Westchester Cars & Coffee in Peekskill. A Brunch of Cars on Ludlow Street. Twelve things we’d go back for a second look at.
The Peekskill lineup at Westchester Cars & Coffee. Photo by R.J. F.
At Westchester Cars & Coffee, the clouds hung low over the lot at 7 John Walsh Boulevard. Cars sat in rows and the gaps between them turned into walking lanes. You could catch the blue coupe’s rear wing from halfway across the lot. You had to get close to see the worn edge of the Travelall’s paint. Both were worth the walk.
A Brunch of Cars took over our camera roll later on Ludlow Street. The meet was based at 127 Ludlow on the Lower East Side, where the parked cars had to share the frame with crosswalks, storefronts and people going about their Sunday. A gold Chevrolet needed almost the whole width of the shot. A little red fire truck had more gear packed into its back than its size suggested.
The light made the two stops feel different. In Peekskill the clouds were one big gray surface, so a patch of yellow paint or a brake caliper could pull your eye from across the lot. On Ludlow the street kept interrupting the pictures in a good way. A storefront would turn up in the hood, or the white stripes of a crosswalk would give a little truck an entire stage.
Here are six from each stop, in the order we’d lay out the photos.
Westchester Cars & Coffee · Peekskill
The blue coupe and its rear wing made a clean silhouette against the gray sky. Photo by R.J. F.
1) Blue winged coupe. Start at the back. The wing almost draws a line across the clouds, and the blue is loud enough to hold the whole shot by itself.
The stripe draws the eye in, then the open engine bay takes over. Photo by R.J. F.
2) Striped Ferrari. The white stripe gives you a straight line to follow. Lift your eye a few inches and there’s the open engine bay. The wide rear angle gives you the shape. The tight frame shows what is packed under the cover.
An orange rear end, center exhaust and a big white number 2 in the side glass. Photo by R.J. F.
3) Orange number 2. The number in the side glass is the giveaway when you come back to it in the photos. The rear view is all wing, orange bodywork and a pair of exhaust outlets crowded into the center.
The Travelall had a roof rack, worn paint and about as much presence as anything in the lot. Photo by R.J. F.
4) White International Travelall. The roof rack, rubbed paint and long slab of white bodywork do plenty on their own. The side profile belongs next to a close look at the badge.
The BMW’s narrow kidneys and round lamps still hold up at nose level. Photo by R.J. F.
5) Burgundy BMW. Those narrow kidneys and round lamps make a strong front-on frame. Get closer and there’s a nice little fight between burgundy paint, black grille and chrome.
A yellow nose and a dark sky. The rest of the frame can stay quiet. Photo by R.J. F.
6) Yellow coupe. A head-on shot under a break in the cloud. The yellow is doing most of the work. The dark pavement and sky give it room.
A Brunch of Cars · Ludlow Street, Lower East Side
Gold paint, red roof and a long side profile that needs the whole frame. Photo by Michael S.
1) Gold Chevrolet hardtop. Gold sides, a red roof and enough chrome to throw the whole block back at you. Start broadside, then look at the rear quarter and the steering wheel.
The front wears its age well. Photo by Michael S.
Wood planks in the bed of the dark pickup, viewed from the tailgate. Photo by Michael S.
2) Dark vintage pickup. The chrome front bumper makes the first impression. Walk around to the back and the finished wood bed is the shot you want to keep.
The red mini truck carried its equipment right out in the open. Photo by Michael S.
3) Red mini fire truck. The cab and equipment make a great profile across the crosswalk. The rear is where the size of the truck starts to look like a very deliberate packaging decision.
The green-lined bed and stickered rear glass tell you more than a clean front shot could. Photo by Michael S.
4) White compact pickup. Green lining in the bed, stickers across the back glass and a simple cabin. The truck rewards a slow look from the rear forward.
The Cayman’s red paint catches the light coming down the block. Photo by Michael S.
5) Red Porsche Cayman. Red paint, a low nose and city light running across the hood. Walk around to the back for the script under the Porsche badge.
Closed pop-ups, a low nose and a quarter window full of stickers. Photo by Michael S.
Stickers in the cream coupe’s rear quarter window. Photo by Michael S.
6) Cream wedge-shaped coupe. The closed pop-ups give the nose a clean line. The stickered quarter window gives you a good reason to come back around the side.
If you flip between the two sets, the pickup beds make a good comparison. The dark one shows finished wood from the tailgate forward. The white one has green lining and a spare inside. They are different answers to what to do with the same piece of the truck, and both are more interesting from behind than a front three-quarter photo would let on.
The photos that stayed with us were the ones that asked for another lap. The Ferrari engine bay. The wood in the pickup bed. The old paint on the Travelall. There’s always something you miss the first time around.
Event links
Westchester Cars & Coffee organizer · https://westchestercarsandcoffee.com/
Peekskill venue · https://hqautovault.com/pages/about
A Brunch of Cars event listing · https://jpstylejournal.com/events