The annual SCOF Superformance Owners Association Convention was held Feb 9-14 near the Superformance headquarters in sunny Southern California. A total of 61 Superformance owners, friends and family members made it out to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of SCOF this year, and to celebrate all things Superformance. The unique thing about the convention is that it is about the people and not the cars for a change. 

While past events were generally held in Las Vegas, the group decided to try something special for their 10th anniversary. The convention attendees all had a great time, as did the Superformance and Hillbank staff who hosted them during much of the week. Owners came from twelve different states with some coming from as far away as Illinois, West Virginia and Florida.

While Southern California might have a reputation for pricey tourism, owners found it surprisingly affordable and the weather and scenery were incredible. Many have already said they'd come back to SoCal next year if they decide to hold it there again. 

Wednesday – Arrival and Welcome Reception The weeklong event started on Wednesday, February 9, when owners started arriving at the Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach, the official hotel of the convention. Even though this isn't a five star resort, everybody seemed to be impressed with the combination of accommodations, value and the outstanding view!

SCOF's Randall Thomas hosted the opening night reception in his room and out on his large deck on the beach. After enjoying some drinks and the great ocean view, the group headed next door to The Beach House for dinner. It was a wonderful dinner and as the group was leaving the restaurant at 11, another group was just arriving – and still wanting to go out for drinks! While a few did just that, most of the owners headed back to the hotel to get some rest for Thursday's trip to Catalina Island. 

Thursday – Catalina Catalina Island is a Southern California getaway destination, some 40 miles off the shore of Orange County. The group took the Catalina Express from Dana Point and just as they were leaving the harbor they spotted a whale. This is the season to see gray whales in California, but even the whale watching expeditions don't always get this lucky.

Catalina Island is largely owned by the Wrigley family (yes, that Wrigley family) and is pretty much off limits outside the boundaries of its principle city, Avalon. If you want to explore and see the island's famous wild buffalo, you need to take an organized tour. 

The group decided to pass on the tour and instead stayed in town. They rented golf carts to get the most out of their few hours in Avalon, and being a car group, it wasn't surprising that before long some of the drivers were hot rodding their golf carts up and down Avalon's hills. One owner - who shall remain nameless - claims to have hit 35 mph (!) but backed off as he was afraid the half shafts were going to fall off.

Everybody explored the shops, attractions and restaurants on their own before they returned on the ferry and dined together back in Dana Point. 

Friday – San Diego The highlight of the day was the group's visit to “Only Yesterday,” Chuck Spielman's classic car facility. The collection of classic cars is amazing and is helpfully arranged by years so you can see Cobras, Corvettes and Mustangs together in one section, and cars of the '30s in the new wing. The showpiece Bentley is a real draw.

After stopping at Only Yesterday, the group headed down to Old Town San Diego. Well, the plan was to go to Old Town, but half the group somehow took the wrong freeway and ended up on Coronado. Rather than taking this as a setback, the lost bunch... overindulged in adult refreshments instead before heading to their destination, Village Pizzeria. 

They waited for the rest of the group to show up on the trolley, not knowing that the rest of the gang was heading to ANOTHER Village Pizzeria on the other side of the bay! After not finding the lost bunch where they expected to, the lead group went to M&Js instead. To this day the lost group swears they were at the right place and the others were the ones who were lost.

The whole group met up later in Old Town where they ate hearty Mexican fare at Barra Barra Saloon. 

Saturday – Cars & Coffee, BBQ The group was up early on Saturday for Cars & Coffee, the local car gathering that features an eclectic mix of exotics, muscle cars, hot rods, classics and tuner cars. This morning it also featured over a dozen Superformance Cobras, Daytona Coupes and GT40s.

While none of the owners had brought their own cars to the convention, the group was amazed by the generosity of Lance Stander of Superformance, who basically opened the doors to his showroom and told everybody to grab a set of keys. The Superformance vehicles really made an impression on the crowd and the show certainly made an impression on the owners. 

After the show the group headed over to the Superformance/Hillbank facility for an old-fashioned Bar-B-Q of hot dogs and hamburgers cooked up by Lance's family. Having the 10th anniversary SCOF convention right at the Superformance HQ was a great treat and all of the owners seemed to like the facility – particularly the “Wall of Shame” featuring photos of owners past and present along with their rides.

Speakers lined up for the event included Curt Scott from Cobra Country who gave photo advice to the owners. Curt has written books on photography and manages photos for classified ads on the Cobra Country website. 

Scott Honey, a former Porsche test driver, talked about the types of modifications and concerns one might need when tracking their cars.

George, who runs Hastings Race Track where last year's Run and Gun event was held spoke of last year's and this year's events pointing out that SCOF bought two corners at track and paved the way for 20 or so others who bought ads during the event to bring in a lot of money for track. George promised that his infamous “Party Bus” would be ready to take donors on track tours, should they muster the courage. 

Randall Thomas presented certificates to SCOF members for different contributions, including one to Lance and Deborah Stander.

After the lunch event the group went back to the hotel to get some rest before dinner, but were stopped by a stunning view of dolphins in the ocean under a beautiful sunset sky. On the spur of the moment the majority of the group decided to stay at the hotel for some drinks and to enjoy the amazing view. 

Some of the folks decided to go on ahead to Mozambique, the restaurant that Shayna Stander had so tirelessly worked to book for the final dinner of the event. Others joined the group for coffee and dessert at Mozambique, while others still showed up later for drinks.

Sunday – Las Brisas While it was a full week of fun for everybody, many of the participants had to leave on Sunday, but not before a sumptuous brunch at Las Brisas overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach. Those who stayed after brunch were invited to celebrate Craig's birthday with another BBQ at the Stander residence. 

Before long it was time for everyone to head home. It was a fun week filled with great memories. The group picked a great location for their convention, a visit to Superformance HQ making this year's convention extra special. Many are already talking about how to top it next year.