Jacksonville Car Culture events calendar
Caffeine and Octane
The next Caffeine and Octane is set from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, January 14, at The Avenues mall’s Southside Boulevard parking lots.
The January event celebrates Japanese enthusiast/collectible/classic/luxury vehicles in a special display within the Central Lot. Submit your ride for consideration at caffeineandoctane.com
And Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts are invited to join the cruise-in at the gated “Central Lot” as well.
Cars should start arriving by 7 a.m. each Saturday to the Southside Boulevard side of the shopping mall, the best way in through Malabar Boulevard. As always, there will be a Porsche Jacksonville corner, exotics area, Classics Rows and more at the August C&O. And look for literally 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
Gentle reminders – All vehicles parked in the Central Lot must remain in place until the show concludes at 11 a.m. Please Park in the Exhibit Lot if you need to leave prior to 11 a.m. Those parking in the Exotics Lot and the Porsche Corner are free to arrive and leave at any time.
Upcoming events….
Seventh annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 7, at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds at 5840 Florida 207 in Elkton. Spectator admission is $5 per person, and $25 per show vehicle day-of-show. The title sponsor is MasterCraft Builder Group. There is a Florida BBQ Association Competition, and an SCA Steak Competition, with food for sale and live music.
Riding into History Concours D’Elegance: Set for April 15, 2023, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, with Competition Motorcycles as the featured class and Grand Marshal Mary McGee, AMA Hall of Fame and Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee. McGee will join the Grand Marshal Tour that weekend, as well as the Grand Marshal Banquet. Riding into History is a non-profit organization with its primary charity, K9s for Warriors, which provides service dogs for disabled veterans. Riding into History has donated more than $600,000 to local charities since its founding in 1999.
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
Clay County Cruzers, Callahan Cruisers and Amelia Cruizers all hold regular weekend cruise-ins, so check their Facebook pages.
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.
North Florida Domestic Car Club’s cruise-in: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each first Saturday of the month at a new site – the Crossroad Church UMC, 10005 Gate Parkway.
Caffeine and Gasoline: Free first Saturday of the month cruise-in at 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday November 5, at J-Tech Institute at 8813 Western Way in Jacksonville. House rules – “respect the property.”
Gripping Gears Car Meet: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month at Adamec Harley-Davidson at 380 Outlet Mall Blvd. in St. Augustine, presented by Jacksonville Headturners.
First Coast Car Council: All cruise-ins postponed
Callahan Cruisers: 4 to 7 p.m. every second Saturday at Hardee’s at 542309 U.S. 1 in Callahan.
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.
Johnny Angels: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every third Friday at Johnny Angels diner at 3546 St. Johns Bluff Road S.
Cruise Fruit Cove: 3 to 7 p.m. every third Saturday at the PDQ at 194 Florida 13 in Saint Johns, just south of Julington Creek.
New cruise-in: 1 p.m. every third Saturday at Hardee’s at 6852 Wilson Blvd.
Amelia Cruizers: 3 to 6 p.m. every third Saturday at Cold Stone Creamery, 808 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach. The Amelia Cruizers Car Club will stage a cruise to the ice cream store, staging at 2 p.m. in the parking lot next to the closed Krystal’s (2020 Sadler Road), then make an informal parade along the ocean and on Centre Street through downtown to end at Cold Stone.
Yulee Cars and Coffee: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every third Sunday at the Sonic Drive-In at 463939 Florida 200 in Yulee.
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 Fleming Island at 1803 E. West Parkway; 5 p.m. every third Friday at Freddy’s Steakburgers at 386 Blanding Blvd.; 8 to 10 a.m. every fourth at Nicole’s Café at 1101Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park; and 2 to 5 p.m. every fourth Saturday at Gator’s Dockside Oakleaf, 316 Merchants Way, Jacksonville.
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, both at 4730 U.S. 1 S./Dixie Highway South in St Augustine.
Cars and Coffee Fleming Island: 8 a.m. every fourth Sunday of the month at 2310 Village Square Parkway, Fleming Island.
New cruise-in: 6 p.m. every fourth Saturday at Mission BBQ, 8440 Blanding Blvd. in Jacksonville, hosted by Modern Mustangs of Jacksonville.
New cruise-in: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every fourth Saturday at the Rockin’ 50’s Eatery at 3501 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd. in St. Augustine.
New cruise-in: Custard Cruise-in from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, at Culver’s, 3433 U.S. 1 in St. Augustine.
Show and Tell: 6 to 9 p.m. every fourth Thursday at Advance Auto Parts at 10014 Atlantic Blvd.
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….
Geoffrey Hacker, head of Undiscovered Classics and Forgotten Fiberglass in Tampa, posts on his Facebook page that there will be 9 American Specials on The Amelia concours d’elegance show field in early March. Here’s one – the 1955 Siebler.
Over seven years, Dick Siebler built two sports cars for his personal use, its Italian-inspired body design derived from both the C1 Cunningham and the Siata. His wife contributed, learning to sew and form upholstery. All remaining work was completed by Siebler himself including frame design and build, body design, buck and molds and the finish paint, fit and finish.
The first car was finished in 1955 and won recognition and trophies throughout Southern California. He sold this car in 1961 and began building his second car improving the power and suspension throughout.
This car was finished in 1963. Plans were to offer a small number of similar sports cars for sale, and in fact one body was sold to a race car enthusiast. Both of Siebler’s sports cars and the third body – now a historic race car – exist today.
The 1955 Siebler that will debut at Amelia in 2023, the only restored of the three existing examples.
There’s a new super lizard on the prowl – the Hennessey VelociRaptoR 1000 with almost 1,000 hp and more than 850 lb-ft of torque, from the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer. It debuts in the first quarter of 2023, with two more cylinders than the standard F-150 Raptor and a 2.65-liter supercharger for a 40 percent increase in output.
The Predator V-8 under the hood of the Raptor R shares architecture with that of the Ford Mustang GT500. The truck will be backed by a 2-year/ 24,000-mile Hennessey warranty. It also features new front and rear VelociRaptor bumpers, front LED light bar, 20-inch Hennessey wheels and 37-inch off-road tires.
Hyundai is showing some new EVs at the Montreal International Auto Show on January 20 to 29, starting with the SEVEN Concept, which provides a glimpse into the brand’s futuristic design and technology direction towards sport utility electric vehicle (SUEV). Revealed at the November 2021 AutoMobility LA, the SEVEN Concept boasts a long wheelbase, flat platform floor and a targeted driving range of over 480 Inside, lounge chairs, a curved bench seat, built-in mini fridge and a roof with a panoramic screen.
Speaking of The Amelia….
The annual Werks Reunion Amelia Island returns on March 3 to The Amelia River Club at 4477 Buccaneer Trail, hosted by the local arm of the Porsche Club of America. Registration has opened for the event, which starts at 7 a.m. as registered cars begin filing the grass. Spectator parking is $40 cash per person. At 10:30 a.m., Youth Judging sponsored by Hagerty begins, with awards from 2 to 3 p.m. The Porsche event is held in conjunction with……
… The 28th iteration of The Amelia has tickets are available, with stock car legend Jeff Gordon as honoree on March 2-5. The weekend’s events include a Saturday seminar featuring Gordon and NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham; chances to meet the legendary driver at Sunday’s concours; and a class of vehicles he drove and won in during his career. Details and tickets are at AmeliaConcours.com.