• Anything with a motor is welcome, including classics, modern collectables, says organizer Dr. Nasser Al-Massari

Saleh Fareed, Riyadh

Even the forecast of cold weather couldn’t keep the enthusiastic crowd from attending the weekly Cars & Coffee Show at the parking lot of the Granada Mall in Riyadh.

This week’s show featured more than 300 cars. Their proud owners standing next to their vehicles chatted with admiring onlookers and shared stories about their cars.

According to Dr. Nasser Al-Massari, the organizer, anything with a motor is welcome, including classics, modern collectables, sports cars, customs and motorcycles.

He said that the weekly event started in 2014, “When I and my friends who have a passion for cars decided to gather here on Fridays to drink coffee and display our old cars. We started with 10 cars and here we are today with around 300 cars.”

Among those in attendance was Abdulrahman Al-Khamis, the owner of a 1966 Ford pickup. Al-Khamis explained that he also owns a 1966 Mustang, a 1978 Corvette and a 1977 Corvette. “Classic cars are a passion and we spend a lot of money to keep them in good shape,” he said.

On the other side, Mohammed Al-Giawi, known as “Lawrence Classic” and member of the Volkswagen owners’ club in Saudi Arabia, stood in front of his VW Beetle  wearing traditional Saudi clothes.

He said that he is still living like in the good old days. “This is me still cherishing the old good days with old-style clothes and still owning a Beetle car. I always take part in this Cars & Coffee gathering and love every minute of it.”

Peter Macgillivray, of V.P Motorsports and Off.Road, was there by accident: “I was coming to the mall and noticed the large crowd and cars, so could not resist it. The cars and coffee concept is a chance for enthusiasts and the uninitiated alike to engage with some of the world’s most incredible cars. And for their owners to see their pride and joy getting the adoration such vehicles richly deserve.”

Along with cars from every past era, some dating back 80 or more years, there also were some examples of current and future automobile manufacturing. Mohammed Al-Otaibi and Hussain Al-Qahtani had brought their 2018 Lamborghini, and took great pride in touting its advanced technology to a handful of gazing admirers. “The point of the event is to show off the community’s treasured vehicles in an informal manner,” said Al-Massari. “Cars & Coffee is a Riyadh event that brings a number of vehicles together.”