Talking Classics With Phil McGovern

Phil McGovern co-founded Caffeine&Machine with Dan Macken. Since its creation, C&M has developed into a go-to place for automotive enthusiasts and more.

Phil was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule for a conversation with us, and it was great to ask him some questions about Caffeine&Machine and other automotive-related topics.

For those who don’t know, what is Caffeine&Machine?

That’s actually quite a tricky question to answer! Essentially, it’s a place for people with an interest in things that move. Predominantly cars, but also motorbikes, bicycles, tractors, trucks, lorries – everything, really! We are a broad church, and we welcome everyone, no matter what kind of scene you’re into. At the moment we have one venue in Warwickshire, where we have a restaurant, bar and coffee shop, as well as some bedrooms and a big space for displaying vehicles – either ones we’ve organised, or that have just turned up. And we get a lot of very cool stuff just turning up. We have plans to open more venues in the near future.

What first inspired you to start the business?

Caffeine&Machine actually grew out of an earlier business I ran in the Middle East, called crankandpiston, which was a similar celebration of car culture. In 2015 I decided to try putting on an event in Dubai, just to see if anyone would turn up. And they did – huge numbers of people from all different automotive cliques, in one place, together. When I moved back to the UK, I decided to see if the same kind of format would work on a permanent site. My business partner Dan Macken and I found an old pub and decided to go for it. After a big renovation, we opened in 2018, and we’ve been blown away by how many people have dug the idea and come along to support us.

How would you describe the community that has been built around Caffeine&Machine?

Massively varied. That’s really what we wanted – we didn’t want any of the cliqueiness that you can sometimes get in the automotive scene. Everyone is welcome, and we try to facilitate an environment where everyone’s happy. Even if they’re not into cars! Our weekly and weekend events reflect the broad range of interests from our community, covering everything from air-cooled classics to the German scene, off-roaders and Japanese-inspired modified cars to classic British stuff, electric vehicles, lightweight performance cars and hot rods. And loads more.

Are there any cars in particular that catch your attention as they pull up?

Oh, all sorts. We get such a mix turn up that it’s impossible to focus on any one thing. One minute you’ll be in the Yard ogling a ’50s American truck that someone’s crammed hundreds of horsepower in, and then the next minute someone from Aston Martin will rock up in a test mule, mid-shakedown, or someone will arrive in an engine-swapped 70s Japanese rally car. Half the fun is that you never know what’ll arrive – every visit is different.

What do you think the future has in store for the automotive industry?

It’s really difficult to say, what with economic conditions, changing technology, societal pressures and so on. All I can really say is that we’re here to celebrate and reflect automotive and transport culture, so we’ll get involved and enthuse about whatever happens.

How do you think this predicted future will impact you?

Hopefully, because we are such a broad church, we’ll do well out of it. The electric vehicle boom is bringing new people into automotive culture, and we’re here for them. As long as there are enthusiasts, we want to welcome them in.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

One of the central tenets of what we do is what I call the Cult of Machine, that enthusiasm for automotive culture. Everything C&M has become is due to me chasing the Cult of Machine. I love being able to do that every day, just getting out, seeing cool things and meeting fascinating people.

How do classic cars fit into your community?

They’re a central part of it. There’s more than a century of automotive culture behind us, and you can’t move into the future without looking into the past and revelling in what’s been created. It’s rare that you’ll come to C&M and not see classics here, not least because a decent percentage of our staff own classics themselves!

What’s next for Caffeine&Machine?

We’ve got lots of things in the works, including our increasingly popular fashion line, and we’re producing our own content too – long-form writing, photography and video about the vehicles and people that grace the Yard, but also the adventures we get up to when we go out and see people. And we have new venues in the works and hope to open in two new locations during 2023.

Where can people find out more about Caffeine&Machine?

You can go to caffeineandmachine.com, or just come and see us! We’re just outside Ettington in Warwickshire, and we’d love to see you.

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