Sydney's Best Car Meet

Since opening in the late 1930s, Harry's Cafe de Wheels has offered Sydney-siders a selection of classic late night foods well into the early hours. More than 70 years on the tradition has continued, with seven different locations serving the public and even a couple of celebrities along the way.

As an enthusiast though, this isn't what makes Harry's so attractive and out of those seven locations, there is one main point of interest.

If one were to make the trip to Liverpool Megacenta on the last Saturday of any given month, they would instantly see why. It has been a time honored tradition for enthusiasts of all flavours to park their vehicle of choice, grab a pie and chat with like-minded individuals well into Sunday.

It is in this car park that you will see what Sydney's modified car community truly has to offer, with a run to Harry's a pilgrimage that all must undertake.

As Performance Garage's resident muscle car fanatic and editor of The Aussie Muscle Enthusiast magazine, Matt Ludgate has been to more Harry's meets than just about anyone else we know.

If you're out there for a meet, chances are you will see Matt cruising through the car park, on the lookout for a cool car to feature or just kicking back in his natural habitat. With that in mind, we couldn't think of anyone better to talk to about this iconic venue and how it came to be Sydney's best car meet.

Performance Garage: How did this now famous meeting come to be and why was it centred around a pie shop of all places?

Matt: Harry’s Café De Wheels has always been synonymous as a car hangout and when Harry’s opened in the grounds of the old Liverpool Megacentre there was plenty of places to park your pride and joy without fear of damage or theft.

PG: On the last Saturday of every month, you can expect to see hundreds of tough street cars flock to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Liverpool. Attendance always seems to be solid, why do you think that is?

M: It originally started out with a few car clubs holding their monthly runs there, namely the American Muscle Car Club, The GT Club inc and the NSW Muscle Car Club. It wasn’t long before more clubs starting turning up and eventually it just became second nature to any car enthusiast that Harrys was the place to be on the last Saturday of the month.

In saying that, it is not uncommon to see an impressive roll up of cars on any given Saturday night.

PG: What makes a Saturday night at Harry’s different to a regular car show?

M: At a car show you are generally stuck there for the whole day where as at Harry’s, you can come and go as you please. Unlike a car show there are no trophies, it’s just a gathering of true car enthusiasts.

PG: Harry’s has been listed on the National Trust of Australia’s register since 2004 as a quintessential Sydney icon. What does Harry’s mean to the Sydney muscle car community?

M: Harry’s Café De Wheels has been in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo since 1938 and has always been a very popular spot to see some nice cars on Saturday night. Due to poor parking and a strong Police presence it slowly died down until the Liverpool outlet opened with a massive parking area. Since then it has just gone from strength to strength.

PG: For someone who has never been to one of these iconic meets, how would you describe it?

M: It’s a great family friendly atmosphere with wall to wall cars of all makes and models coming and going from around 6pm to all hours of the night. It does not matter what you are into, whether it be tough V8s or Mazda rotaries you are going to see it at Harry’s. You also get to meet some great people and talk about all things automotive.

PG: By the sounds of things there is a bit of a variety, what type of stuff do you normally see out there?

M: It’s generally a mixed bag but obviously you know there are going to be plenty of cool cars such as Falcon GT, Monaros, Toranas plus a myriad of American muscle and hot rods. That being said, I have seen such things as Lamborghini Gallardos, R35 Skylines and C63 Mercs as well!

PG: Unlike many other car meets, the ones held at Harry’s seem to get very little police attention. What sort of culture surrounds these meets and how has this contributed to the creation of what some call a safe haven for enthusiasts?

M: In today’s society it has become nearly impossible to take your pride and joy out and park it without fear of theft, damage or attention of the wrong kind. Don’t get me wrong, Police do regularly patrol Harry’s and dangerous driving is definitely not tolerated. At the end of the day, if you do the right thing you will be fine but if you push the boundaries, you will be dealt with.

PG: Harry’s Café de Wheels is a pie shop after all so it has to be asked; how are the pies?

M: They are good however I do prefer a Harry’s hotdog personally.

After talking to Matt, it’s fairly obvious why Harry’s has become the place to be for Sydney’s enthusiasts on a Saturday night. If you’ve never been, pop on down on the last Saturday of the month.

If you’re thinking of doing it soon, the NSW Muscle Car Association is organising a meet in support of the Cancer Council on the 21^st of April. Check out the flyer below for details.