A local car guy kicked off the inaugural Santa Barbara Cars and Coffee a couple weeks ago and it seems to be catching on quite well!  Fresh coffee and special vehicles are joining forces every Sunday in Montecito. Everyone is welcome to check out classic cars, exotic cars, hotrods, motorcycles, and any other unique mode of motorized transportation.  If you have a vehicle you are proud of, bring it down!

What:     Coffee and Cars

Where:   Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf; 1209 Coast Village Road, Montecito

When:    Every Sunday from 8-10 am

The main request is to please keep the parking immediately in front of the restaurants open for their regular business.  The area Cars and Coffee is targeting is the mid section of the road near the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. There is a large area of shops there that don’t open until later in the day. Please no burn outs or revving of engines. That will quickly bring things to a closure.

October 29, 30, 31 at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club

I am excited to attend the Santa Barbara Concours d’Elegance this coming weekend!  Weather permitting, I should have a few cars I’ve worked with in attendance.  I will be sure to post pictures soon after the event.

The three day auto event kicks off this Friday with the Mille Miglia Salute, which takes selected participants of the Concours weekend through the Santa Ynez area backroads.

On Saturday, the Concours d’ Italiano celebrates the design and engineering of the sleek and powerful Italian automobiles while the American Classics focuses on the creativity and nostalgia of American muscle cars, hot rods and custom cars.

The spectacular Concours d’ Elegance takes place on Halloween Sunday and includes scores of the finest automobiles in the country, all being judged by committees made up of some of the best known car aficionados in the world.

For more information on the weekend, please check ElegantCars website here:

Santa Barbara Concours d’Elegance: Schedule of Events

You can also contact Chris Corbin for information on displaying your vehicle:

ChrisC@stratusmediagroup.com

The United States Senate recently passed Senate Resolution 513 at the request of SEMA and ARMO, designating Friday, July 9^th as Collector Car Appreciation Day. The day is meant to recognize “that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.” [Source: AutoBlog]

It’s a great thing to appreciate those who have poured blood, sweat, hundreds of hours of research, and lots of hard-earned cash into a machine as amazing as the automobile. As a cultural phenomenon and an indication of our personal tastes and influences, collecting and restoring cars is an important link to our past and an honor to those who owned, loved and cared for these vehicles before us. Whether it’s an enthusiast pushing the limits of an unrestored Falcon’s motor, a Porschephile with a small fleet, or the men and women that restore and refurbish these vehicles because it affords them happiness, it’s wonderful to have a day that’s nationally recognized.

©Aficionauto

Aficionauto was established in Santa Barbara, CA on April 20, 2004. During these first years, I have had the wonderful opportunities of working on amazing vehicles, with highline auto manufacturers and have developed relationships with innovative individuals, master technicians and craftsmen and historians of the culture.  I also have the best clients one could hope for- discerning, knowledgeable and enthusiastic automobile owners whom which I enjoy every visit.  I am sincerely grateful to each person who has contributed to my small success.   

Happy Motoring,

Andrew Evans

©Aficionauto

For the past few months, the City of Santa Barbara’s Creeks Division has been developing a program to recognize Mobile Cleaners (including Auto Detailers) to publicly recognize businesses that voluntarily adopt environmentally friendly practices.

We are very pleased to announce that Aficionauto Detail passed it’s certification inspection today; allowing for public recognition of Sustainable and Water Efficient Practices though use of industry recognized Best Management Practices.

Aficionauto is among the first of a small contingency of local businesses to be aligned with this certification program.

Through the use of specialized and custom equipment to reclaim water runoff, alternative low-impact wash procedures to reduce consumption and products that contain extremely low levels of chlorides and other contaminants that could effect our water quality, we hope to provide an outstanding service with minimal impact on the environment.

©Aficionauto

Wet weather is just around the corner. The Polymer Sealant applied by Aficionauto is durable enough to weather the storm well into the New Year.  Be confident that road grime and abrasive elements won’t stand a chance.

Please contact us today for your appointment.

Four days of auto bliss! I just returned from Carmel today after spending a long weekend working with Mercedes-Benz at their Star Lounge on the 3rd fairway.  We helped defend the display and drive fleet against rain-like fog (that never seemed to clear) and zealous auto admirers.  MB USA showed the 2009 AMG line-up and Classics Collection from their Orange County facility and offered drives in a few Maybach’s and McLaren SLR Roadsters.  

A particularly exciting moment was performing a bit of detail work to the SL65 Black Series and F700 Concept Vehicle which made their first appearances in North America. 

It is extremely difficult to explain the size, caliber and spanning passion exhibited during the weekend in Monterey.  The Annual Tour d’Elegance is a fantastic display of beautiful and irreplaceable vehicles, driving!  The sounds of each of the different motors throughout the history of the automobile is mesmerizing.  Concours Sunday was astonishing.  I was able to browse around for an hour and a half and only viewed half of the 18th fairway.  Russo and Steele’s Auction is a great way to see (and dream about) some very high caliber classic performance cars.

If you have interest in automobiles, design, art, horsepower, fine food and wine, or racing, one needs to attend.  Hopefully the photo’s do the long weekend some justice!

©Aficionauto

Digital Paint Thickness Readings will now be included in paint polishing jobs where it is necessary to remove moderate swirls marks or minor abrasions. When removing such defects from the paint, it is very important to understand the amount of coating being removed. Thickness Readings are provided to ensure that the immediate appreciation of a finely polished surface isn’t degrading the future value of your investment.

©Aficionauto

For some time, I have been cleansing vehicle interiors with natural, primarily plant-based products. This was received with a warm welcome by all but I strive to achieve even greater results. 

I am pleased to introduce a Vapor Steam inteiror cleaning process to minimize the usage of cleaning products (almost 80%) while safely eradicating all bacteria from any surface.  In combination with heated carpet extraction, this procedure will prove beneficial to all of you; most importantly, small children and those who suffer from asthma and allergy symptoms.