rcollum

Thanks again to friends who are helping supply pictures of cars & people from past Katie's (and other car events). Send pictures to me at - Robert_collum@hotmail.com. -Bob Collum P.S.: A large part of enjoying cars & coffee is friendships made there. There's an amazing amount of knowledge and experience. Case in point - one of the group at the 'Old Guys Table' at Katie's is Peter K. Peter has several very nice cars - that's not unusual at Katie's. When I asked my friends for some pictures to post, Peter sent the Daytona 1984 pics below. Peter worked for Group 44, the racing team. That's Group 44's Jaguar XJR-5. Small world... in the first picture, that's Doc Bundy, who co-drove the XJR-5 at Daytona in 1984, with Group 44 team owner Bob Tullius. Current note - Doc is in the hospital, with Covid-19, and a pre-existing heart condition. He was undergoing heart surgery on 04/24/20 - I will update status, when I know. Prayers for a really nice guy!

Some memorable cars from past Katie's Saturday mornings:

Still another week of Social Distancing, so - no Katie's Cars & Coffee. I hope everyone is well. I drove over and picked up lunch at the Old Brogue. Thanks to Mike Swiek for his pictures. --Bob Collum

Thanks! he two white cars are Kaiser Darrins. Same guy owned both. (Has since sold one, but also owns the Messerschmidt.) --Bob Collum

It's the third week of going cold-turkey from Katie's Cars & Coffee, and this is a special week. The first-ever, 'official' Katie's Cars & Coffee happened (according to my info) on 04/03/2010. That makes this the 10th Anniversary of our favorite weekly car gathering! Here is a selection of some pictures I took on that day, 10 years ago - --Bob Collum

No Katie's Cars & Coffee, again this week, due to social distancing. A major annoyance, but the only way we have of lessening the spread of COVID-19 is to help the medical community by limiting contact, and thus, the spread of the virus. Thanks to my friends Chuck Brownstein, Mike Swiek, David Sunter, and Mike DiAndrea for contributing pictures from the past! It's highly unlikely that the distancing rules will be lifted in the next week, so I will continue to post Best of Katie's pictures from the past, until we can get together again. I do have two requests: 1.) Please send me your favorite car and car people pictures, so I can continue posting. 2.) Please consider ordering carryout from Katie's (and other local businesses). They need the $$$$. You can pick up or have Katie's food & drink delivered, by calling their order line, (703)759-3309. --Bob Collum NOTE: Next week will be the 10th anniversary of the 'official' Katie's cars & coffee.

No cars & coffee, but please consider calling in a food order to support Katie's. You can pick your food up at a drive-through, right in front of Katie's, to take it home. Carry-out food can be ordered at (703)759-3309. --Bob Collum

When I was growing up, Johnny Carson was the king of late night TV. He was a fixture in every American home. When he was off, NBC selected a highly-rated, memorable episode from their archives, and aired that older episode. It was always funny, and very entertaining. It was called 'Best of Carson', and was very popular. I hope people enjoy reminiscing, like I do. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are missing the socialization that we have taken for granted. Over the years, I have made many lasting friendships via my Saturdays at Katie's. Medical experts insist that social distancing is critical to prevent crushing our medical infrastructure, so for the time being, cars & coffee events (as well as other social gatherings) are not a good idea. To help fill the gap, I am asking everyone to share pictures and stories from past memorable Katie's Saturdays. My contribution: This coming April 4, 2020 will make 10 years of the 'official' Katie's Cars & Coffee weekly event. I was notified by an Elise owner, Mike in Alexandria, about a new event that popped up in Great Falls, VA. I first went, long before it was an official gathering, on Halloween 2009. Attendance was modest, but there were some marvelous vehicles there. Peter Garahan brought out his antique fire engine, while Mike and I drove our Elises, and there was a beautifully-restored Mini. Bob Morris, who saw the big cars & coffee in Southern California, brought the idea of establishing a Katie's Cars & Coffee weekly event to Katie's owner Mike Kearney, drove his Kaiser Darrin. What pictures and stories do you have to share? --Bob Collum

All: In case you were thinking about going to Saturday Cars & Coffee at Katie’s, don’t. I just got a call from Mike Kearney, owner of Katie’s. Fairfax County and the State of Virginia are insisting that any establishment that serves food must limit the total amount of people in their space to 10 – including employees. Mike will be putting out signs around his property, declaring that there will be no Cars & Coffee tomorrow. I intend to make it a point to order carryout lunch or dinner from the Brogue several times in the coming weeks – I have a lot of sympathy for Mike & his employees. Mike says if we call ahead to (703)759-3309, they will let us know when we can pick the food up to take home. Here’s Mike’s message, from his website: –March 18, 2020– Dear Old Brogue & Katie’s Coffee House Patrons and Customers, It is with a full heart that I write to thank you for your patronage and support on St. Patrick’s Day 2020. It was 39 years ago on St. Patrick’s Day that we opened our doors to begin serving our community. Over these many years, we have been through a lot together — we have celebrated life’s special events, mourned losses, and supported each other through personal, local, and national crises. The Coronavirus crisis sweeping our nation caused us to have to close our doors this St. Patrick’s Day. But you showed us that there is still the possibility to do some business while our doors are shut — a way to keep serving the community and to provide work for our employees, many of whom rely on their jobs at the Old Brogue to support their families. Our pop-up Food & Brew Thru was patronized by over 400 customers yesterday. Thank you for showing up for us. Thank you for caring. Thank you for keeping the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day alive. The generous and caring spirit of the community that we are a part of was very much present yesterday, and we can’t tell you how much it means to us. For the near future, we will remain open for takeout service (food, coffee, beer and wine) only. In the days ahead, we will be working to put new systems in place to efficiently and effectively run as a take-out business (we had a few tough lessons yesterday!). Our current hours are: Katie’s Coffee House will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Old Brogue will be open for takeout service from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for our updated menu including nightly specials, beers and wine to-go. You can either drive up to our Food and Brew Thru or you can call in your order to 703-759-3309. We will take your order in advance to be ready at a future time as well. We are all in uncharted territory now, and would appreciate your patience and feedback as we figure out how to best serve you. We will keep you updated on developments via our website. Please call us if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback. With sincere thanks – stay healthy! Mike Kearney

Well, once we got a McLaren dealership, we started seeing McLarens ALL THE TIME! I generally don't post pictures of them, because I consider them to be the Great Falls, VA version of a Camry. A Senna is different! We did have a guy arrive in a McLaren 720 last year, having owned the car less than 24 hours. He did a 'Mustang' as he left the lot, and plowed into a tree. Totalled the McLaren. As luck would have it, the driver got a ride in an even more expensive vehicle - the medivac chopper! (I am told he almost immediately bought a replacement McLaren. Here's hoping he's learned a lesson about high-horsepower, midengined cars, and cold tires!) We have a Fisker Karma that's here regularly, but no new Karmas, nor Koenigseggs yet! --Bob Collum

I was surprised to see it here. For several years, Philadelphia had a McLaren dealer, but DC did not. I just heard a couple of weeks ago that we will be getting a new Karma & Koenigsegg dealer later this year! For quite a while, the only Bugatti Veyron I saw around here was at VW of America Headquarters. I asked someone who worked there, if he could bring it out, and he said that any Veyron for display was ordinarily in Florida, or Vegas, or southern California, where they are more commonly sold. --Bob Collum

Medical advice from a professional: (not me) A friend, who is both a Lotus owner and an ER doctor, helped me make sense of the seriousness of limiting personal contact: If we continue to travel and socialize at our normal rate, the number of COVID-19 cases will skyrocket. If that happens, the healthcare system will not be able to keep up. If, under the load of massive increases in patient loads, nurses and doctors get sick, this can very easily spin out of control. While contracting COVID-19 may not kill you, it might spread to your friends and relatives, through you. If they are 60 or older, or have existing health problems, it could kill them! If people can just avoid close contact outside the home, it helps a lot. Local weather is such that it's pretty nice to be outside, which also works, keeping a sensible distance from others -- (social distancing). If we can extend the spread of the virus out to, say, a few months, the load on the healthcare system will be less, the supply of the masks and testing items can catch up, and everyone will benefit. No need for panic, but lots of reasons to help lessen the load on the system. Hope this helps - the explanation was a help to me, in ways that what I see on news and social media has not been.

A special day at Katie's. In recognition of public concerns about COVID-19 contagion, Mike, the owner of Katie's, removed some tables to create more space inside. He also brought in a couple of extra people to serve food & coffee outside, which was greatly appreciated! Were there any good cars there, for those who came out? You be the judge! NoVA Lotus member 'FoxedUpOne' came all the way up from Barboursville, with his new Evora GT. My friend, Pete, just bought a Sebring Sprite. Somebody brought a Suzuki Cappucino, a Japanese Kei car. Have you ever seen a McLaren Senna? --Bob Collum

As it turns out, this event was a nice drive, and I saw a few friends while I was at the charity C & C at Two Silos in Manassas. The first picture - 'what are the top two kitcar designs in the world?' Answer - 1.) Cobra 2.) Seven. The second picture - Zakk's Elise. The third picture - a nice Healey Bugeye. Looks like they collected a good amount of money, at $20 per car in attendance, for St. Jude Children's Research Center. --Bob Collum

As long as we keep having sunny weather, we will keep coming out to commune with fellow car people! --Bob Collum

A pretty good turnout for a cold Saturday morning. There's always a good variety of vehicles at Katie's. --Bob Collum P.S.: If anyone is interested, there's a charity cars & coffee at Two Silos Brewery, on Sunday, 03/08/20. There will be a $20 entry fee. Benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Two Silos is at 9925 Discovery Blvd. Manassas, VA. The event runs from Noon to 3:00PM.

Wow - it's already March, 2020! A good turnout, led by our friend Paul's new acquisition - a '67 VW Beetle. We actually had two Beetles there today, as well as a Ford GT and a Ferrari Maranello. Plenty of nice vehicles to see... --Bob Collum

Cold weather does not keep the cars away. That last car is a Porsche Taycan Turbo S. --Bob Collum

Not only great cars, but great people. Attendees showed a young enthusiast their cars. --Bob Collum

What was new at Katie's today? There's always something... A 'perfect' VW bus, fresh from a complete restoration, a Jaguar shooting brake, and classic American muscle. --Bob Collum

A good turnout; a beautiful morning! --Bob Collum

It's the dinghy for the Cayenne!

Because it was so cold this morning (18F), attendance at Katie's was later, and smaller. As often happens in cold weather, the cars were mostly German. (There were three Porsche 911 GT3s there today.) --Bob Collum

Another good turnout at Cameron's. Any time you have two special edition Vipers, it's not a bad get-together. We had two Lotus there today, and three Lotus owners; I was joined by Alan Olson in his DB9, and Bob Scates drove his Esprit. --Bob Collum

Clear skies and dry streets mean a good turnout at Katie's - even in cold weather! Here's a few examples of the variety there today. (Note that the Charger is NOT stock. It's been completely rebodied as a wide-body, the tail is extended, and the door handles have been relocated, and made flush with the body.) --Bob Collum