Coffee & Chrome Collective – a spectacular year

From the amphitheatre-like setting at the British Motor Museum, to the elaborate château of the Impney Estate near Droitwich Spa and the picturesque countryside scenes at Prescott - with trips to Bicester Heritage and the NEC for good measure, it was a fantastic year for Footman James Coffee & Chrome Collective. 
 
To recap, Coffee & Chrome exists to celebrate all corners of the enthusiast vehicle community. Cars, bikes, tractors, off-roaders, buggies and military vehicles – all are invited and all are welcome.

We’re proud that the events are free, with breakfast rolls included and a hot drink available for good measure, and we’ve been overawed by the response to the events this year. In a nutshell, around 7,000 people attended Coffee & Chrome, bringing with them 3,500 of the UK’s most fascinating and diverse vehicles. Simply put, we salute you. 

The year started off with grey skies and damp ground at the Impney Estate. But that didn’t stop you, way back in February, 500 of you registered to warm up your classics after a winter tucked away and join us for a fabulous morning out, many of you, starting the 2022 season of classic meets! 

In the Spring we took Coffee & Chrome south, to the rolling hills of Cheltenham in the heart of the Cotswolds, to visit the one-and-only Prescott Hill Climb. Blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, Prescott was in its element, and your classics looked good too! We had to use the overflow parking for this meet as it is one of our most popular!  

In May, it was the first time we’d ventured north and experienced a dose of friendly Yorkshire hospitality at the NY500 cafe near Pickering. We knew it was going to be a good year when one of the first cars to arrive was a spectacular BMW 3.0 CSL finished in a rare shade of ‘Golf Yellow’.  

The next Coffee & Chrome meet took place at the Impney Estate near Droitwich on July 3rd for our summer party. This was our biggest-ever meet with over 1000 classics, live music, an autojumble, baked goods and a free breakfast sandwich included. For many (us included) it was the highlight of the summer! 

Coffee & Chrome took time out to support the Newspress Awards in the summer, an event that celebrates the best of British automotive media. We created a parking area exclusively for classics owned by journalists and PR professionals – and sponsored an award for the vehicle with the best story. The winner? A VW Polo G40 owned for decades by freelance writer Alex Grant. 

As was befitting of a location that celebrates all corners of motoring, the vehicles that attended our next event in September at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon were next level. From VW campers to DeLoreans, the Gaydon meet had everything. 

A return to Impney in October for the final outdoor meet of the year turned out to be every bit as good as the July event. The weather was stunning - one of those spectacular Autumn mornings that make all vehicles look amazing. And look amazing they did! Again, kudos to all who turned up - bringing with them cars that truly reflect the diverse nature of Coffee & Chrome. Our favourites included a very original Fiat X1/9 and a suitably bonkers Can Am Maverick X3 Turbo buggy.  

We topped off the year by featuring on the Footman James stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show. With a video reel showing the highlights of the year, and free coffee to all signed up members of the Collective, it was a great way to showcase the achievements of the Coffee & Chrome Collective in 2022 – none of which we could do without you.  

A big thank you to everyone who continues to love and support Coffee & Chrome. If you'd like to read more about Coffee & Chrome, visit our dedicated hub where you'll find lots more stories about owners, information about Coffee & Chrome and much more. Here’s to 2023!