Updates and Pictures from the Porsche PCA Parade 2009

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.

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!).

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….

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