Selfvation Private Group

Public·89 members

Saturday Morning: Cars & Coffee of the Upstate

September 26, 2026

There's a specific kind of morning that car people live for. Golden light coming in low across the lot. Dew still on the grass. The sound of hoods popping open like church doors.

This morning was one of those mornings.

Twenty photos. That's what I walked away with from Cars & Coffee of the Upstate, and honestly, I could've taken two hundred. The lot was packed, the builds were serious, and the whole scene reminded me why this is my favorite way to spend a Saturday.

THE LEGENDS SHOWED UP

Let's start with the one that stopped me mid-step: a black Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34). Not a replica, not a GTS — the real deal. If you know, you know. Every angle on this car is a poster.

[photo-01: Black Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) — the car that stopped me mid-step.]

Right behind it in spirit, a black Mazda RX-7 FD with an aggressive aftermarket front bumper, pop-up headlights, and a "COLLECTIVE" sticker on the glass. And it wasn't alone — I spotted a silver FD a few rows over too. Rotary guys were out in force this morning.

[photo-02: Black RX-7 FD — pop-ups up, COLLECTIVE sticker on the glass.]

[photo-10: A silver FD a few rows over — the rotary guys showed out.]

Then there was the deep red Nissan 300ZX (Z32) with its hood open showing off the twin turbos. This is the generation that doesn't get enough respect — 90s twin-turbo Japanese engineering that'll still embarrass plenty of modern metal.

[photo-19: Deep red 300ZX (Z32) — twin turbos on display.]

THE SHOWSTOPPERS

A BMW M4 in an iridescent purple-to-blue chameleon wrap sitting on white BBS-style wheels. This thing shifted colors every time you walked around it. Photos genuinely don't do it justice, but I tried anyway.

[photo-08: Chameleon-wrapped M4 — it shifted colors as you walked around it.]

Not far off, a mid-engine Corvette C8 in a dark candy red with scissor doors and a full custom engine bay. Love it or hate it, the mid-engine layout belongs on this car — and those doors absolutely belong on the internet.

[photo-07: Mid-engine C8 in dark candy red — yes, the scissor doors are real.]

And a white Toyota GR Supra (A90) with vertical lambo-style doors, a black carbon hood, a big rear wing, and a SELFVATION windshield banner. (You know I had to get a shot of that one. 😏)

[photo-03: White GR Supra repping a SELFVATION windshield banner — you know I had to get this one.]

Oh, and a Ford Mustang (S650) in chameleon teal-green-to-gold with the hood up. That color in the morning sun was absolutely wild — gold at one angle, teal at the next.

[photo-20: Chameleon S650 Mustang — gold at one angle, teal at the next.]

THE DETAILS ARE THE WHOLE POINT

Cars and coffee isn't about the most expensive car in the lot. It's about the little choices people make. This morning was full of them:

- A red Audi S5 with a full Deadpool theme — hood open, Deadpool figure posed in the engine bay like he owns the place. This is what car culture is supposed to be: fun, loud, and a little unhinged. Maximum effort indeed. [photo-04: Deadpool-themed RS5 — maximum effort.]

- A white Camaro SS with its hood open showing off a Holley intake manifold and MSD ignition coils — and an oil filler cap flipping the bird. I respect the commitment to the bit. [photo-12: White Camaro SS — Holley intake, MSD coils, and an oil cap flipping the bird.] [photo-13: Up close in the Camaro's bay.]

- A black Nissan 370Z with glowing red halo headlights and custom wheels. The red-on-black look is doing all the work here. [photo-15: Black 370Z — glowing red halos doing all the work.] [photo-17: Same 370Z from the side.]

- A white Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS. The swan-neck wing on this thing is a work of art. Probably the best-sounding car in the lot. [photo-11: 718 Cayman GT4 RS — probably the best-sounding car in the lot.]

- A red Ferrari 296 GTB with a red-stitched black leather interior. Hybrid V6, 819 horsepower, still pulls a crowd in a parking lot full of everything. [photo-14: Ferrari 296 GTB — 819 hp and still pulling a crowd.]

- Gray and gold Nissan GT-Rs (R35) with hoods up, lined up like they were posing for a calendar. [photo-09: R35 GT-Rs lined up like a calendar shoot.]

- A Honda CR-X on red deep-dish SSRs — peak 90s Honda energy. [photo-16: CR-X on red deep-dish SSRs — peak 90s Honda.]

- Three generations of Civic Type R scattered through the rows — a black FK8, a blue FL5, and another FK8. The Type R community always represents. [photo-05: Black FK8 Type R.] [photo-06: Blue FL5 Type R.]

- A white BMW M5 on Rotiform-style wheels with its hood up

THE CULTURE

What I keep coming back to at these meets isn't really any single car. It's the range. You've got a genuine R34 parked two rows away from a Deadpool-themed Audi, and nobody thinks that's weird. You've got exotics next to 90s Hondas, a kid's first project next to somebody's six-figure garage queen, and everyone just talks cars.

That's what this community is about — and it's exactly why we're building Selfvation. A place where the guy with the CR-X and the guy with the Ferrari both feel at home. Same energy, different budgets.

If you were there this morning, drop your favorite car in the comments. If you weren't — see you next time. 🚗💨

Cars & Coffee of the Upstate — Septe