While lucky Brits are already capable of walking into a Lotus dealership and driving off with a new midsize Evora of their very own, Americans still have to wait a bit longer. We've already shown you the 2010 Lotus Evora that was at the L.A. Auto Show, and we've given you info on the specs and options. We've even confirmed U.S. details for the most important numbers.

Although an official release date hasn't been confirmed yet, we have heard that the magic moment will arrive early next year. Whether the Evora gets labeled as a 2010 or 2011 model remains up in the air, but we do know a lot of other info about this all-new model crafted by the magicians in Hethel. What we haven't had until now are some real-world photos. That all changed over the weekend when a couple of test engineers stopped by for a spell at our favorite weekly Southern California car meet, Cars and Coffee. Read the rest of our first impression after the jump, and don't forget to check out the gallery as well.



Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for gallery of pics of the Ford Fiesta and Ford Ka

While visiting our favorite weekly car gathering in SoCal today, we were stopped in our tracks when we spotted "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Ray Romano, happily answering questions about the shiny new Ford Fiesta parked beside him. We thought it odd for Ford to enlist such a well-known stand-up comic to pitch the product at such a meager gathering, but figured even A-list talent might be hurting for a little extra scratch in this economic climate. We approached to get a better look and realized it was actually Fiesta Brand Manager Sam De La Garza a dead ringer for the actor who portrayed everybody's favorite Italian-American non-mobster on television.

Sam brought the Fiesta to Cars & Coffee to show it off and elicit some reactions. He also wanted to remind folks that the Fiesta Movement is still underway, although he declined comment on sister site AB Green's entry. Without giving too much away, he did mention that the response to the contest has been overwhelming. He told us that the entries have been beyond imagination, mentioning, for example, that Juston Laipply, creator of the über-viral "Evolution of Dance", was among the entrants. While the Fiesta's success in America seems to be a foregone conclusion in some camps, Sam also brought along a Ford Ka to see whether the Fiesta might have big enough coattails to carry its kid brother as well. We can hardly wait to get our hands on one. Check out the gallery below.


Live photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Cars-n-Coffee is a weekly gathering of automobilia in Irvine, California at Ford's former Premier Auto Group parking lot. Every Saturday morning from 6AM, Ferraris, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Porsches, '50s hot rods, Mercedes, Camaros, you name it, rumble their way into the lot. On one recent overcast morning, Autoblog headed down to the dawn soiree, having been offered a drive in the Hurst HEMI Challenger. Although 6AM is closer to our bedtime than it is to reveille, we stayed up and paid a visit to the Challenger, hoping to find out if it had any hope of being a champion. Follow the jump for the story.


Photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

We've told you about the weekly Cars and Coffee car meet in Irvine, California before. Heck, we're regular attendees whenever we are in town. Well, the Irvine C&C meet isn't the only caffeine and horsepower combo in the country. Similar gatherings have been taking place all over this great nation, some of them even adopting the C&C moniker. The latest to join the list is a new event starting in Las Vegas on June 14. What makes this one special besides the location is that somewhere along the way, someone trademarked the Cars and Coffee name. This Las Vegas event is only the second official Cars and Coffee show in existence. Just like many of the others, it will be free to entrants as well as the public. Expect a similar eclectic mix of exotics, hot rods, muscle cars, classics and sports cars to the original Irvine event. It will run from 7AM until about 10AM at the Sansone Park Place shopping center at 9500 S Eastern Ave (215 and Eastern). Go to the official Cars and Coffee Las Vegas website for more info and directions to the show. And check out a gallery from a previous show that played host to the Ford GT National Rally II.


[Source: Cars and Coffee Forum]