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And the Irvine Company killed it. 
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Auto event hits bump in road
Irvine Co. says gathering held at Crystal Cove Promenade needs to move on.
By JEFF OVERLEY
The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH – Gentlemen, start your engines somewhere else.
That's the message being delivered to a popular weekly gathering of auto aficionados, who every Saturday morning for the past three years have filled the Crystal Cove Promenade shopping center with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and the like.
What began as a small sunrise powwow among friends has blossomed into a spectacle with 200 exotic cars and 600 spectators. The event now boasts a glossy newsletter, a Web site, even a small apparel line.
The get-together, officials say, may have become a victim of its own success.
The Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center, on Monday announced that after Oct. 14, it would no longer allow the event to be held on its property because of the size and noise complaints from adjacent neighborhoods.
"This started off as a small, loose-knit gathering," company spokesman Bill Rams said. "Over the last three years, it's evolved into this large-scale event."
Despite an order to decamp, organizers are vowing a fight.
"How are they going to stop their patrons from coming in?" asked Marc Greeley, co-founder of the event. "Am I going to drive in and they're going to say, 'No, you're a car guy, get out of here'?"
For some time, the Irvine Co. has blocked the center's entrance until 7 a.m. to keep things quiet during pre-dawn hours.
This year, police stepped up patrols and ticketed speeders leaving the two-hour gathering, resulting in a mellower event, said Bill Hartford, Police Department spokesman.
And Greeley says he's put the kibosh on efforts by local car dealers to use the Saturday event as a virtual showroom.
Some nearby residents say they enjoy and even attend the gathering. "I don't have any problem with it at all; I think it's great," said Josh Sitea.
But homeowner Raul Varela was among those who described a Saturday morning din of revving engines. "It's a complete deterioration of the peace and quiet that the coast is supposed to be about," Varela said.
The search is on for a new venue, but supporters expect an uphill drive.
"It's tough to find. You've got to find a place you can put 200 cars and 600 people and it doesn't bother anybody," said Newport Beach Councilman Ed Selich, who occasionally brings his black 1949 MG sports car to the event and appreciates the prime Crystal Cove views.
"And that was a great location. How do you find another location that even compares?"
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Auto event hits bump in road
Irvine Co. says gathering held at Crystal Cove Promenade needs to move on.
By JEFF OVERLEY
The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH – Gentlemen, start your engines somewhere else.
That's the message being delivered to a popular weekly gathering of auto aficionados, who every Saturday morning for the past three years have filled the Crystal Cove Promenade shopping center with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and the like.
What began as a small sunrise powwow among friends has blossomed into a spectacle with 200 exotic cars and 600 spectators. The event now boasts a glossy newsletter, a Web site, even a small apparel line.
The get-together, officials say, may have become a victim of its own success.
The Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center, on Monday announced that after Oct. 14, it would no longer allow the event to be held on its property because of the size and noise complaints from adjacent neighborhoods.
"This started off as a small, loose-knit gathering," company spokesman Bill Rams said. "Over the last three years, it's evolved into this large-scale event."
Despite an order to decamp, organizers are vowing a fight.
"How are they going to stop their patrons from coming in?" asked Marc Greeley, co-founder of the event. "Am I going to drive in and they're going to say, 'No, you're a car guy, get out of here'?"
For some time, the Irvine Co. has blocked the center's entrance until 7 a.m. to keep things quiet during pre-dawn hours.
This year, police stepped up patrols and ticketed speeders leaving the two-hour gathering, resulting in a mellower event, said Bill Hartford, Police Department spokesman.
And Greeley says he's put the kibosh on efforts by local car dealers to use the Saturday event as a virtual showroom.
Some nearby residents say they enjoy and even attend the gathering. "I don't have any problem with it at all; I think it's great," said Josh Sitea.
But homeowner Raul Varela was among those who described a Saturday morning din of revving engines. "It's a complete deterioration of the peace and quiet that the coast is supposed to be about," Varela said.
The search is on for a new venue, but supporters expect an uphill drive.
"It's tough to find. You've got to find a place you can put 200 cars and 600 people and it doesn't bother anybody," said Newport Beach Councilman Ed Selich, who occasionally brings his black 1949 MG sports car to the event and appreciates the prime Crystal Cove views.
"And that was a great location. How do you find another location that even compares?"
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