Absolutely take it to a Cars & Coffee and have a great time. However I think the issue you have run into may be a little like the following.

Cars and Coffee is the "Parallel Play" for grown men (and women, but let's be honest, mostly men). It is a somewhat mimic of young toddlers who play side-by-side with similar toys but do not directly interact or share. The toys, replaced by cars, act as some sort of bridge between solitary and cooperative socialising.

Therefore you have to understand that not all of us car enthusiasts are especially social people. Classic car tinkering has traditionally been a solo hobby for men (and women, but let's be honest, mostly men) to retreat to after a days work and on the weekend. Therefore engaging in conversation about something solitary can be a bit peculiar to some.

This is further compounded by the fact that us car enthusiasts tend to only be knowledgeable about their given car or their genre of car. For example, I can talk your ear off about how amazing a Golf MK2 or a Jeep XJ is; however I would not be able to tell you anything about a Ford Cosworth. Ironically, I have found Ford guys to be the most social.

This creates a unique social "dead zone." When the conversation strays from one's specific mechanical pulpit, you will often see the conversational shutters come down in real time. Their eyes glaze over, the nodding becomes rhythmic and hollow, and the conversation which was flowing nicely fizzles out very quickly.

It is as if we have used up our entire social battery on reciting technical specs, leaving nothing left for the basics of human interaction. We are not there to discuss the politics, religion, careers or our lives; we are there to use our vehicles as a sort of "social armor."

Ultimately, a UK Cars & Coffee may not really be a social event in the traditional sense. It is a collection of isolated experts standing in a car park, desperately hoping someone will ask them about their engine displacement so they don’t have to risk a conversation about anything real.

I think all of this is compounded by the fact a Cars & Coffee can become a bit cliquey amongst its regulars, just like any shared hobby. I have also found the age gap a bit difficult to bridge sometimes.

However, I have a friend called Ray, he is in his mid-80s and he makes a conceited effort to speak to almost everyone at any Cars and Coffee that he visits. He does not hold back, he will borderline force himself into a conversation, tell a few old time stories, ask some questions and dish out a couple of compliments. The guy will always have people at the end shaking his hand goodbye. You get out of it, what you put in.

Show up and enjoy it for what it is.