Caffeine & Machine - A Pit Stop at The Hill
Last weekend brought me to Caffeine & Machine – The Hill, for the first time and I have to say… I kind of forgot just how nice it is to have no plan other than showing up, grabbing a coffee, and seeing what kind of metal rolls through the gate.
It was an ‘80s-themed weekend, so the vibes were already strong before we even pulled in. Think boxy silhouettes, pop-up headlights, period-correct wheels, and enough brown interiors to trigger childhood flashbacks(Not my childhood but the childhood of somebody who is now fairly old). But as always with C&M, the theme is just the surface—what actually turns up is half the fun.
Within the first hour, I’d already spotted a plethora of clean Lotis Elises, a couple of air-cooled 911s, and a Frog-Eyed Sprite that looked like it had just driven straight out of a toy box. Proper sunshine spec, top down, gleaming paint. One of those cars you don’t expect to see, but when it shows up, it just works.
There was also a good mix of newer stuff floating around—Porsche 718s, the usual run of modified German stuff, and a few bikes thrown into the mix. It’s the kind of spot where a ratty E30 can park beside a brand new 911 GT3RS and nobody bats an eye. That’s what I like most about the place. No judgement. Just petrolheads being petrolheads.
We grabbed breakfast and a couple coffees, which—as usual—hit the spot. I don’t know what it is, but food just tastes better when you're surrounded by cool cars and the hum of engine chat in the background. Sat next to a pile of motoring magazines and a Cosworth V8 certainly made the hash browns just that bit nicer! A little later we chilled out in the courtyard with a few soft drinks, took in the sun (yes, sun in the UK, I know), and just let the whole afternoon roll by.
We must’ve stayed for a solid five hours, which flew. There’s something about the pace of the place that makes you slow down a bit. Like, nobody’s rushing to leave. Everyone’s wandering around, camera in hand, bumping into people they’ve only ever seen online or chatted to in a parts thread somewhere.
Eventually we hit the road again and made our way over to Silverstone to continue the trip—but if I’m honest, I probably could’ve stayed at The Hill all day. There's just an energy to the place. Like a reset button for your brain.
Good coffee, good cars, and good conversation. What more do you need on a Saturday?
