Dick Lovett Cylinder Club 2023 - Cars and Coffee par excellence

Cars and Coffee is a concept that has worked its way across the Atlantic ocean from the ‘States in recent years, with places such as Caffeine and Machine, The Motorist and more riding the wave of caffeine-fuelled hype with great success, but what happens when these otherwise open-armed events take on an altogether more exclusive feel?

Enter the Dick Lovett group, renowned dealership group in the South of England specialising in everything from BMW and MINI to Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari. Taking the ‘cars and coffee’ concept and turning it up to eleven, Cylinder Club brings together the best elements of these informal gatherings - great coffee, fantastic venues and likeminded people - and adds a sense of exclusivity, with Cylinder Club being an invite-only event.

Being able to hand-pick the cars and people allows the Dick Lovett group to curate their events, ensuring only the highest standards of cars are on display, and also limiting numbers to ensure no overcrowding, which can ruin an otherwise-excellent coffee morning at smaller venues. Speaking of venues, DL also have this side of the equation well-and-truly sorted, rotating between hosting at their Swindon Ferrari/Porsche site (as seen below) and a whole host of locations across the UK, with the likes of Morgan Motors and Bremont Watches playing host in recent years.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, DL also throw open the doors to their workshops during Cylinder Club events, allowing guests to see areas that are otherwise off-limits during normal business hours, which also provides us with some excellent photo opportunities!

With a plethora of jaw-dropping machinery on display (275 GTB, F40, Enzo, Porsche 911 Dakar, GT3, the new Aston Martin DB12…) and a great atmosphere despite the all-too-regular British summer showers making an appearance, the July 2023 Cylinder Club event was nothing short of fantastic, and it was a pleasure to be a part of it.

When the first car that greets you through the doors of the showroom is this stunning 275 GTB/4, you know you’re in for a good day…

…and it only gets better from there. The F40, the absolute ‘holy grail’ car to us here at SHIFT, and one that will always take our attention away from anything else in the room!

And if the presence of the F40 and 275 GTB/4 wasn’t enough, there was also an Enzo on display in the main showroom, still looking every inch the consummate poster car of its era.

Of course, the modern era of Ferrari was also well-represented, with two F12 TDFs on display, along with a 488 Challenge car.

As we’ve mentioned, Ferrari opens the doors to its workshops during Cylinder Club events, allowing us mere mortals a peek behind the curtain of this fascinating business. It also makes for a great photo opportunity, especially when some of Lovett’s own classics are brought out to display, including a number of Fraser Nash models.

The F355 is ageing like a fine wine in our view, and we’d snap one up immediately if the chance ever came our way. What a fantastic looking thing!

Outside, Aston Martin had the all-new DB12 on display. Whilst it may not look drastically different externally, the interior has come on leaps-and-bounds, putting Aston firmly back in the standings for the best all-round GT car on the market today.

Moving over to Porsche, this was the first time we’d seen an all-new 911 Dakar in the metal. With its lift, chunky off-road arches and tyres and a host of other model-specific tweaks and changes, we’re all for it here at SHIFT, and it certainly attracted plenty of attention, taking pride-of-place outside Porsche Swindon’s showroom entrance.

Green-over-tan GT3 Touring. Nothing else to add, your honour.

One of the strengths of Cylinder Club is its diversity, shown expertly within this one shot, featuring a Senna, 911 GT3, Bentley Drophead, Range Rover, Morgan, McLaren 720S, 2x Taycans and more!

Two-wheeled entrants are also welcomed at Cylinder Club, and this Ducati 888 caught our eye, looking fantastic against the muted backdrop of the Ferrari Swindon building.

There were plenty of fantastic Porsche spec’s on display, but this GT3 took the prize in our view. Wonderfully classy and unique without being too in-your-face or wildly different for the sake of uniqueness. Bravo!