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Add Texture to GoogleThe first Time To Drive event had a touch of irony. In Wynwood, Porsche stole the show: a one-of-a-kind Carrera GT in “Amazon Green,” a 918 Spyder equipped with the Weissach package, and Penske Motorsport’s No. 7 963, winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. Yet the jury of the German competition awarded its Best of Show prize to a 1985 Mercedes-Benz, the 200E 6.0 AMG nicknamed “Hammer.” This discrepancy sums up the first edition of this Miami festival quite well: a showcase of supercars and independent fine watchmaking that ultimately honors a car the general public may not necessarily recognize.
A festival born from a brand
The Time To Drive Car & Watch Festival took place from November 6 to 8, 2026. It is spearheaded by two figures from fields outside the automotive industry. Lex Borrero, a music producer formerly with NEON16 and a renowned watch collector, founded the lifestyle label 0260—pronounced “Zero To Sixty”—which produces the event. Perri Dash, a cultural strategist, co-founded and hosts a podcast dedicated to watchmaking. Their goal is to bring together under one roof classic cars, independent watchmakers, and an urban culture that, until now, has moved between these two worlds without ever truly being welcomed into them.
The program was spread across two venues. On Friday, the “Driver’s Seat” track day took place at the Concours Club in Opa-locka, a suburb of Miami, with a separate ticket office; the price per ticket was not disclosed. On Saturday and Sunday, the main exhibitions took over the Mana Wynwood Convention Center in the Wynwood arts district. This choice makes sense: people usually come here for the murals, rarely for a four-cam engine.
The Porsche Gallery
That particular engine was right at home in the aisles, under the rear hood of a Porsche 356 Carrera “Four-Cam.” More than 200 rare cars were on display at the venue, and the Zuffenhausen-based brand provided most of the most-photographed models. The selection spanned half a century of the brand’s history. A 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 stood alongside a 911 Carrera RSR in its “Jägermeister” orange livery, a reminder of the era when spirits sponsors adorned race cars. On the hypercar front, the 918 Spyder Weissach Package stood opposite the green Carrera GT, presented as the only example in that color. Penske’s 963 provided the most recent highlight: a race car still bearing the marks of its victory at Daytona.
The Porsche that drew the most attention was notable less for its rarity than for its history. It was an original black 964 Turbo—the one from the movie *Bad Boys*—owned by Lex Borrero himself. The co-founder was thus exhibiting his own car, a gesture that gave the festival a touch of a personal collection. The publisher Assouline took the opportunity to present its book *Porsche: The Impossible Collection*.
The German Concours and Its Surprise
Amid this lineup, the “WERKS: The German Concours” brought together 150 selected German cars from Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. It was there that the 1985 200E 6.0 AMG “Hammer” took home the prize. Its owner walked away with $5,000 in cash—about 4,700 euros—and a limited-edition watch. The jury did not choose the most spectacular car on the show floor, but rather a Mercedes tuned by AMG—one with an understated appearance and an engine that’s extraordinary for a car of this class. For a first-time competition, this sends a message to connoisseurs rather than to social media.
Cars with a Soundtrack
Another section of the exhibition read like a history of popular culture. The Maybach 57 featured in the music video for “Otis” by Jay-Z and Kanye West was on display, as was the Mercedes-Benz G-Class “Project Geländewagen,” designed in collaboration with Virgil Abloh. A 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300 GD that once belonged to tennis player Ivan Lendl rounded out this lineup of cars whose value lies as much in their history as in their mechanics.
Fans of production figures were also in for a treat. A Ferrari Sergio—one of only six ever built—shared the space with a Ferrari 250 GTO and an F40. An Aston Martin DB4, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Papillon,” a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, and a Koenigsegg Jesko broadened the spectrum, spanning from the 1950s to contemporary hypercars.
Fifty Watch Brands on Your Wrist
The watch segment grew significantly along the way. In September and October 2026, announcements mentioned 38 brands in “The Collectors Club” space. In the end, 50 brands and independent watchmakers were present. The list combines established houses such as Chopard, Grand Seiko, Zenith, and Ulysse Nardin with more niche brands: MB&F, Greubel Forsey, Urwerk, Armin Strom, and Arnold & Son. Also present were Jacob & Co., Biver, Dominique Renaud, Renaud Tixier, Beauregard, as well as Oris, Hanhart, and Norqain.
The Collectors Club, the central space, was reserved for independent manufacturers and designers. Next to it, “The Luxury Exchange” hosted the secondary market, featuring vintage pieces and collectible accessories. The festival also served as a launchpad for a limited edition by 0260 x BAIT x Hanhart. The presence of Hanhart—a brand known for its pilot’s chronographs—in a collaboration with a lifestyle label perfectly captures the spirit of the event.
Drivers, executives, and a Mercedes repainted live on stage
The conference program featured approximately 25 panels and 64 speakers. Motorsports was represented by Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon, Patrick Long, and Felipe Nasr. Leading voices in automotive culture were also in attendance, including Matt Farah, Spike Feresten, and photographer Larry Chen. On the watch side, Eric Wind, a vintage specialist and head of Wind Vintage, spoke alongside two executives from exhibiting brands: Serge Michel, CEO of Armin Strom, and V.J. Geronimo, CEO of Oris Americas.
Outside the conference rooms, artist Mark Delmont customized a vintage Mercedes-Benz in front of the audience during the “Canvas Chrome” performance. “The Culinary Circuit” offered dining concepts inspired by seven countries linked to the capitals of the automotive and watchmaking industries.
Figures to be interpreted with caution
The organizers claim more than 6,500 visitors over the course of the weekend. This attendance figure was released after the event and has not been certified by any third-party attendance auditing organization. Before the opening, the organizers and venue had projected more than 4,000 visitors per day—a projection that, spread over two days of the exhibition, exceeded the total figure ultimately announced.
The reported sales volume warrants the same degree of caution. The organizers cited more than $20 million in cumulative transactions for watches and cars, or approximately 18.9 million euros. This is a self-reported estimate that cannot be verified by any public records or auction results. However, if confirmed, the figure would give an idea of the purchasing power gathered in Wynwood.
The admission price remained modest given the cars on display. The one-day pass was initially announced starting at $45 (about 42 euros), then listed starting at $75 (about 70 euros) depending on the sales channel and tier. The weekend pass cost $125 (approximately 118 euros). The “Grail VVIP Pass,” the most comprehensive option, came to $1,150 (approximately 1,085 euros). One point in the communication remained unclear: the website stated that admission was free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult with a ticket, while some sections of the FAQs mentioned children under 15.
Looking Ahead to 2027
The second edition has already been announced. It will be called “Time To Drive: Art Unframed” and will expand the format to include visual arts and music. For a festival based in Wynwood and co-founded by a music producer, this expansion builds on what the first edition began with the Maybach from “Otis” and the Mercedes repainted by Mark Delmont. It remains to be seen which car the jury will honor next year, and whether the organizers will release certified attendance figures this time around.
