Imagine a couple thousand Porsche enthusiasts coming to town for a week of driving, showing and socializing. It’s called Porsche Parade, it happens once a year and it’s one of the major bonuses of Porsche ownership.
Porsche Parade is the largest gathering of Porsche owners and enthusiasts you’re ever likely to encounter, and it also happens to be a great vacation. This annual event is run by the 100,000-member strong Porsche Club of America (PCA) and is one of the best ways to get the most enjoyment from your Porsche.
This year, the Rocky and Alpine Mountain Regions of the PCA are hosting the 54th Porsche Parade at Colorado’s Keystone Resort June 29-July 4. It’s the sixth time Porsche Parade has been hosted in Colorado. Stunning mountain vistas with 13,000-foot peaks form the backdrop for this year’s event.
Never been to a Porsche Parade? There truly is something for everyone, even if you don’t own a Porsche. (But you must be a member of the PCA to attend. Annual dues are just $42 and include a subscription to the monthly Porsche Panorama magazine.)
If you’ve got a stunning-condition Porsche, enter it in the Concours d’Elegance, the first event of the Porsche Parade. You’ll need limber neck muscles for this one because your head will be constantly turning to look at some of the world’s most beautiful Porsches -- classic and modern.
The "Heritage and Historic Car Display" will host an array of special race and low-production Porsche models from all over the country and from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to admire some of the rarest Porsche vehicles in the world.
Here’s a twist that makes Porsche ownership unique: The Porsche Parade Concours cars are hardly “trailer queens.” Entrants must drive them the nearly four miles from the staging area to the display area – no trailering allowed.
Driving is, of course, a huge part of Porsche Parade. If you want to find out just how special the engineering is behind your 911, Boxster, Cayman or Cayenne, test your skills in the TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) Rally, which runs through ski towns, mining towns and some of the most beautiful scenery in Colorado. The route includes part of the 82-mile “Top of the Rockies” roadway. It’s a route that will bring out the best in your Porsche, regardless of the model or vintage.
You might choose to put your car and driving skills to the test in the autocross. If you’ve never competed in an autocross, it is one of the most enthralling kinds of racing – once you’ve done it, you’ll be hooked. You’ll truly appreciate how Porsche has applied its racing heritage and experience in your own car when you are pursuing the best time possible around the cones.
Porsche Parade offers plenty of lighter fun, too. You can choose from a selection of self-guided and mountain driving tours. The Gimmick Rally is just for fun, and you can run it Thursday, Friday or Saturday. The goal? Just to identify locations of a series of objects, landmarks and signs along the route.
Park your Porsche and enjoy a number of other activities including tech seminars, an art show, a Michelin tire test, golf tournament, 5K walk/run, radio-controlled racecars and even an ice cream social. All activities are within a short walking distance or free shuttle ride from the resort.
There’s also time to go off on your own for some local fishing, rafting or horseback riding. Bring the kids because Porsche Parade has activities for them, too.
Porsche Parade started out 54 years ago as, well, a parade. Today, it’s a six-day celebration of community, friendships and just enjoying Porsches.
