Weekly informal car meet in Huntington Beach, California
Donut Derelicts
Status
Active
Genre
Car meet (cruise-in)
Frequency
Weekly (Saturday mornings)
Venue
Adams Avenue Donuts parking lot
Locations
Huntington Beach, California, United States
Years active
1985–present
Founders
Rick Finn, Jim McCaine, and others
Donut Derelicts is an informal weekly car meet held on Saturday mornings in Huntington Beach, California. The gathering takes place in the parking lot of Adams Avenue Donuts near the intersection of Adams Avenue and Magnolia Street and is free to attend, with no registration, judging, entry fees, or formal organization.[1]
The meet originated in the mid-1980s and has continued on a weekly basis for decades, making it one of the oldest continuously operating informal car gatherings in the United States.[2] Automotive publications have identified Donut Derelicts as an early example of the informal, early-morning “cars and coffee” style of gathering.[3]
History
Accounts of the origins of Donut Derelicts vary slightly, but participants generally trace the gathering to around 1984–1985. According to Hot Rod, the meet began when a small group of car enthusiasts gathered early on Saturday mornings at a Huntington Beach donut shop to drink coffee and socialize before weekend activities, later arriving with their cars.[1]
A 2001 Los Angeles Times feature reported that the gathering began in the mid-1980s as a handful of motorcycle riders meeting for coffee and donuts before rides, later evolving into a larger car-focused event.[4] By the late 1980s, growing attendance led regulars Rick Finn and Jim McCaine to informally adopt the name “Donut Derelicts.”[1]
Finn, an automotive artist and graphic designer, created the Donut Derelicts logo and produced decals and apparel that helped popularize the name. He remained closely associated with the gathering until his death in 2006, after which Donut Derelicts merchandise continued to be sold through the donut shop connected with the meet.[3]
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the meet expanded steadily through word of mouth. The Los Angeles Times noted that by 2001, as many as 150–200 vehicles could appear on a given Saturday morning, drawing participants from across Southern California and attracting attention from automotive designers and manufacturers observing enthusiast trends.[4]
Format and location
Donut Derelicts takes place early Saturday mornings in the parking lot of a shopping center near Adams Avenue and Magnolia Street in Huntington Beach.[1] Vehicles typically begin arriving before dawn, and participants disperse by mid-morning, vacating the lot before nearby businesses open for the day.[5]
Vehicles commonly seen at the meet include hot rods, customs, classic cars, muscle cars, and a wide range of enthusiast vehicles. Coverage of the event emphasizes its inclusive, non-competitive nature and the absence of formal rules beyond informal expectations of courtesy and respect for surrounding businesses.[3]
Reception and influence
Automotive media have frequently cited Donut Derelicts as a prominent example of Southern California car culture and as an early predecessor to the modern “cars and coffee” format.[1][2] An OC Weekly retrospective described the gathering as one of the oldest active weekly car meets in the United States and identified it as the origin point for later spin-off events, including Cars & Coffee Irvine, which began in the early 2000s.[2]
Hemmings Motor News has characterized Donut Derelicts as one of the longest-running informal car gatherings of its kind, noting that its lack of formal organization has contributed to its longevity.[3] While some promotional materials describe the meet as the longest-running weekly car meet in the country, such descriptions are generally attributed rather than stated as established fact in independent reporting.[3]
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