Scenes from the Sept. 17, 2017 Caffeine & Carburetors in downtown New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
An estimated 1,000-plus classic and specialty cars drew thousands of auto enthusiasts to downtown New Canaan on Sunday morning for 2017’s sole installment of Caffeine & Carburetors.
Founded by New Canaanite Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous gourmet coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets, the popular gathering on an overcast fall day touched by humidity saw crowds ogle and photograph rare, well-preserved and restored cars on pedestrian-only sections of Pine and Elm Streets from (about) 8 to 11:30 a.m.
Zumbach, who organizes the event with Peter Bush, Todd Brown and a team of volunteers, said the turnout was “beyond our expectations.”
“We don’t have a count but I would say in excess of 1,000 cars,” he told NewCanaanite.com during an interview as the show was underway. “I think we have over 300 Porsches on Elm alone. So I think the count could be above 1,000. Crowd count, I don’t know.”
The sheer number of auto appreciators milling about downtown New Canaan, many of them toting balloons and walking children and dogs, spoke to the great desire for participants to gather and share their love of cars.
“There are license plates from Vermont, Pennsylvania,” Zumbach said. “So they came a good distance. The first car arrived at 5:40 this morning.”
He thanked “all my volunteers, the New Canaan Police Department, EMTs, firefighters—everyone who has been involved in this. I think the show has been very orderly and well run.”
Flo Carbone, assistant branch manager at Bankwell, said: “Bankwell is all about community and this represents a tremendous turnout and a nice representation for the community of New Canaan.”
3 thoughts on “PHOTOS: Thousands Come To Downtown New Canaan for Lone ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ of 2017”
Congratulations and thank you to the C&C team for another wonderful event that showcases our beautiful town! We enjoy the cars passing our home on the way into (and out of) town, as well as seeing them up close. C&C is an amazing and incredibly well managed event. Looking forward to the next one, already!
Congratulations and thank you to the C&C team for another wonderful event that showcases our beautiful town! We enjoy the cars passing our home on the way into (and out of) town, as well as seeing them up close. C&C is an amazing and incredibly well managed event. Looking forward to the next one, already!
This was truly incredible.
C&C is one of the best events in New Canaan. What an incredible success.