FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (October 17, 2023) – You could say Americans have a passion for hot wheels.
Generating $14 billion dollars of revenue in 2020, the classic car market is booming as collectors snap up sweet rides and lovingly restore old favorites. But they’re not alone. From Harleys to crotch rockets, the motorcycle industry generated a respectable $6.24 billion of revenue in 2022.
And while these vehicles are used for work and play, proud owners need a place to show them off too.
Let’s Collab
Forging a partnership between classic car guy Bill Heffern, owner of Heffern Productions, and motorcycle enthusiast Rekka, the duo created a monthly event that has a everybody talking. Bringing together the best of both worlds, they hosted their first collaborative meetup in August 2023, and ‘2s & 4s’ as the event is known, is quickly becoming the ‘go to’ spot on the second Saturday in Flagler County.
Staging in the parking lot of Woody’s in Palm Coast on State Road 100, it’s hot rides and cool beats as cars and bikes line up to share a peek under the hood or rev up the crowds.
“I came up with the idea and contacted him,” said Rekka. “I started a bike night right here over two years ago. Tuesday nights at Woody’s, everybody knows Palm Coast Bike Night is the place to be. If you have a bike, you pull up. At one point we used to have hundreds of bikes here in this parking lot.”
“So, I came up with the idea, why not just bring the cars and bikes together. We talked about it before, but it’s always been one of the hardest things to do. It’s just two different cultures.
Taking a chance, they pulled the first event together in just five days and it was a huge success.
“The parking lot was packed. People loved it,” said Rekka.
Next Gen – Oil & Water
Heffern, operator of several car shows in the area including ‘Octane & Coffee’ and ‘Wings & Wheels’ sees an opportunity to bridge the generation gap with the hybrid event.
“Besides just bringing the cars and bikes together, we try to bring out the younger community,” he said.
As a dad with an American muscle car and three sons with European cars, Heffern sees the firsthand how the two generations can learn from each other.
“The older generation drives a lot more American classic hotrods. The younger generation are into a lot of European cars, BMW, Acura, Honda, so we’re trying to incorporate everybody,” said Heffern.
The same holds true for motorcycles.
“Pretty much. Harleys, cruisers, and sport bikes, we’ve got them meshed together as well,” said Rekka. “We’re literally mixing oil and water. It’s the one place, once a month, everyone can come together, have fun together, and there’s so much knowledge they can share amongst each other.”
As a father, Rekka acknowledges the responsibility the older generations have to share their experiences.
“The one thing I would say, and I see it in a lot of the younger ones, my son’s 22 now, they all say the same thing, ‘we have somebody to look up to’, ‘now we know what we’re supposed to be doing’, it’s the responsibility. They can’t go out in the streets and act stupid because there’s eyeballs everywhere now. A lot of stuff tamed down that used to be like the wild, wild west. Now it’s the responsibility for themselves behind the wheel,” he said.
It’s Saturday Night at the Plaza
Rekka says everyone has been super supportive and the event gives people something to look forward to on a regular basis.
“It’s the one event, from last week, everyone’s already hitting me up, ‘I’m excited to come out next week, I can’t wait to come out next week’, all day today, ‘I’m washing my car’, it’s so much fun,” he said.
Motorcycle enthusiast Lee Davis agreed, bringing his family out to show off his motorcycle and catch up with friends.
“This is just something to come out and see a lot of pretty things, meet some friends, and have a good time,” said Davis.
“I’m looking forward to seeing some old cars and some old bikes from like the 90s and 80s,” added son, Mason Davis.
Elan T. was up from Hollywood, Florida with his 2001 Corvette, visiting friends Jerry Thompson from DeLand and Tom Foster from Port Orange. The trio headed out to the car show to catch the vibe and weren’t disappointed.
“You see the young generation coming around. The old retiree goes out and the young generation coming in. It makes it more fun,” said Elan.
Standing with his 2014 Corvette, Thompson chatted with visitors walking through.
“I heard this show is pretty nice because it’s a mix of people. This is what it’s all about. Visiting people and young people, and everybody’s having fun. It’s a great show,” he said.
Visiting his fourth car show of the day, the upbeat atmosphere was a win for Foster.
“I like it. The music is good. The thing I dislike about a lot of car shows around here is people are playing old stuff from the 50s and 60s. None of us are that old. I like this.”
What’s Next?
Rekka and Heffern hope to see the ‘2s & 4’s’ show continue to grow with more families involved.
“We’d like to see more families coming out and enjoying it, just having a night out,” said Heffern, who hopes to add kid-friendly vendors in addition to the raffles and giveaways from local businesses.
Open to every type of vehicle, there is no registration required to show your car or admission fee to enjoy the evening.
“It’s a free show, so come on out,” said Rekka.
