You know you are on to a special event when a number of people tell you have to attend it. Cavallino Cars and Coffee is just such an event.
Starting as a small group of motoring enthusiasts who wanted to simply get together with nice cars and drink good coffee on a Sunday morning, the event has grown in to a large gathering that stops the traffic in Terry Hills.
The Sydney Automobile Club was established in early 2014 by a group of passionate people valuing splendid automobiles, great excellent company and conversation
Held at the Cavallino Ristorante in Terry Hills on the first Sunday of every month from 8:00am – 10:00am you can expect to see 200-300 exotic, rare, historic and beautiful cars.
Conceived by Alessio Iera, Luke O’Neill and Lido Russo early in 2014, the event has grown rapidly with the help of twenty to thrity dedicated volunteers. Lido also owns Cavallino Ristorante and is president of the Sydney Automobile Club.
This week, I saw a McLaren P1, a bunch of Ferrari’s including a Testarossa as well as all of the newer models. Lamborghinis were shoulder to shoulder with Lotus cars. Even the Police had brought along one of their brand new Porsche pursuit cars. I particularly liked an original Lancia Stratos that scowled its way in to the street to take pride of place in the “People’s Choice” selection area.
Cavallino’s is open for coffee and Italian Brioche and there is also an Italian BBQ in the forecourt; a real treat for an early Sunday breakfast.
Not only were there Italian exotics, there were some lovely historic Jaguar and Chevys as well as a good range of American and Australian muscle cars including an old Valliant.
There are so many fantastic cars on display that the street is full of jaw-dropping rides. Each month, a very select few of these rare and beautiful cars are brought in under the Cavallino Ristorante awning to be displayed in the “People’s Choice” category where the general public choose their favourite, with the winner being awarded a degustation dinner for six at the Cavallino restaurant.
If you have a truly rare, exotic, historic or otherwise special vehicle and want to find out about taking part in the event, send an email to ciao@cavallino.com.au. Otherwise, if you simply want to take a look at some wonderful vehicles and drink some very good coffee, each some brioche or maybe a bit of BBQ; get there early.
The event has grown so much that these days there are marshals controlling the traffic. If you are intending to drive there, cars start to arrive soon after 7:00am and by 8:00am the place is bursting with life. To have any chance of parking within a block of the main event, you need to be there by 7:30. Thriving on the edge of chaos, the event is well-organised with a lot of people giving-up their time simply for their love of quality cars. A real treat.
