By Shawn Henry 
San Clemente’s beloved Cars and Coffee meetup is catching heat these days, with locals fed up over the raucous Saturday morning scene at the Outlets. For years, gearheads and gawkers have swarmed the parking lots, drooling over sleek supercars and vintage rides—but now, the vibe’s soured. Revving engines, reckless burnouts, and street races spiraling out of the venue have turned this into a full-blown headache, cops cracking down with tickets and even towing a few offenders lately.
Police Searching for Camaro Involved in Hit-and-Run
It’s not just the chaos inside the lot either. Crowds bunch up on overpasses, sidewalks, even freeway ramps just to catch a glimpse of speeding exotics peeling out, and city hall’s finally taking notice. Word is they might slap new rules on the event’s permit after a public showdown, though good luck getting car lovers and irritated neighbors on the same page.
Still, you can’t ignore the cash this shindig brings in. Shop owners swear their registers sing every weekend, thanks to the flood of visitors, and the event’s Instagram fame? Ridiculous—millions of eyeballs, putting San Clemente on the map for petrolheads everywhere.
Funny thing—this whole Cars and Coffee thing started way back in Crystal Cove, then Irvine, before both spots axed it for the same reasons. San Clemente’s held out the longest, but if the grumbling keeps up, they’ll need to figure out how to keep the thrills without turning the town into a racetrack. Here’s hoping they don’t kill the magic.