Even Cars and Coffee is going virtual thanks to COVID-19

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  As I'm based in DC, I tend to go to the cars and coffee events at Katie's Coffee House in Great Falls, Virginia. In 2015, I got to take this Audi R8 V10+ along-you can check out the review here. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

The Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, like many museums these days, has shut its physical doors and moved online to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. For the past eight years, the museum has also been the host of a weekly "Cars and Coffee" meetup on Saturday mornings, and it's not about to let a bit of social distancing get in the way of that community-building. So it's moving cars and coffee online, too, opening up the event beyond the normal catchment area of people who can drive to Wilshire Boulevard early on a weekend morning. All you need is your car and a phone that can record video.

"Our Breakfast Club Cruise-Ins have become an integral part of the Los Angeles car community over the past eight years. We didn't want to stop the tradition this month because of the pandemic, so we had to get creative to keep it going and also make it more inclusive than ever before. We look forward to seeing the stories from enthusiasts all over the globe and sharing their passion in a way that unites us all in spirit even while we are standing apart," said Petersen Executive Director Terry Karges.

Bring your own coffee

The idea is pretty simple. You need to record a 20-30 second video of your car; the inside, the outside, the engine, then start it up-the usual stuff you see at Cars and Coffee. Here's an important bit: the videos have to be in landscape orientation. Then host the video (on Dropbox, Googledrive, or YouTube) and submit that link to the Petersen Museum via its website. They'll do the hard work of editing everyone's submissions together, and the first 90-minute compilation will be published on the museum's YouTube channel on April 26 (so submit yours by 10am PST on April 24 if you want to take part in the premiere). The Petersen will also hand out awards, including a people's choice award that you can vote for once the video goes live. Everyone is responsible for getting their own coffee, however.

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