Boulder's Coffee and Classics August 30 event gathered a crowd of humans, perhaps looking forward to the cooler days of autumn, and of a crowd of canines too. Of course dogs do what dogs do best, living in the present, without fretting about looking forward or backward...
And we might want to emulate the pooches' penchant for living the present, because many of the car wonks remarked on the record-setting heat wave this past summer. The early Series 1 E-Type Jag roadster was a lovely specimen, and also a car that was, back in the day, prone to overheating in traffic...
The 3.8 liter E-type was produced from 1961-64, and clues that give away the early cars include the thin shell bucket seats, and the embossed aluminum on the center dash and transmission tunnel. At the April 1961 model introduction, the E-Type was the first production car equipped with 4-wheel independent suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a dual-overhead cam engine.
The Jag XK120 roadster appeared in autumn in 1948 as a ploy to drive showroom traffic and show off the new DOHC inline six that powered the big Mark VII sedan. But Americans wanted the 2-seater, and Jaguar owner William Lyons saw a good export bet, and increased in production. The XK120 was joined eventually with a coupe and convertible with wind-up windows, and stayed in production through '54. The louvered hood (oops, bonnet) was non-standard, but was a common modification for racing.
This 1939 Bentley 4.25 liter tourer offers an essay of British style from a decade earlier. Rolls-Royce took over the firm from engineer W.O. Bentley in the Great Depression year of 1931...
The red Lotus Esprit V8 offered a mid-mounted, aluminum 4-cam, 32-valve, twin-turbocharged 3.5 liter engine designed in-house at Lotus, starting in 1996. Esprit production ended in 2004, and around 1,500 examples of the Esprit V8 emerged from the Lotus works. The bright blue right-hand drive original Mini (that is, of BMC, not BMW origin) looks like the perfect scaled ride for this little pup...
American cars are in the minority at the Sunday events, but this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado commanded attention because of sheer size, along with GM Styling's over-the-top touches of GM styling. But a '56 Eldorado starred in a Hollywood comedy that year, "The Solid Gold Cadillac", with Judy Holliday...
Coffee and Classics events* start at 8 to 10 AM on the last Sundays from April through October, though the Memorial Day exceptions are listed on the event calendar*. On warm mornings, live music events overlap the end of the car shows, in the courtyard at Spruce Confections at 767 Pearl Street.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider (1962-65) signals the 1600 engine with this hood scoop, because the engine is a bit taller than the 1300 Giulietta. The Ferrari Testarossa lurking back of the Alfa was produced from 1984-96. The mid-engined flat 12 had a bit over 3 times of the displacement of the little Alfa. The author dimly recalls driving an example of each, and that the Alfa was a bit more flingable (is that a word?) on narrow country roads. A friend had to replace the windshield on his Testarossa when a gravel truck rumbled past. I was very happy not driving at this moment...
The expanded Coffee and Classics event closes part of Pearl Street from 9th Street to 7th, and 8th from Pearl to Walnut, except for exhibitors and their old cars, so it's a safe and relaxing place for dogs to wander and sniff. And a decent place for dog lovers to wander and sniff too...
*Event schedule note:
For more info on Boulder Coffee & Classics, you might contact event founder Mike Burroughs at fuelfedboulder@gmail.com.
Photo Credits:
All photos are by the author.