August Cars Bikes 'n' Coffee

An old 1940's hangar in the back of the Canberran industrial estate of Fyshwick was the destination of the August installment of Shannon's Cars Bikes 'n' Coffee.  The somewhat dingy atmosphere lending itself to the more historically inclined vehicles on display.

In Canberra, it seems more and more likely that you need to know about an event before you actually know about it.

When I did find out about it however, I was so glad I didn't have to travel to the coast or to Sydney for an event/meet thanks to Steven and the good folks at Shannon's Insurance.

It seems this town has been lacking in that area for some time.  Either that or I'm quite out of touch...

What I stumbled upon however was quite a nice little microcosm of home grown goodness.

It seemed like every car in attendance had been built and toyed with by the actual owner, as opposed to a bevy of workshops.

Don't get me wrong, I adored the last MotorEx event and have no doubt that the owners of such highly acclaimed rides had played a part in the development of their pride and joy.

However, the cars parked in and around the unused hangar had an aura about them.

An aura that spoke of hours upon hours of blood sweat and tears not to mention polishing compound and axle grease.

That's what I love and miss about local, smaller shows.

You can tell when someone has spend more time on their car or bike than others might warrant.

 Just ask them, you can tell when they have just by the way they talk.

Though sometimes its the small details that let you in on a little about the builder.

You can tell a lot about a person from their car and what they've done to it.

With any luck, by the time the Xmas Cars Bike 'n' Coffee meet rolls around I'll have the 200 out of hiding.

Maybe I'll see you there.

- Willie