The Porsche Parade Concours d’Elegance is the premier Parade competition event and the highlight of Parade week.
Concours d’Elegance is a French term for “Competition of Elegance”, where cars are displayed and judged. The Concours d’Elegance 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. Together with the Historic Porsche Display, this year’s Concours d’Elegance will come to life on the 9th fairway of the breathtaking Mountain Course. Nestled at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, its stunning visuals will inspire you to do some California Dreamin’… Porsche Style.
Participating in the Concours d’Elegance can sound intimidating for a first-time participant. Trust us, it is not! Cars are organized based on year and model. Each area of the car, the exterior, interior, engine, wheels, etc. is evaluated by a team of judges. The judges use a point system, with the highest score winning.
There are four main groups:
Preparation Groups I and II: These are the most popular Concours groups. Cleanliness and preparation are keys to winning. In the Preparation Groups, it does not matter whether the car is original. Within the Preparation Groups, are three classes:
Street Class: This is the best class in which to start if you are new to Concours competition, and the perfect class for daily-driven Porsches. Judges only look at the interior and the exterior of the car.
Touring Class: 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 the undercarriage.
Full Class: The Full Concours division subjects all areas of the car to an evaluation, even the undercarriage and toolkit. When you are ready to compete against the best, this is the class for you.
Preservation: 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 that are at least 20 years old.
Restoration: 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, as long as the paint color is appropriate for the year of the car.
To determine the class in which your Porsche will compete, please refer to the 2020 Parade Competition Rules section of this website, under the “Information”.
To help you get started, we have created a must-attend seminar for Concours Participants. It’s Parade Concours 101. To learn more about this seminar return to the “Concours d’Elegance section and click on the seminar button.