As if Porsches of various vintages were not beautiful enough on their own, setting the Porsche Parade’s Concours at the Keystone Ranch Golf Course added the perfect backdrop in which to enjoy our favorite cars. When we arrived the fairways were already scattered with Parade attendees and volunteers enjoying the cars on display, and we were happy to join them.
The Historic Display section greeted us first, and there were quite a few memorable cars there. There was a widespread display of rare cars including a 1960 Carrera Abarth, a 356 Super-90 GT, and a 1966 906, always a crowd favorite. Motorsport Editor Christian Maloof, who owns and races a 1995 993, particularly enjoyed the ’73, ’93, and ‘97 RSRs on display. As far as race cars went, the 1968 908-2 Spider once driven by Bobby Rahal was a highlight for all Porsche race car lovers.
An immaculate 550 Spider, complete with leather clasps holding the engine compartment down, was a highlight for us. Its silver paint was pristine, and the owner clearly enjoyed driving and displaying the vehicle.
By far the most rare Porsche there was a white 1998 GT-1. It was on display next to the more “common” Carrera GT. For those of you who may not be familiar with the GT1, it was a homologated version of the Le Mans-winning GT-1 R. These ultra-rare road cars once sold for 1 million dollars!
There were two 959s on display. A 959 in polar silver (whose owner proudly proclaimed his use of Mobil 1 in not just this priceless race car, but his Cayenne as well) had once not been street legal in the USA.
In the GT3 department, there were quite a few interesting specimens on display, including the classic orange plus red, white and even silver cars. Some were clearly driven on the track, whereas others were a lucky owner’s garage queen, but all were spectacular.
There were plenty of beautiful 356s. One, a Porsche 356 Speedster proudly showed the Mobil 1 Pegasus and displayed its original toolkit.
Next to the Historic Display were six Porsche tractors. It’s important to remember Porsche’s beginnings, and the tractors serve as a reminder of the company’s early focus. Included in the display were Diesel Juniors, Standards, Super-Export 329 and a Goliath.
Everywhere, owners were lovingly cared for and displayed their cars, happy to tell us about their history, current use and even value. Every Porsche owner has his or her own way of enjoying his or her car, and at the Parade, it’s all good.
It’s a beautiful day in Keystone, CO! Keystone sits between snow caps and is surrounded by lakes and a river, which makes the setting all the more perfect for the 2009 Porsche Parade.
On the drive to Keystone, our 3 ¼ cylinder rental Ford Focus lacked the torque needed to attack the mountain passes, but it sure coasted beautifully once we managed to clear them. Luckily Motorsport Editor Christian Maloof was at the helm, as slow hands were crucial on this trip. It was on one such majestic coasting sessions that we caught up to our first P-car of the week, a midnight blue Cayman S. Oh, how it made me long for my own Fritz, sitting in my garage far away in Michigan.
On our final approach to the Parade epicenter, we pulled up next to a 993 whose color we did not recognize. The owner was kind enough to tell us it was oak green, a stock color in the 1970s, which he’d had custom-applied to his 993. We would soon learn rare and custom Porsches are de rigueur at the Porsche Parade.
An early 911 in Oak Green
When we arrived at registration, we were greeted by kind volunteers who handed us water, a bag of snacks, and instructed us to park and walk to the main building. The parking lot was awash in even more beautiful cars of all vintages – a 964 RS, two 996 GT2s, a lone 912, a 911 E and many more to mention. Owners were interacting, washing and otherwise enjoying the beautiful landscape.
The sound of modified 997s with aftermarket exhausts bounced off an immaculately preserved 356 winding by, creating a wonderful cacophony of engine sounds. The stark contrast of new and old Porsches made for an exotic palate of colors, shapes and sounds. The visual treats were aplenty, too: at our lodging check-in, the parking lot was taken by a Carrera GT, one of 50 Azurro California Blue 911 Club Coupes, and a 356, all in a row. Nowhere else is a Porsche lover faced with three such choices!
Registration was incredibly well organized, with clear signage, well informed volunteers and an overall positive attitude. We spent the next few hours talking with our friends Bob Rybarczyk from Mobil1 and Eric Gedeon from Rally Sport PCA, who had driven his Boxster from Ann Arbor to attend the event. We quickly found at these events one quickly makes friends, as people didn’t hesitate to approach us to ask us about our involvement with Porsche. (No takers on the case of Mobil oil yet, though!).
PorschePurist.com’s Christian Maloof
A highlight of meeting Porsche folks came when we met Vu Nguyen (executive director of the PCA, Leonard Turner and Betty Jo Turner (editor of Panorama Magazine). I enjoy my Panorama every month, and I was glad to be able to tell Betty in person what a phenomenal job she does editing our club magazine.
Today promises to be an equally exciting day. More and more Porsches are driving in to Keystone, and a few key events are on our radar. First and foremost, we’ll be joining Bob from Mobil 1 at the Concours D’Elegance early this morning. From what we have seen so far, there is bound to be an amazing display of perfectly cared for Porsches. We’ll be posting photos by lunchtime today, so join the judges in deciding which of the many is the most beautiful!
After the Concours, we’ll stop by the Historic Display to examine a bits of Porsche history that we’ll also share with you via Facebook and Twitter (if you haven’t already befriended/followed Porsche Purist, do so now!).
At 1:30, we’re scheduled to participate in the PCA Rally School. As we’re quickly learning, the Mobil 1 TSD Rally is no silly scavenger hunt. The rules are complex, the instructions require attention to detail, and the drivers who place well work very hard to earn their top spots.
We’ll probably close the afternoon with a visit to the Art Show, which showcases various depictions of the cars we love. We’ll tell you more about what we see and learn later today – stay tuned! As the day goes on, we’ll work on putting together a complete photo album for your review as well. Lots more pictures to follow….
As you read this post, the PorschePurist.com team is spread across the US at various Porsche related events. This week we are at the PCA Porsche Parade in Keystone, Colorado (courtesy of Mobil1) and in Birmingham, Alabama at the Barber Motorsport Park to drive the Cayman and Boxster with PDK and see how they perform on the track. We’ll be blogging, Tweeting and updating as much as we can from the various events.
Three questions? 1. How many of you are going to Parade? 2. Who has been to the Porsche Sport Driving School (PSDS)? 3. Any tips from those of you that have been to PSDS?
We’re all pretty excited about the various events and anxious with anticipation at the thought of driving with the likes of David Donohue, Patrick Long, Hurley Haywood, etc. etc.
Lastly, don’t forget about our recent poll. Is Driving a Porsche a Reason to be Begrudged? If you haven’t yet voted, you can do so in the post or in the poll on the sidebar to the right.
Just moments ago, Porsche Automobil Holding SE released a joint statement from Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and his Deputy Uwe Hück on the Ultimatum by Volkswagen and the State of Lower Saxon (more on the ultimatum after the release):
“We trust that as in the past we are planning a successful future together with VW to the benefit of both Companies. Hence, we are deeply concerned and irritated by the wording of the ultimatum.
We will not give in to such pressure or blackmail. Such action does not help anybody. It is detrimental to the entire cause. This is not the way to support and uphold common interests.
The 21st century is not the time for ultimatums. We wonder what the whole matter is really about and whether the focus is still on our common cause at all.
A further point: wherever used, whether in private life or in politics, and particularly in business, ultimatums have never served a positive purpose helping to reach the objective aspired.
We sincerely hope that the perpetrators of the ultimatum, in consideration of our common interests, calm down again and follow up their proposals in internal discussions and not through headlines.
We are open to such talks at any time.“
The release above is in answer to a story in Spiegel Magazine’s online edition today. Spiegel reported that Porsche Chief Executive Wendelin Wiedeking and Chairman Wolfgang Porsche have been urged to agree by the end of June that VW takes a 49 percent stake in Porsche’s sports car business for 3-4 billion euros ($4.2-$5.6 billion). Adding further fuel to the fire, VW threatened it could insist on calling due the 700 million euro loan it provided Porsche, should Porsche reject the offer.
The most interesting part in all of this, at least to me, is the fact that Spiegel reported this entire story without citing a source. By releasing the statement above, Porsche not only gives credibility to the Spiegel report, it adds further emphasis that this is more of a personal family battle (Piech vs. Porsche/Wiedeking) than a complex financial merger between two storied and interconnected automotive brands.
For most, the Porsche Panamera is either love it or leave it. I admit, when I first saw some of the heavily camouflaged test mules I was definitely among the many who would eagerly “leave it“. It seemed to have bulges and bumps in all the wrong places. However, over time, as more of the car was revealed and we ultimately saw the final product, my derision turned to desire and I’m now dipping my toes into the “love it” pool. With that said, it’s only a toe and I can easily dry it off, but I won’t know for sure until I drive one. I’m hoping that happens sooner vs. later (wink, wink, nod, nod, yeah, you know who you are!!).
While I’m waiting for the Porsche God(s) of press cars to deliver my Panamera, I thought I would share this video of Porsche’s Michael Mauer (Panamera’s chief architect) giving an interview to Driver’s Republic at a Porsche press event this past March. For those of you who like the design (and even those who don’t) the video below will give you some idea of the cues used by Porsche in developing the new Panamera.
In my last poll on the subject of loving or leaving the Panamera, of the 179 of you that voted, 73 of you were like me and wanted to wait and see, while the rest of you had already decided: 65 loved it and 41 of you went so far as to say you hated it.
Now that a number of first hand reviews have been published by the likes of Car and Driver, Motor Trend, the LA Times, etc, has your opinion of the Panamera changed?
As a reader of PorschePurist.com (but a non-Porsche owner), I know that past polls asked readers if they think Porsche drivers are discriminated against by police when it comes to ticketing. I also know that readers were recently asked what they think about Porsche vanity plates. The results of both polls were interesting.
Do Porsche Drivers Get Unfairly Profiled?
93 of you said Yes you do.
9 of you said No you don’t.
14 of you said Sometimes.
Does Your Porsche Have a Vanity Plate?
70 of you said Yes, you do.
79 of you said No, you don’t.
A little background…
Several weeks ago I joined 993C4S (John) on a 4 hour road trip (which became 6 hours, but that’s another story) and attended my first Grand Am racing event. I was fortunate enough to have a “hot pit pass” and the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people, including PorschePurist.com’s own Christian Maloof as he spoke to a group of Porsche owners who had gathered inside PCA corral. The people I spoke to were cordial and outgoing.
Randall H. Miller with PorschePurist.com’s Christian Maloof
While listening to Christian I got to thinking about the recent polls above and my mind started racing. You see, I’m not a “car guy” – I’m a political scientist, educator and cultural observer. Thus, the following question hit me like a bolt of lightning – it needs a bit of a windup.
In the current economic crisis there seems to be increased animosity between people of differing incomes. I wonder – do Porsche owners feel any animosity? Do you get the “stink eye” from other drivers at red lights or gas stations as you fill it up with super? A snicker while packing your groceries into the car (or do you only do that with your “other” car?) Do you worry more now about petty vandalism?
In short, as a Porsche owner, do you feel that those unable to afford such luxuries have gone from admiring you to begrudging you? (Hate is too strong a word.)
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Are you Admired or Begrudged for Driving a Porsche?
After voting in the poll, please leave a comment explaining your answer. I would love to work this post (and the poll results) into a future talk or discussion for one of my classes or lectures and your answers will be a big help.
Today’s post was written by Randall H. Miller. He blogs regularly about progressive politics and terrorism at www.RandallHMiller.com
Porsche has produced over 60 models of 911 since the car was launched back in 1963, and enthusiasts hotly debate which model is best. Some like the old classics, while others favor today’s supercars. But perhaps now the debating is over…
An innovative new website from the Publishers of Totall911 Magazine – www.911faceoff.com – allows Porsche’s worldwide enthusiasts to sit in the driver’s seat of each 911 model and choose their all-time favorite from an exhaustive online database.
The website randomly pits two 911s against each other in an infinite number of faceoff battles, and depending on the results, it builds a comprehensive list of the top 50 Porsche 911s in order of popularity. To help you decide, each car comes with an image, specification, performance figures and a 911Face-Off rating. And if you’re really stuck, you can opt for a draw.
“911 Face-Off is great fun and surprisingly addictive,” said Philip Raby, Editor in Chief at Imagine. “You can make a snap judgment based on your gut instinct, study the stats carefully before picking, or use our ratings to sway your decision. Not only is 911 Face-Off a lot of fun, it’s also a real eye-opener to see just how many different 911s there are!”
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