On The Road in Colorado
The Colorado Grand
As those of us in Texas are totally ready for some cooler Fall weather, for the moment we can only fantasize about cooler evenings and fun motoring – even in vintage cars without modern features we take for granted like air conditioning and even tops for convertibles.
On Monday, September 14, 75-80 vintage cars, 1960 and older, will depart Vail Village in Colorado for the annual 4 day, 1,000 mile driving event, The Colorado Grand. The event began in the late 1980’s and is one of the longest running driving events in the U.S. In the spirit of a European rally event like the famed Mille Miglia, it is run on public roads and travels through small towns with townspeople out cheering the cars on, especially with the pre-planned lunch stops at small town venues.
I was fortunate to participate in seven consecutive Grand events from 1993-1999. The memories of not only the cars but the significant motoring personalities are treasured. My last two years, I drove in my 1958 Porsche Speedster, along with Jerry Seinfeld in his 1959 Speedster. You can imagine the looks from the gas station customers as Jerry and I stopped to refuel!
This is one of a few events where you don’t merely enter – you present your car and credentials and hope that you are lucky enough to be admitted. With a very long waiting list from around the world, I count myself as very fortunate to have been part of the group for those wonderful seven participations.
The cars will depart Beaver Creek with a dozen State Trooper motorcycles escorting the group throughout the event, and will enjoy certain immunities rarely experienced by motoring groups. I wish them safe travels for the next 4 days as we suffer through record breaking heat here in Dallas. At least we have good motoring weather to look forward to soon! I have event posters displayed in my garage in Carrollton for all of my Grand runs for fun memories. Come by and check them out at our next Garages & Gearheads car show, taking place the first Saturday of every month at our Carrollton garage communities.
Enjoy the Drive!!
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