Concours d'Elegance refers to the gathering of prestigious cars and dates back to the 17th Century French Aristocracy who paraded their horse-drawn carriages through the parks of Paris during summer weekends and holidays. Over time, carriages became horseless and the gatherings became a competition among the owners on the appearance of their automobiles.
The Porsche Parade Concours d'Elegance is the premier Parade competition event and the highlight of Parade week. The Concours 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.
This year's Concours will come to life on the picturesque, tree-lined French Lick Resort Driving Range on Monday, July 12. Judging will begin promptly at 9:00 AM. The show will feature a stunning Historic Display themed "Blow the Lid Off Summer". Be sure to stay for the awards ceremony and watch the First Place award recipients have the honor of driving their car to the award platform to receive their award. They will also be recognized at the Concours Banquet on Tuesday evening along with the "Overall Group" awards, "People's Choice" award, the "Honorary Judge's Choice" award, and the special awards for "Level of Achievement".
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, 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 in the Parade Concours d'Elegance:
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 three classes:
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 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.
Full: The Full Concours division subjects all areas of the car to an evaluation, even the undercarriage, and the toolkit. When you are ready to compete against the best in Concours, this is the class for you.
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, Certification 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 class in which your Porsche will compete, please refer to the 2021 Parade Competition Rules (PCR's) section of this website under "Information & More".