite the police to attend in a gesture of solidarity.
I really don’t think that police relations with the car community will EVER improve.
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I’ve been watching a lot of “Hot Rd / Juvenile Delinquent” movies from the late 50s and early 60s lately. They depict the same friction happening 75 years ago.
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Some bad apples go out street racing, revving their engines, doing burnouts …whatever. Police try to catch the speed demons, and sometimes miss. So the cops harass and clamp down on ANYONE with a souped up car.
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I’m a 50 year old guy with a wife and kids and a business and a mortgage. I’m not a ‘teenage troublemaker’ so the police tend to leave me alone. But boy-oh-boy did John Q Law drive through with the searchlights blinding me. Makes you think that the police do not want to be invited.
Well that’s a good point. Some groups just don’t mix well. And now watch me channel my good wolf as I don’t say anything cynical or bitter about law enforcement.
Cynical? Bitter? OK…I’ve got one.
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Where I live there’s always something on the news about youth gone wild. And the result is police action against anyone young (or dark skinned). Police tend to stop youngsters in cool cars for no good reason, to harass them.
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Last year, there was a big event at a race track. Kids could bring their cars there for donut competition, loudest exhaust contest, and even a stereo soundclash. The same kinda stuff that keeps the neigbourhood awake in the city makes no difference at a race track out in the country.
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What did the provincial police do? They set up ‘spot-checks’ at both entrances to the Cayuga, ON track and gave out massive tickets to anyone with a lowered car, a loud muffler or any other discrepancy. Fines of $2,000 to $3,000 were handed out like candy.
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And then we wonder why kids and cops can’t get along.
I knew the material was out there. Rotten for them to give out such huge fines.
The worse past is that the event (sanctioned CSCS Series) sought to help teenagers take it to the track … take it off the streets … yet overzealous police looking for low-hanging fruit just screwed up everyone.