Porsche Club Cinco de Mayo Celebration 2017
On Friday May 5 through Sunday May 7, the Porsche Club of America Southern Arizona Region met at the Casino del Sol in Tucson, AZ for its annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. This year was a little more special in that the region is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The weekend festivities were kicked off with a warm-up party on Friday evening at poolside. Savory appetizers were offered under the trees in the soft glow of fire pits as members circulated and socialized. The schedule continued with the Concours d’Elegance event Saturday morning, a banquet awards dinner Saturday evening, and a Bon Voyage farewell breakfast on Sunday morning to send everyone safely home. The weather was warm, but a cooling breeze kept the temperature within the comfort range during all the outdoor activities. To supplement the Saturday concours, there were many interesting items offered in a silent auction and a raffle to support the Tucson Arthritis Support League and Arts Express Fine Arts Youth Academy charities.
It was a well-attended event with some members arriving from out of state to participate in the fun and have their car judged in the competitive concours. The car models spanned the years 1953 (a model 356) to 2017 (a 718 Cayman S). The decades of development in Porsche design were evident in the 37 vehicles on display and all were in exemplary condition; many were rare, collector-worthy specimens such as the1988 959 showing in the Special category. I had not seen some of the cars before so I had a chance to meet new people and learn about their vehicles. And they love to share.
I was in charge of creating the photo record of each vehicle so a slide show of the winning cars could be shown at the Saturday Awards Banquet dinner. With so many fine examples it was impossible to take a bad picture. One shot I especially like framed a yellow 1960 356 with the license plate THXFERY and multiple Porsche progeny in the background. One imagines that Ferry Porsche could have foreseen the evolution of the humble 356 into the 911, 968, Boxster, Panamera, and Cayenne models in the picture.
On the morning of the concours, cars began arriving at 6:30 AM and were organized on the grassy area near the pool according to judging class. And prepping for a concours is serious business. As soon as each car stopped in its position, there was a flurry of micro-fiber and cleaner to remove the last fingerprints and filtering of dust from every surface before the judges arrived. Starting precisely at 9:00 AM, thanks to the dedicated volunteers performing their registration, judging, and scoring duties, the concours went smoothly and was completed by noon.
The remainder of the early afternoon was filled with a break for lunch and browsing the auction offerings neatly presented on tables under rustling palm trees along the walkway beside the pool. The Casino del Sol was the perfect venue for club members and the general public, too, who enjoyed looking at the cars and posing next to them for pictures. The grass display area for the cars, the picturesque poolside location, and easy access to food and facilities not to mention the tempting light entertainment of the games inside provided a nice backdrop for the concours and a safe, fun environment for everyone who participated.
