Concours d'Elegance

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Welcome to PCA’s most prestigious show of cars, the PCA National Concours d’Elegance.

What is a Concours d’Elegance?  The name refers to the gathering of prestigious cars, but the name dates back further than automobiles.  History traces the event back to 17th century French aristocracy. In their day horse-drawn carriages were paraded in the parks of Paris during summer weekends and holidays. Over time, carriages became horseless and the gatherings became a competition among owners on appearance and condition of their automobiles.  

The Porsche Parade Concours d’Elegance is the premier Parade event and arguably the highlight of Parade week. It features Porsche cars of all ages, colors, makes, and models. From meticulous restorations to daily drivers, Parade attendees have been participating in this grand tradition for over 60 years.  It truly is the best of the best within PCA.

Preparation Groups I and II: This is the most popular Concours group. Cleanliness and preparation are the keys to winning. In the Preparation groups, it does not matter whether the car is original. Within the Preparation Groups, are two classes:Concours d’Elegance can sound intimidating for a first-time participant. Trust us, it’s not!   Cars are organized based on year and model, so you are competiting against Porsches similar to your own.  There are four main groups in the Parade Concours d’Elegance:

  • Street: This is the best class to start in if you are new to Concours, and the perfect class for daily-driven Porsches. Judges only look at the interior and the exterior of the car.
     
  • Touring: This class is a level up from the Street class. Once you have participated in a few Concours, the Touring class is the next step. Here, the judges look at all aspects of the car, except for the undercarriage.

Preservation Group: This group is for cars maintained in their original condition, with evidence that the car has been reasonably driven and not simply stored. The car will be evaluated against the Kardex, Certificate of Authenticity, or the original Monroney Label (window sticker). Entrants are required to produce one of these documents to be judged in this group. In the Preservation Group, judges will look at all areas of the car. This group is for cars at least 20 years old.

Restoration Group: This group is for cars that have been restored or rebuilt. Cars are not judged on originality. However, the car is expected to be period-correct. For example, a car may have new paint, so long as the paint color is appropriate for the year of the car.

To determine the correct class in which to enter your Porsche, refer to the 2022 Parade Competition Rules (PCRs) section of this website.  All classes are listed under “Information and Class.

The Concours Class Awards will be again be presented on the Concours field. Each 1st in Class recipient will have the honor of driving their car to the award platform to receive their award. 

The Group, People’s Choice, Honorary Judge’s Choice” and special awards for Level of Achievement will be presented Tuesday evening at the Porsche Concours d’Elegance and National Awards Banquet. Returning for their second year, the newest Concours Awards will be presented at the banquet.  They are the prestigious Porsche Classic Originale Awards.  These are judged and awarded by Porsche Classic from Porsche Cars North America.

If you want to get started, or just brush up on the world of Concours, consider attending the Concours 101 class.  It’s a perfect way to learn from the Pros about anything Concours.  We’ve got a separate web page just for that.  https://www.porscheparade.org//concours-101

Go ahead, enter today.  Once you compete in a National Concours, you’ll be hooked!

Within the Concours competition is the famous Porsche Historics display. The two-part theme for 2022 is Rally and Safari and Rennbow. This years’ Historics will feature some of the most rare and unique rally Porsches ever built as well as rare and special colors offered by Porsche over the decades.

If you’re not competing in the Concours, plan early to walk this incredible event.  Cars will be staged on of the Pocono Manor Golf Club fairway early Monday of Parade week (June13 to be exact) with judging beginning promptly at 9:00 am.  Arrive early and wear your walking shoes, as you won’t want to miss a single car.  Oh, yes, don’t forget your camera.  Don’t forget to stick

Why not make a day of it?  There will be food trucks on site when hunger hits, so lunch will be only steps away on your schedule.  You don’t need a meal ticket, you’ll pay as you order directly from the truck(s).  And don’t forget the on-field awards ceremony in the afternoon at approximately 1:30 PM.  Plan on making a day of it at the 2022 Porsche Concours d’Elegance.
 

Ron Gordon
Parade Chair
parade@pca.org