Jacksonville Car Culture events calendar
Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville: The next one is set for 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at The Avenues mall’s south side at 10300 Southside Blvd. Cars should start arriving by 7 a.m., the best way in through Malabar Boulevard off Southside Boulevard.
Cadillacs, Continentals and Covairs will be highlighted yet at this pre-holiday event, all showcased in a special display within the Central Lot. As always, there will be a Porsche section, and an exotics area as well as hundreds of vintage and classic cars, muscle cars and so much more.
Official Caffeine and Octane merchandise is on sale at all Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville events.
Check out more at firstcoastcarculture.com.
Jacksonville Car Culture Jekyll Island Holiday Lights Tour: Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on that Friday with a cruise up to Jekyll Island, departing from the River City Marketplace at 13221 City Center Blvd. starts at 5:30pm. The ride heads to Jekyll Island, Ga. to cruise among the holiday lights, then a one-night stay one night at the Courtyard Jekyll Island or Residence Inn Jekyll Island. Jekyll Island boasts more than 500,000 holiday lights, with more 35,000 on a great tree alone. The cruise is limited to 50 vehicles and will include a stop along the way, an outdoor patio reception at the Courtyard Jekyll Island.
Cost: $100 per vehicle plus hotel room, fees and taxes. Additional passengers are $20 per person. One night at Courtyard Jekyll Island or Residence Inn Jekyll Island is $159 plus fees/taxes. It includes two beverage tickets per vehicle for the patio reception at the hotel at the conclusion of the cruise on Friday night; digital photo of your vehicle by Deremer Studios; and exclusive 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday Caffeine and Octane for cruise entrants – entrants are asked to please bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
Deremer Studios
The event wraps at about 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Show news
Ponte Vedra Auto Show: The 2021 Ponte Vedra Auto Show returned last Sunday under the direction of Justin Felker and St. Augustine’s Art ‘n Motion with almost 300 cars and trucks on show at the event field at 245 Nocatee Center Way in Ponte Vedra Beach, and it is free and open to any classic or modern sports car, motorcycle or specialty/exotic.
The Best in Show was a silver Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster owned by Sam Joiner.
The Classic European class winner – a blue Mercedes-Benz 280SE owned by Don Glisson.
The Best of Europe was a Mercedes-Benz SL 63 owned by David Wommer; the Jeep vs. Bronco Class was a CJ5 owned by Laura Geisel.
The Viper Class winner was Ben Bobbitt’s, parked next to a rare Brazilian-built Puma GTE sports car.
The American Classic class winner was Mark Becker’s Chrysler Town and Country Convertible.
The Most Super Supra was Loi Tran’s Toyota Supra, while the Pre-War Vintage class winner is a Cadillac Model 60 Convertible Coupe owned by Gregg Romero, and the Asian Excellence winner was a pristine white Toyota Crown owned by Alan Dickerson. The Classic Corvette class winner was owned by Ronnie Edge, while the Classic Porsche class winner was a Porsche 356SC owned by Lew Bednarczuk.
The Most Original class winner was the Jaguar D Type owned by Andre Desmarais, as seen behind this larger Jag.
And possibly the most amazing creation an actual street-legal 2001 Reynard IndyCar, which shot foot-long flames when revved as it entered the show field, painted in its original Visteon livery. Note the headlights, Mickey Thompson treaded tires for crucial ground clearance, and a taillight assembly in back, a stock block V-8 in place of the original’s Toyota race engine. Mariz Automobili just posted a video on the car as it left the show and hit the road at night, as filmed with a wicked BMW camera car also at the show, and edited by Fastrmedia @fastrmedia.
This was its second appearance that weekend for the IndyCar, having wowed crowds, and Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville chief honcho Chris Brewer, when it cruised in the day before at The Avenues.
And if that’s not enough, a 1966 Batmobile replica from St. Augustine – to the Bat Cave!
The show is held in association with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce and the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council.
Motorsports events:
Nitro Rallycross at The FIRM: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5, at the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park at 7266 Airport Rd, Starke. Teams with drivers like Tanner Foust and Travis Pastrana will race on steep berms, banked turns and 100-ft gap jumps at the track. Two-day standing room general admission – $36 each. Two-day grandstand seating – $50 each. Two-day VIP with cash bar – $139 each. Get information here, and reserve tickets here.
Now all the Car Shows:
24th Annual VW Turkey Run: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine, 4730 Dixie Highway South/U.S. 1 in Saint Augustine. Proceeds benefiting the Spastic Paraplegic Foundation.
Pearl Harbor Commemoration: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at The Military Museum of North Florida at 1 Bunker Ave, Green Cove Springs, off Florida 16. The event begins with a ceremony, plus car show, re-enactors and a military collector show.
Toys for Tots car show: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Dec. 11, at Golden Isle Church of God, 20 Boswell Lane in Brunswick, Ga. Free for spectators and $20 per show vehicle, or a new unwrapped toy. Donations go to the area Toys for Tots program.
Toys 4 Tots Car and Truck Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the WW Ranch Motorcross Park, 1439 Otis Road in Jacksonville. Spectators are asked to bring a canned good or donation for the needy, while show vehicle registration is $20. Live music from Beau and The Burners, sponsored by the Callahan Cruisers.
The FIRM (Florida International Rally and Moto Park): Open Track Days held most weekends at the road course and rally course at 7266 Airport Road in Starke.
All the Cruise-ins
First Coast Car Council, Clay County Cruzers, Callahan Cruisers and Amelia Cruizers all hold regular weekend cruise-ins, so check their Facebook pages.
Jacksonville Caffeine and Gasoline: 7 to 10 a.m. on every first Saturday at the Orange Park Mall at 1910 Wells Road in Orange Park.
Clay County Cruzers’ events: 3 to 6 p.m. every first Saturday at Big Dawg Sports Restaurant, 1330 Blanding Blvd.; 3 to 6 p.m. every second Saturday at Dick’s Wings, 1803 East-West Parkway in Fleming Island; 5 p.m. every third Friday at Freddy’s Steakburgers at 386 Blanding Blvd.; 9 to 11 a.m. every fourth Saturday at Nicole’s Café, 2216 S. Mimosa Ave. in Middleburg; and 2 to 5 p.m. every fourth Saturday at Gator’s Dockside Oakleaf, 316 Merchants Way, Jacksonville.
First Coast Car Council events: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first Saturday at The Beaver Street Farmers Market, 1810 W. Beaver St.
UPDATE: The Car Council’s second Saturday cruise-in suspended through the end of the year.
NEW – Crossroad Cruise-in: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each first Saturday at Crossroad Church at 10005 Gate Parkway N.
NEW – Auto Legends Amelia Cars and Coffee: 9 a.m. to noon every second Saturday at Mocama Beer Company, 629 S. 8th St. in Fernandina Beach.
Cruise Night at Beachwalk: 5 to 8 p.m. every second Friday at the Beachwalk Amenity Center, 1000 County Road 210 in St. Johns.
Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville: 8 to 11 a.m. every second Saturday at The Avenues Mall at 10300 Southside Blvd. Information: https://bit.ly/3gPRvVQ.
Cruise Fruit Cove: 4 to 8 p.m. every third Saturday at the PDQ at 194 Florida 13 in Saint Johns, just south of Julington Creek.
Amelia Cruizers: 4 to 7 p.m. every third Saturday at Cold Stone Creamery, 808 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach.
Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine monthly cruise-ins: St. Augustine Cruiser’s “Cruise In” from 5 to 7 p.m. every third Saturday, and Cars and Coffee from 8 to 10 a.m. every fourth Saturday resuming on Nov. 27 (see above), both at 4730 U.S. 1 S./Dixie Highway South in St Augustine.
Cars and Coffee Fleming Island: 7 to 10 a.m. every third Sunday of the month at the New Vision Theatre at 1820 Town Center Blvd., Fleming Island.
The Part’s House/The Brothers Banter Podcast Cruise-in: The renamed White Brothers Auto Parts Cruise-in at the same time – 5 to 8 p.m. every second Friday at 405 Lane Ave. N.
Johnny Angels: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every third Friday at Johnny Angels diner at 3546 St. Johns Bluff Road S.
Historic Springfield Main Street Cruise: 4 p.m. every fourth Saturday between 8th and 17th streets at Main Street in Jacksonville’s Springfield community.
And finally….
Maserati showed off its new Grecale on Tuesday by arranging its 80 prototypes in the shape of the company’s famed logo, a trident, in a record-breaking shot. The outline was 328 feet long. Maserati says it has more than 250 development models distributed across Japan and the United States, United Arab Emirates and China, Finland and Italy.
The Grecale is a compact SUV due to be released this spring, its name derived a Mediterranean wind, which is a Maserati tradition, It slots below the Levante, sharing its platform with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio crossover. The Grecale was originally set to be unveiled officially this week, but supply chain problems have caused some of its key components to be lacking, it said.