South OC Cars and Coffee meets every Saturday from 9am to 11am, rain or shine, at the Outlets at San Clemente, 101 W Avenida Vista Hermosa. The meet’s website asks drivers not to arrive before 8:30am.
What turns up
The meet’s home page says 1,000 to 3,000 vehicles attend each week, and its About page says hundreds: hypercars, supercars, exotics, vintage and classic cars, muscle and sports cars, hot rods, rat rods, pickups, 4x4s and motorcycles. Its website names a car of the week, and on September 14, 2026, it listed a 1972 factory Porsche RSR.
There is no registration, spectators are welcome, and entry is free.
The rules
The posted rules are short: no speeding, no revving and no burnouts, and drive quietly and slowly on the streets and local freeways.
They matter more here than at most meets. In October 2025 the San Clemente City Council voted to review the event’s permit over noise and safety in nearby neighborhoods, and the San Clemente Times reported that a California Highway Patrol operation in March 2025 had made 159 traffic stops on nearby streets and freeway ramps. In January 2026, after around 50 people spoke for the show, the council left the permit as it was.
Simon Wehr told the council in October 2025 that the show had 20 to 60 volunteers out every Saturday, most of them Marines from Camp Pendleton. Leave the way you arrived, quietly.
How it started
The original Cars and Coffee in Irvine shut down in December 2014. The meet traces itself to a group of friends looking for somewhere to talk about cars after that. They met first at the Target in San Clemente, then ran cruises to the Cars and Coffee in Aliso Viejo, and Simon Wehr hosted 50-mile Saturday evening cruises from the new Outlets at San Clemente. When rumors started that the Aliso Viejo meet would close, he asked the Outlets whether South OC Cars and Coffee could restart there.
Simon Wehr ran it with his son James, who died on September 13, 2026, at 27. The report on his death and the meet is here.
As of September 14, the meet had not said publicly whether its September 19 show would go ahead. It shared the family’s news on its Instagram account, so check there before driving over.
Photos and videos
The meet posts a photo gallery from each Saturday on its website, with an archive going back to 2018, and a weekly video tour on YouTube.
Supporting the meet
The meet takes donations to keep the show running and says it is not a registered charity, so donations are not tax deductible. It also looks for volunteers, sponsors and exhibitors through its website.
Before you go
What time is South OC Cars and Coffee?
Saturdays from 9am to 11am. The meet asks drivers not to arrive before 8:30am.
Where is it?
At the Outlets at San Clemente, 101 W Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente, CA 92672.
Does it cost anything?
No. Patch reported that it is free, and the meet says there is no registration.
Does it run in the rain?
Yes. The meet says rain or shine.
Can I bring a truck or a motorcycle?
Yes. The meet lists pickups, 4x4s and motorcycles alongside hypercars, classics and hot rods.
What are the rules?
No speeding, no revving and no burnouts, and drive quietly and slowly on the streets and local freeways.
- Source: South OC Cars and Coffee, home page, read 14 September 2026
- Source: South OC Cars and Coffee, “Our Story”, read 14 September 2026
- Source: Patch, “Public Outcry Saves South OC Community Event After Permit Uncertainty,” 22 January 2026, read 14 September 2026
- Source: San Clemente Times, “San Clemente City Council to Revisit South OC Cars & Coffee Permit Amid Safety, Noise Concerns,” 23 October 2025, read 14 September 2026
- Source: Voice of OC, “The Show Goes On for South OC Cars and Coffee,” 23 January 2026, read 14 September 2026
- Source: DrivingLine, “Gone But Never Forgotten: Cars & Coffee Irvine,” 1 May 2017, read 14 September 2026
- Source: Patch, “Man Killed In Violent McLaren Crash ID’d As South OC Cars And Coffee Founder,” 14 September 2026, read 14 September 2026