Car meets make people do stupid things. Whether its doughnuts in a packed parking lot or burnouts for your adoring fans, people get a little wild at meets. Showcasing a cars power is both entertaining but also very dangerous. There are countless videos on YouTube of people crashing into crowds of people in their attempts to show case their driving prowess. Not only are the lives of spectators at risk but also the well-being of your car.




This leads me to one of the most cringe worthy moments I experienced at a car meet. I was at a local Cars and Coffee event in Bethlehem, PA, at the Steel Stacks, a heritage center built in the remains of Bethlehem Steel. The area was filled with hundreds of cars ranging from a Ferrari F430 Scuderia to stance Subarus. The shear diversity of cars is what makes this event truly special, but back to my story.


A group of friends arrived as the event was winding down, as our plan to wake up early after a night of binge drinking did not work out so flawlessly. We were in time to watch, cars perform burnouts and launch down one of the straightaways at the heart of the event.



A beautiful Silver E46 M3 rolled into the center of the street. Me being a huge BMW fan I immediately took notice this was no ordinary E46. My first clue was the enormous intercooler peaking through the lower bumper followed by the whoosh of a turbo.


Everyone around was chanting, “Burn out” like we were chanting chug just a few short hours ago at a party. The driver of this boosted M3 revved his engine and dumped the clutch.




Their was the sound of that glorious straight 6 and a plum of smoke but the back tires remained motionless. We immediately motioned to the driver to stop in an attempt to save the remaineder of his burning clutch. He promptly stopped; however, this driver was determined to put on a show. He went for a second attempt, which produced a similar result. The chanting was rapidly replaced by the sound of defeat and the unmistakable stench of a burnt clutch. Finally, the M3 limped down the road, defeated by its own ambition.

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve seen at a car meet?

