Z356

I am starting this thread to provide general information & some local recommendations for those Rennlisters planning to attend. The 2014 PCA Parade will be held this year in Monterey, CA from June 15th to the 21st.

http://parade2014.pca.org

http://parade2014.pca.org/docs/form_event_gantt2014.pdf

Registration started last Tuesday - April 1st. I registered today and I was already entrant #1008! So if you are thinking of coming, I suggest you register ASAP. For those planning to come for the weekend & just attend the Monday Concours d'Elegance, I suggest you get your hotel reservations in order!

Doing a full PCA Parade is an acquired taste. If you have never attended, this one might be worth considering due to its beautiful location & because it will draw some of California's nicest Porsches to its Concours on Monday, June 16th! For those that want to test the waters before committing to a whole week of Porsche activities with perfect strangers, I suggest you attend the Monday Concours. I recommend you arrive on Saturday or Sunday to see the entrants clean, polish & prep their cars at the headquarter hotel (Hyatt Garden Inn) for the Concours on Monday. Some of the best memories I have of past Parades are of talking to the participants as they prepared their cars for the Concours! Some of the more 'fanatical' folks will arrive with their Porsches on Thursday & Friday and work on their cars for three/four straight days to get it ready for Monday's Concours! It's a rather unique automotive ritual that you will probably NOT experience in any other car club event in the world!

The last time we had a Parade in Northern California was 'Sacramento' in 2000. And before that, 'Monterey' in 1990. So this will be something special. The 2015 Parade will be held in far-away French Lick, Indiana. And it will be a while before another Parade is hosted near us here in Northern California. So Carpe Diem!

Hope others join in with their own comments & recommendations to help Rennlisters get the most from their attendance at this year's PCA Parade in Monterey. To not duplicate the posts, I will only keep updating the thread that I started at the 991 forum on the same topic. See you there!

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/8084...21-2014-a.html

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

rohitgarewal

Thanks for getting this started. I actually had a lot of questions as the website wasn't very clear. First and foremost, do I need to pay the registration fee if I don't want to be in the parade but want to come down to see all the cars? Also, there are lots of events that look really fun - are those for parade participants only?

Thanks in advance for the help!!

Keadog

If last year is any guide, most/all of the "fun" events are already sold out. We skipped Traverse City since I waited almost 48 hours to register (since the site instructions said all registrants in the first two days would be treated equally - a term I obviously misunderstood) and many events were already full.
Having said that, if you can go, I would. It's pretty fun seeing masses of P cars taking up entire parking lots!
Eduardo, is Indana a for sure in '15? I'll be registering early for that one!

Manny Alban

If you just want to come see the concours, there is no charge and you do not have to pay a registration fee. The registration fee gives you a name badge (among other things) which gives you access to Parade Hospitality, Goodie Store, Autocross, Tech Academy, Art Show,etc. Your membership card is not a name badge.

Parade isn't for everyone, but everyone should try it at least once. If a week long immersion into all things Porsche and PCA isn't your thing, you may want to only stay a few days or skip it. My kids grew up with Parades and they start asking about it months in advance. Not only do they see different parts of the country that might not otherwise, but they meet up with friends they see only once a year (but thanks to social media, keep in touch year round).


Parade will never sell out again. Events, banquets, hotels, etc will sell out at some point, but if you have other arrangements, willing to be put on a wait list for tours or other events, search the bulletin boards in Hospitality for tickets, etc. you can still have a great time.

As of today, the entrant total is over 1000! This will be the first year that I can remember where there will be 4 digit numbers on cars and name badges.

Want to know what's really amazing??? This whole production is run by volunteers!

2XIPA

Eduardo, thank you for starting this thread. This will be my first parade and I couldn't be more excited to attend. I hope we have a chance to meet along with the regular cast of characters on RL.

As a kid in the late 60's and early 70's my folks would take us to Laguna Seca to watch the Can-Am races.

Now I get to go on the track I watched as a kid and take my ABM Spyder for a lap or two. Seeing Ortho Joes track videos of what the Spyder can do I'm not (totally) missing my 996 GT3.

I've signed up for ax and am bewildered that the Spyders and Caymen R's are placed in a much higher class than the new 981's. Nonetheless I'll be going for it.

Cheers
Mark

il pirata

For those of you new to the Monterey area…several things to consider.

The Aquarium is one of the best in the world.

Every Thursday night Baja Cantina has a big car crowd…Thursday during Parade week will be pretty insane. It may be too late to get a dinner reservation (at least during the 5-8pm time slots...you could try calling) but get a bite to eat early or come early and have a later dinner.

Tarpy's is another big car hangout place with good food. It is looking like a lot of P-cars will be there Monday night around 6:30PM.

There are going to be some epic drives. I think a Big Sur drive was still open as of yesterday. If not take a drive on your own…you will find other Porsches along the way.

There will be a DE at Laguna Seca Saturday/Sunday for you track guys.

Z356

As Manny said, everyone is welcome to come to the Concours on Monday, June 16th. Non registrants can also observe at the Autocross. All other activities are closed to non-Parade entrants.

Re: 'Website wasn't very clear'. Yes, there was at least one error in the Parade website re: FAQ's:
Go to: http://parade2014.pca.org
Then to: FAQ's at bottom/left corner of that web page
Then press on FAQ's gets you this page & response to 2nd Question:
"Everyone is welcome to come to the Concours on Monday, June 24th. Take the day off and come downtown." I contacted Parade Chair Kathleen Behrens and she informed me it was already noted & will be corrected!

As of yesterday, only some of the area tours on particular days (e.g. Tuesday) for Big Sur or Canepa's Motorsports Museum are wait-listed. As Manny said, they'll all eventually fill up. So too with the Welcome Party, banquet dinners and the great Tech sessions! But the real fun events - watching the concours prep of the participants, the Concours itself on Monday, Autocross on Wednesday & Thursday and the Final Parade of Porsches on Saturday at Laguna Seca - will be available for all to enjoy!

French Lick, Indiana is for sure. I would never kid anyone about an event with a name like that!

Looking forward to meeting you at the Parade!

And, as you know, the PCA Golden Gate region might have a Driver's Ed event at Laguna Seca on Saturday June 21st and Sunday June 22nd, so you might be able to do that too!

Correctamundo!

Just in case some of you don't know, Rennlister Manny Alban happens to be the current president of the PCA since 2011. So he should know a thing or two about the Parade & the many volunteers it takes to put it on! Thank you Manny for your years of service. Below is a video of both of us at the 2012 Parade in Salt Lake City. I am the TALL guy in the green shirt!


Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

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JSF101

Eduardo,

truly the fount of knowledge! as always, looking forward to seeing you again

this year we will try something new, bringing our two grandkids to attend Parade Kids

of course, that means we will need to bring both yellow-headed monsters

Spyder to the Concours

Cayman to the autocross

cheers,
Steve

f4 plt

And what a great pair of "yellow-headed monsters with two very quick drivers

Z356

Jack: I would have to agree. The 'Speed Yellow' mafia is about to strike the Monterey Bay area! I heard Sherry is even a better driver than Steve! Looking forward to seeing all of you Longhorns in our region. We will have to have a party to celebrate at my home!

Jack: What are you driving down here to the Parade?

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

PS Steve & Sherry's 'Speed Yellow' MY2012 was the only Boxster Spyder painted by the factory in that color (to my knowledge). There were only three PTS Spyders in MY2012 and one PTS in MY2011 imported into the US. The other two PTS Spyders in MY2012 were dealer specs (a 'Riviera Blue' from Walters in California & an 'Azure Blue' from Euroclassics in Virginia). PCNA ordered a MY2011 Spyder in 'Meteor Grey' for the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, which later became a Porsche World Roadshow demo. It was eventually sold to the public in late 2011 via a US dealer. For those following the Spyder model history, you will remember that the PTS window for ordering a MY2012 Spyder was announced without warning or notice in March of 2011...and lasted 'open' only 2 weeks! Very few customers were quick enough, or luck enough, to make apply for a PTS color & get it accepted. As it turned out, the only PTS Spyder request approved by PAG for an end customer in the US happened to be Steve & Sherry's 'Speed Yellow' 'monster'! Thus, it is something quite special and I am glad all of you attending the '14 Parade in Monterey will see it on the Concours field!
.

f4 plt

Eduardo

The plan is to bring the Aqua Blue Spyder, driven not trailered. I hear parking is a concern this year.
Look forward to seeing you.

il pirata

Parking for trailers will be okay…we are trailering out the Spyder.

Parking at the Hyatt especially on Concours day will be an issue.

Per PCA site:

If bringing a trailer, set your GPS for the Monterey Peninsula College. We will have a portion of Lot A (the lower portion of “upper A”) complete with signage, READY for you by Saturday. Drop the trailer at the college, then head for your hotel.

PLEASE complete the trailer and tow vehicle questions during registration so we know how much space to hold.

switchface

I've never been to a parade, but thought about going to this one due to its location. I thought it would be neat to try an auto-x with new people on a foreign track.

How would you say this would differ from the Rennsport Reunion I attended in Monterey a couple years back? That was epic; truly Porsche overload in the best way!

Z356

Well, here is the bad news, the auto-x will not be at a 'track'. Per their website: "The Autocross will be held at nearby Marina Municipal Airport which is 11 miles from Hyatt Regency Monterey." That is where the local clubs do the auto-x in our area...and it's not a very attractive location. But remember that most modern PCA Parade auto-x's are now done in stadium (or similar venue) parking lots! So this is not peculiar to just the Monterey Parade.


There is something magical about seeing all of those Porsche racing cars at Rennsport IV in a historic track setting like Laguna Seca! That was special and will only be replicated at the next Rennsport (which will hopefully also take place at Laguna Seca according to my sources).

The closest you will get to that spectacle at the Monterey 2014 Parade will be on the day of the actual Concours d'Elegance at the DelMonte Golf course next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel Parade Headquarters! That should be an amazing collection of Porsche cars on a single field...for a Porsche Parade that is! Here in California, we are a bit jaded since we often put together similar impressive displays of Porsches at various in-state gatherings - 356 Holidays, PCA regional concours, Greystone Mansion Concours, Carmel's Concours on the Avenue, Legends of the Autobahn and the inaugural factory-sponsored 'Werks Reunion' scheduled during the Historics in Carmel on Friday, August 15th! Nevertheless, I expect this June 16th Concours will be one of the best in the long history PCA Parades!

Also scheduled for this PCA annual meet will be the traditional 'Parade of Porsches' (that's were the event gets it's name) which is tentatively scheduled to include a couple of laps of Laguna Seca on Saturday, June 21st! But otherwise, it will not feel like the Rennsport IV you experienced several years ago! It's a different venue with different vibes. It's basically really oriented for the PCA faithful and their quaint traditions dating back to the first one organized by PCA founder Bill Sholar back in 1956! As long as you recognize its limitations & quirks, you'll not be disappointed! The most interesting part of any Parade, quite frankly, is the opportunity to meet with Porsche enthusiasts from all over the United States and often other parts of the world. I have established lifetime friendships in this manner that date back from my first Parade which I attended in 1981 in Asheville, North Carolina!

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

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Marine Blue

With all you Spyder owners attending this I expect lots photos of the cars together!

I won't be making it for this one but I look forward to the stories and pictures.