CARS, COFFEE AND A REASON TO GET OUT OF BED.(Revs)

Byline: MAC MORRISON

Any car geek who lives in Detroit or has visited the area knows all about the Motor City's automotive staples: The Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village; the Meadow Brook Concours; Ford Rouge Factory tours and the monstrous annual free-for-all known as the Woodward Dream Cruise. But while those activities either cost a fee or take place just once a year, Detroit's best-kept car-guy secret takes place every Saturday morning for free in the suburb of Birmingham.

Auto Zone, an enthusiast shop six miles north of Detroit's city limit, began hosting Caffeine, Cars and Croissants two years ago as an alternative to over-hyped, over-pretentious events. The store's clientele includes some of the area's automotive heavy hitters and rabid enthusiasts, so why not give them a place to gather each week to inspect one another's sheetmetal, slam down coffee and doughnuts, and generally shoot the shizzle?

Chances are you will find at least one interesting car to ogle and person to mingle with. We ran into several automotive designers and executives on a recent visit ...