Worship is such a unique experience month to month. Certainly there are the staples, every month they are there with the same vehicle, showing dedication to the first Sunday meet up spun off many years ago from the increasing experience that Caffeine and Octane was becoming. But for many of those who routinely rise early on these Sunday mornings to come stand in a Panera parking lot, there is another choice layered into the event, not just what time to leave or what to wear or if they will bring coffee or get a fresh cup when they arrive- no, for many of those who have been involved in this meet for a long time there’s the choice of “what to drive?”.

Worship is set up to encourage the display of cars that are old enough to sign a contract, and they ask for folks driving cars newer than 18+ years old to park further down in the lot, leaving the top section of the lot for the older cars. A lot of the time you can locate the regulars in nearly their same spots, the Triumphs and older BMWs taking the same sections when they arrive. Often times though, somewhere in the midst of the things you’re used to seeing someone will sneak in quietly what they decided to awaken from its garage kept slumber and you’ll be treated to seeing something incredibly unique.

In months past when we’ve made it to this show we’ve spotted a 300SL Gullwing, a Ferrari 330 P4 replica, a very awesome 1913 Rolls Royce Ghost and a myriad of other unique, one-in-the-area cars the owners have kept in good health. Each month there’s a chance of spotting something else you’ve never seen in person, or never seen on the road sitting there, parked just like everyone else’s cars, hanging out for everyone to admire the details of. Sometimes you can get a hint of what will be coming out for a one-time-this-year appearance in the Facebook group, but many other times you just have to show up to find out.

Speaking on the Facebook group though, it must be stated, sometimes there’s some hostility and griping that will be posted, so if you’re not interested in lengthy debates about what this public, unpaid meet should be or seeing complaints about the growth, the too-many-new-cars-here comments or the back and forth that can happen when opinions aren’t all the same in a group, maybe just show up to the meet, follow the requested guidelines and enjoy what the morning has to offer.

Speaking specifically about February’s meet it was obvious that the warm weather brought out folks happy to be embracing the false spring we’re experiencing in North Georgia. The parking lot felt fuller than it had in a while and the cars there for the show spread quite a way through the expansive space, though I suspect that’s partially due to the storage containers taking up quite a bit of space for one of the store’s renovations. I was happy to spot some of my favorite regulars- 240zs, Ford Roadsters, Land Rover Defenders, a LOT of older Porsche 911s in all kinds of colors- but I think I was happier to spot a few cars I hadn’t seen at this meet before. In particular, my heart was captured by a brilliant red Ferrari Dino, of course, and a little less obvious, a stunning green Suburban station wagon. As the weather continues to warm into a true spring and what will certainly be a sweltering summer here, I look forward to seeing what the warmer months will have folks uncovering from their winter keep to bring out to this meet.