INSIGHT AT PORSCHE PARADE
06-28-2016, 04:06 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
INSIGHT AT PORSCHE PARADE
Last week, I attended the Porsche Parade in Jay Peak. Though it coincided with our June DE, I rationalized that were I to miss the event, I might have regrets in the future. Having read glowing stories of past Parades in Panorama, and Excellence, I have always been curious to participate in one myself. It seemed too good to be true that it was being held in Jay Peak, as close as possible to Montreal. When a serendipitous offer of accommodation was offered, I felt it was ‘in the cards’ to attend. Though most of the rallies, tours, and Autocross events were fully booked, I hoped I could still get a feel for the event, In advance, I voiced my anxiety as to the wisdom of this decision, as I feared I might be solely in the presence ‘polishers’ and 'detailing freaks'. Missing one of our DE events is not something I take lightly!
After my usual whisky purchase at the Duty Free shop, I arrived on a glorious Sunday afternoon, and soon found my RSR friends. The huge parking lot was filled with all sorts of Porsche product, and the base of the mountain was buzzing with enthusiasm. The 'Goody Store' was already closed, so we prepared for the welcome banquet. This was a delight, and I met folks from all over the US. The Parade is considered a social pilgrimage for many members, and at our table I spoke with a couple of 80 year olds, from Austin,Texan, having shared the drive in their new Cayman S! I met a recent widower who drove his 356A from Seattle, his first time alone.
The buffet dinner was excellent, the conversation a pleasure. At sunset, the new 991R was dramatically presented to an appreciative crowd. After dinner, I met with the Fuchs wheel rep, and we discussed various forging processes. Later, I met with the head of PCA, Vu Nguyen, and he estimated that only about 10% of the Parade registrants tracked their cars.
When I attended two race weekends in Sebring this past winter, I had a wonderful time roaming the pits, marvelling at the race exotica, discussing technical improvements, driving strategies, tire choices, performance enhancements, and suspension mods. There, I was in techno heaven, shooting the breeze with accomplished racers/race car builders. Being an industrial designer, and techno geek, I enjoyed fascinating dialogue with similar minded guys.
The Concours d’Elegance was the major event of the Parade. On a par four fairway, 75 relatively new model cars were glistening in the sunlight, all appearing to be brand, spanking new! Fleets of GT3 RS’s, GT4’s, Turbos, Caymans, all, high volume, industrial products spat off an impersonal assembly line. Each item had only the inherent value only of its MSRP, or an inflated dollar value based on consumer demand. There were no rare, one off prototypes, no race car, no factory race prototypes, no customs. In other words, there was nothing reflective of unique creative effort, nothing was special!
Our LCMT paddock on a sunny DE day has much of the same!
These cars are rarely driven. I saw a very low mileage GT3 RS, having spent most of its life in a home garage as a sculptural element! This is only a production item! It is never used, lest it become ‘used’!!! The cars came in trailers, were unpacked, rolled onto the fairway, and cleaned again! In fact, due to a section of unpaved road, the really 'good cars' never appeared!
Imagine buying a classic Eastwing leather handled hammer, and keeping it in a Zip-Loc bag, frequently applying Lexol leather treatment to the handle, and buffing the metal with a jeweller’s polishing cloth. It would never strike a nail, lest the striking surface get a dent, nick or scratch!
We RSR guys track our cars, we use them, we improve them, we modify them, and we cherish the dynamic qualities inherent in all Porsche products. We enjoy each other’s company, (generally), while sharing the track, and cherish our discussion about the track experience. It is a different type of social event. We do not spend endless hours ALONE with boxes of Q-tips cleaning the holes in our brake discs, or picking dust particles out of air conditioning ducts!
For us the cars are implements of pleasure, like a good vibrator! They are used…frequently!
Fortunately, there was another display of rare, historic cars, and THAT was interesting. Seeing a Rothman’s Paris-Dakar winning 959, or a very early 1964 911 in pristine condition was a pleasure. An RSR race car, a weird, one-off factory Turbo, an early, mint 356A cab, some design exercises…that was interesting. I met a German engineer from the Porsche Classic department, where the old 'cost no object' cars are restored. We spent over an hour discussing cars, the wonders of the Zuffenhausen assembly line, and the arbitrary values ascribed to some of the new stuff. Standing next to the new 991R, we joked that most of them, all 991 probably, would reside in climate controlled sarcophagi, eventually used to fund grand children’s college degrees, weddings, and homes.
I had an opportunity to be a navigator in a rally with a friend. Knowing nothing about the procedure, we attended a rally orientation with a Power Point presentation of 78 panels, each describing multiple topics of minutia, obfuscation, and protocol. Many of the indication signs were ‘designed’ to offer confusing directions, and one had to carefully analyze the verbiage to make the correct decision. It was like playing ‘Simon Says’, and if you moved too soon, you were ‘out’! When hearing of CAST, (Change Average Speed To), and the endless calculations required, my brain clogged.
We always enjoy each other’s company and communicate in a sort of 'Franglais', but to expect precise commincation under stress in any language was too much to expect. I baled!
That night, I realized that I had not prepared adequately for the Parade. I am told that a Parade must be well booked in advance, as the tours, rallies, technical lectures and other social activities fill up very quickly. Without a dinner reservation, one was hard pressed to meet other members, let alone eat! My friend took his wife home, and I was alone with no restaurant reservation available. Clearly, I had been impulsive in attending, and I forfeited what might have been more enjoyable. I decided to cut my losses and return home.
On the wonderful drive over the country roads, I reflected on what I found so disturbing about the Concours, and I came to a realization. I had witnessed a metaphor denying our mortality, and a devaluation of the aging process, and its potential to offer enhanced insight and self awareness. Stasis was being idealized!
Maintaining a high volume, common car, with endless polishing, waxing and ‘original parts’ , still cannot avoid the process of oxidation, drying, rusting or molecular disintegration. Like us, and all material objects, change is inevitable. This effort to suspend time is a RIDICULOUS, VAIN QUEST!
I do not fondly think of the ‘Good Old Days', as they weren’t really so good! In fact, now is the best moment of my life! As I age, and change, I seem to be enjoying life more and more, and marvel at the improved state that I am experiencing. Surely my body is aging, yet my insight increases, and I feel a greater sense of gratitude more frequently. Similarly, as our cars are used, and modified, they change for the better, performing with greater functionality. I recently drove the new 911 turbo models, and they are wonderful! Better than my 997, better than my 996, much better than a 993, 964, etc. Mimicking a Darwinian path, technological evolution is inevitable, just as our human potential increases.
For us, Porsches are implements of pleasure, and we maintain them, modify them, and improve them for function, realizing that like us, they are always deteriorating, and being supplanted by newer, better products. We too, are constantly in a state of flux, and our form cannot exist forever without evolution and change. Our society places great value on youth. It markets products and potions to impede aging, drugs to consistently maintain bodily functions, toners for skin, implants and other symbols of ’newness'. All this, to deny the passage of time, to distract us from the underlying realization that our lives are finite. Even the Mummies of Egypt deteriorated! Rather than dread the process of change, our goal should be to relish the miracle of it, NOW!
Is a Automotive Concours similar to preparation for the Dorian Grey Human Concours?
Lona had left supper for me, and I slept comfortably in my own bed.
Hearing about the wonderful June DE event, and the special treatment the Blues enjoyed, I realize that I missed out!
Sometimes we zig, when we could have zagged. And yet, I have no regrets, rather I am happy that all my pals had such a good time. I’ll be at LCMT in July
Perhaps I will someday attend the Rennsport event in Laguna Secca!
Joe
After my usual whisky purchase at the Duty Free shop, I arrived on a glorious Sunday afternoon, and soon found my RSR friends. The huge parking lot was filled with all sorts of Porsche product, and the base of the mountain was buzzing with enthusiasm. The 'Goody Store' was already closed, so we prepared for the welcome banquet. This was a delight, and I met folks from all over the US. The Parade is considered a social pilgrimage for many members, and at our table I spoke with a couple of 80 year olds, from Austin,Texan, having shared the drive in their new Cayman S! I met a recent widower who drove his 356A from Seattle, his first time alone.
The buffet dinner was excellent, the conversation a pleasure. At sunset, the new 991R was dramatically presented to an appreciative crowd. After dinner, I met with the Fuchs wheel rep, and we discussed various forging processes. Later, I met with the head of PCA, Vu Nguyen, and he estimated that only about 10% of the Parade registrants tracked their cars.
When I attended two race weekends in Sebring this past winter, I had a wonderful time roaming the pits, marvelling at the race exotica, discussing technical improvements, driving strategies, tire choices, performance enhancements, and suspension mods. There, I was in techno heaven, shooting the breeze with accomplished racers/race car builders. Being an industrial designer, and techno geek, I enjoyed fascinating dialogue with similar minded guys.
The Concours d’Elegance was the major event of the Parade. On a par four fairway, 75 relatively new model cars were glistening in the sunlight, all appearing to be brand, spanking new! Fleets of GT3 RS’s, GT4’s, Turbos, Caymans, all, high volume, industrial products spat off an impersonal assembly line. Each item had only the inherent value only of its MSRP, or an inflated dollar value based on consumer demand. There were no rare, one off prototypes, no race car, no factory race prototypes, no customs. In other words, there was nothing reflective of unique creative effort, nothing was special!
Our LCMT paddock on a sunny DE day has much of the same!
These cars are rarely driven. I saw a very low mileage GT3 RS, having spent most of its life in a home garage as a sculptural element! This is only a production item! It is never used, lest it become ‘used’!!! The cars came in trailers, were unpacked, rolled onto the fairway, and cleaned again! In fact, due to a section of unpaved road, the really 'good cars' never appeared!
Imagine buying a classic Eastwing leather handled hammer, and keeping it in a Zip-Loc bag, frequently applying Lexol leather treatment to the handle, and buffing the metal with a jeweller’s polishing cloth. It would never strike a nail, lest the striking surface get a dent, nick or scratch!
We RSR guys track our cars, we use them, we improve them, we modify them, and we cherish the dynamic qualities inherent in all Porsche products. We enjoy each other’s company, (generally), while sharing the track, and cherish our discussion about the track experience. It is a different type of social event. We do not spend endless hours ALONE with boxes of Q-tips cleaning the holes in our brake discs, or picking dust particles out of air conditioning ducts!
For us the cars are implements of pleasure, like a good vibrator! They are used…frequently!
Fortunately, there was another display of rare, historic cars, and THAT was interesting. Seeing a Rothman’s Paris-Dakar winning 959, or a very early 1964 911 in pristine condition was a pleasure. An RSR race car, a weird, one-off factory Turbo, an early, mint 356A cab, some design exercises…that was interesting. I met a German engineer from the Porsche Classic department, where the old 'cost no object' cars are restored. We spent over an hour discussing cars, the wonders of the Zuffenhausen assembly line, and the arbitrary values ascribed to some of the new stuff. Standing next to the new 991R, we joked that most of them, all 991 probably, would reside in climate controlled sarcophagi, eventually used to fund grand children’s college degrees, weddings, and homes.
I had an opportunity to be a navigator in a rally with a friend. Knowing nothing about the procedure, we attended a rally orientation with a Power Point presentation of 78 panels, each describing multiple topics of minutia, obfuscation, and protocol. Many of the indication signs were ‘designed’ to offer confusing directions, and one had to carefully analyze the verbiage to make the correct decision. It was like playing ‘Simon Says’, and if you moved too soon, you were ‘out’! When hearing of CAST, (Change Average Speed To), and the endless calculations required, my brain clogged.
We always enjoy each other’s company and communicate in a sort of 'Franglais', but to expect precise commincation under stress in any language was too much to expect. I baled!
That night, I realized that I had not prepared adequately for the Parade. I am told that a Parade must be well booked in advance, as the tours, rallies, technical lectures and other social activities fill up very quickly. Without a dinner reservation, one was hard pressed to meet other members, let alone eat! My friend took his wife home, and I was alone with no restaurant reservation available. Clearly, I had been impulsive in attending, and I forfeited what might have been more enjoyable. I decided to cut my losses and return home.
On the wonderful drive over the country roads, I reflected on what I found so disturbing about the Concours, and I came to a realization. I had witnessed a metaphor denying our mortality, and a devaluation of the aging process, and its potential to offer enhanced insight and self awareness. Stasis was being idealized!
Maintaining a high volume, common car, with endless polishing, waxing and ‘original parts’ , still cannot avoid the process of oxidation, drying, rusting or molecular disintegration. Like us, and all material objects, change is inevitable. This effort to suspend time is a RIDICULOUS, VAIN QUEST!
I do not fondly think of the ‘Good Old Days', as they weren’t really so good! In fact, now is the best moment of my life! As I age, and change, I seem to be enjoying life more and more, and marvel at the improved state that I am experiencing. Surely my body is aging, yet my insight increases, and I feel a greater sense of gratitude more frequently. Similarly, as our cars are used, and modified, they change for the better, performing with greater functionality. I recently drove the new 911 turbo models, and they are wonderful! Better than my 997, better than my 996, much better than a 993, 964, etc. Mimicking a Darwinian path, technological evolution is inevitable, just as our human potential increases.
For us, Porsches are implements of pleasure, and we maintain them, modify them, and improve them for function, realizing that like us, they are always deteriorating, and being supplanted by newer, better products. We too, are constantly in a state of flux, and our form cannot exist forever without evolution and change. Our society places great value on youth. It markets products and potions to impede aging, drugs to consistently maintain bodily functions, toners for skin, implants and other symbols of ’newness'. All this, to deny the passage of time, to distract us from the underlying realization that our lives are finite. Even the Mummies of Egypt deteriorated! Rather than dread the process of change, our goal should be to relish the miracle of it, NOW!
Is a Automotive Concours similar to preparation for the Dorian Grey Human Concours?
Lona had left supper for me, and I slept comfortably in my own bed.
Hearing about the wonderful June DE event, and the special treatment the Blues enjoyed, I realize that I missed out!
Sometimes we zig, when we could have zagged. And yet, I have no regrets, rather I am happy that all my pals had such a good time. I’ll be at LCMT in July
Perhaps I will someday attend the Rennsport event in Laguna Secca!
Joe
06-28-2016, 11:38 PM
#4
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicagoland Area
Posts: 26,141
Likes: 0
Received 5,413 Likes
on
2,516 Posts
Great pictures! Where is Porsche Parade 2017? Thanks.
06-29-2016, 09:19 PM
#6
Racer
Thread Starter
Glad you enjoy the photos.
Frankly, I saw so many new cars in the Concours, that I quickly lost interest.
Not sure if the white 911 was there. I know his car from LCMT, and it is indeed a beauty.
Frankly, I saw so many new cars in the Concours, that I quickly lost interest.
Not sure if the white 911 was there. I know his car from LCMT, and it is indeed a beauty.
06-30-2016, 08:42 AM
#7
Intermediate
Marc
Trending Topics
06-30-2016, 04:51 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Some members like Parade, and others don't. You were obviously in the latter group. It's OK, it is a big club with many different people that enjoy different activities.
07-01-2016, 04:21 PM
#9
Racer
Thread Starter
The Rally Orientation was off putting for me. Glad that you enjoyed yourself, Marc.
Another friend, and his wife, both accomplished rally fans, spent over 6 hours in their car, accumulating 365 extra seconds. I think they came 4th.
I was not well organized at the Parade, and I found myself all alone, with no dinner, no events in sight! I generally enjoy meeting people, and all I saw was the vast, deserted parking lot at Jay Peak. Of course I was disappointed in the outcome, but I've learned a lesson.
Spontaneity has its limitations.
Another friend, and his wife, both accomplished rally fans, spent over 6 hours in their car, accumulating 365 extra seconds. I think they came 4th.
I was not well organized at the Parade, and I found myself all alone, with no dinner, no events in sight! I generally enjoy meeting people, and all I saw was the vast, deserted parking lot at Jay Peak. Of course I was disappointed in the outcome, but I've learned a lesson.
Spontaneity has its limitations.
07-01-2016, 09:17 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Its a big multi-event meet and as such it does demand a bit of planning to enjoy and prebooking is pretty essential. As mentioned earlier, not for everyone. but many people come for a few days rather than the entire week. Just depends on what you enjoy. Part of it is also meeting people you know from across the PCA - there is a large social component.
07-01-2016, 10:12 PM
#11
Drifting
Joe,
Thanks for sharing your experience(s).
I think the next Rennsport reunion will be in 3-4 yrs, last yrs at LS was my first and a mind blowing orgy of P cars, fans and racing. You would have OD'd....like me :-)
Btw, we had a great June DE event, Rainsport is a faint memory of yrs past, it was sunny -hot and sticky fast on Monday...cooler on Tues.
I had a couple of check rides in an out of province 991 GT3 (good driver) and then a blitz in Blue group on Tuesday with off line emphasis - another 991 GT3 very fast car...
See you in August mon ami.
D
Thanks for sharing your experience(s).
I think the next Rennsport reunion will be in 3-4 yrs, last yrs at LS was my first and a mind blowing orgy of P cars, fans and racing. You would have OD'd....like me :-)
Btw, we had a great June DE event, Rainsport is a faint memory of yrs past, it was sunny -hot and sticky fast on Monday...cooler on Tues.
I had a couple of check rides in an out of province 991 GT3 (good driver) and then a blitz in Blue group on Tuesday with off line emphasis - another 991 GT3 very fast car...
See you in August mon ami.
D
07-01-2016, 11:16 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
I did not attend - DE takes precedence, hands down. I might have otherwise stopped by for a day and scenic drive, no more.
But to be honest, the Parade is (just in my opinion) a bit of an artifact from early PCA days. When Porsche were rare and funky cars in the 60's, an annual convention made sense in terms creating community and sharing resources.
That's long gone, I just can't see parade being sustained in its current format for the next and younger generation of Porsche fans.
With the internet, more mobility and information, there is only so much value in a complicated meet and greet with just a concours, autocross and rallye.
As mentioned above, Rennsport Reunion is a totally different beast - not to miss.
Guess it's just preference, but RR provides a perfect mix of fantastic cars on track, and plenty of opportunity to socialize.
Cheers
Matt
But to be honest, the Parade is (just in my opinion) a bit of an artifact from early PCA days. When Porsche were rare and funky cars in the 60's, an annual convention made sense in terms creating community and sharing resources.
That's long gone, I just can't see parade being sustained in its current format for the next and younger generation of Porsche fans.
With the internet, more mobility and information, there is only so much value in a complicated meet and greet with just a concours, autocross and rallye.
As mentioned above, Rennsport Reunion is a totally different beast - not to miss.
Guess it's just preference, but RR provides a perfect mix of fantastic cars on track, and plenty of opportunity to socialize.
Cheers
Matt
07-02-2016, 01:11 AM
#13
Racer
Thread Starter
Derek, I recall our discussion of Rennsport in California before the event, but by then, all accommodation was long taken. Later, your enthusiastic review motivated me to attend Parade. I knew it would lack the scale and technical aspects of the glorious race cars at Laguna Seca, but it was close by.
The Welcome Banquet was enjoyable, but during the following day most folks seemed to be elsewhere. I was disappointed in the isolation I felt, as there seemed to be no easy access to meet other members. I had an enjoyable beer with Ronan, and thereafter, the parking lot was emptied, and all of the dinner plans had been made.
I now realize that Parade is for many folks an opportunity to enjoy an automotive vacation with their Porsches. Many people came as couples, and were warmly reunited with acquaintances from past events.
No event can satisfy everybody's needs. Matt, I agree that DE events take precedence for me.
The Welcome Banquet was enjoyable, but during the following day most folks seemed to be elsewhere. I was disappointed in the isolation I felt, as there seemed to be no easy access to meet other members. I had an enjoyable beer with Ronan, and thereafter, the parking lot was emptied, and all of the dinner plans had been made.
I now realize that Parade is for many folks an opportunity to enjoy an automotive vacation with their Porsches. Many people came as couples, and were warmly reunited with acquaintances from past events.
No event can satisfy everybody's needs. Matt, I agree that DE events take precedence for me.
07-10-2016, 10:16 PM
#14
I went from Ottawa for a couple nights, mainly to see the concours and historics displays. I'd never been to a parade before, and with it this close, I figured it was a good opportunity to sample it. Had I been staying longer, I would have signed up for some tours, but my partner & I had tickets for two of the dinners and we stayed on the resort. We enjoyed ourselves, and ran into a few Ottawa people there as well.
Joe, I think you missed half of the concours display. There was another entire fairway with all the air-cooled stuff, plus the front-engined 924 / 928 / 944 / 968. I had a good look at that, plus the historics display.
Chatting with a few people who attend these regularly, they thought the displays weren't as good as other years, especially west coast ones that can draw upon large collections.
I also wandered around the parking lots and saw a lot of interesting stuff. These were the cars that actually get driven, as evidenced by the bug splats and dust.
Would I go again? I think I would, but it definitely requires some planning, and I think it would be fun to go as a group with a few cars.
John
1980 Targa
Joe, I think you missed half of the concours display. There was another entire fairway with all the air-cooled stuff, plus the front-engined 924 / 928 / 944 / 968. I had a good look at that, plus the historics display.
Chatting with a few people who attend these regularly, they thought the displays weren't as good as other years, especially west coast ones that can draw upon large collections.
I also wandered around the parking lots and saw a lot of interesting stuff. These were the cars that actually get driven, as evidenced by the bug splats and dust.
Would I go again? I think I would, but it definitely requires some planning, and I think it would be fun to go as a group with a few cars.
John
1980 Targa