California may be the spiritual home of the car culture, but there has been a nomadic move away from the golden state to Arizona, which is now seeing a burgeoning population. It too has brought its culture — and fantastic cars. Highline Auto’s has capitalized on the movement with their monthly cars and coffee each first Saturday of the month.

Highline Auto’s Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a monthly feast for the car enthusiast eyes. It has become a staple of the growing car culture in the Southwest. We pick our favorite Fords from the 200-plus amazing vehicles in attendance. Beyond the foreign exotics, the show has a number of special interest cars that transcend time and the diversity of car culture. Here’s what we found. 

Blue Oval Brigade

Being in the heart of warm weather car culture, undoubtedly you will find Ford GTs. There were a few. The first we spotted was this second-generation 2018 ’67 Heritage edition that celebrates the LeMans win of the GT40 Mk.II with drivers A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney. But one wasn’t quite enough. Two others flanked the open space near the sponsor tents. One with a special license plate to honor the Blue Oval’s triumphant return to LeMans.

Scottsdale, Arizona, is best known to the automobile faithful for the famed Arizona Car Week. Notable auction houses like Gooding, Barrett-Jackson and RM-Sotheby’s pitch their tents in the desert to incredible fanfare. Numerous other gatherings have joined the fray with the resurrected Arizona Concours and other assorted events. Enthusiasts from all over the world converge on Scottsdale to escape the cold to seek their passion.

Of the classics that caught our attention on the filled two-city block street, was this circa-1950 Ford Custom. This lovely sedan featured the “new styling” of post-war America. We were intrigued and our minds raced back to a simpler, yet very prosperous time in America, as it built manufacturing momentum from World War II.

Another unique specimen was this track weapon Fastback GT350. The K-bodied beauty was clearly a passion project for the owner — or previous owner — chock full of modern components, including aluminum heads and Holley fuel injection, under the hood. The knock-offs were a nice touch.

Then there was this 1972 Mustang convertible. Previous to the ill-fated Mustang II the bridge edition of the pony car saw the Blue Oval reimagining it in a longer, wider, and unfortunately heavier platform.  While a tinge of luxury was added to the equation, these were not nearly as sought after as the original Mustangs. The owner of this one though, made sure it was as clean as when it rolled off the lot. 

Summer Time Heat

While the summer months can be daunting in the desert, the faithful still venture out. The best part is many of the best shows all seem to have  an unacknowledged cooperation with one another, scheduling different Saturdays on single weekends to fulfill fans and car owners alike.