Looking back, the first Parade Gimmick Rally was held 19 years ago at the 50th Porsche Parade in Hershey, PA. It was a new Parade event, inspired by the success of fun, low-key yet competitive gimmick rallies across PCA at the regional level. That first route traveled through the Lancaster Amish countryside with multiple-choice questions to answer. From 2006 to 2009, local regions hosted the Gimmick Rallies, with a variety of styles, themes and scenic countryside – from coastal San Diego to the rarefied air of Colorado.
The Gimmick Rallies since 2010 have been organized in a fairly consistent manner; an average driving time of 3 hours, with an eye to highlighting the local history, unique attractions, scenic drives and overall flavor of each Parade location – including suggested stops along the way for something that you might not otherwise see or experience anywhere else. The “gimmicks” have generally been suggested by something about the route and its possibilities that “inspires” the rallymaster…. and that changes every year. Just like a box of chocolates... you never know what you’re going to get!
For 2023, the Rally followed the famous ‘Palms to Pines National Scenic Byway’, departing from Porsche Palm Springs, climbing the mountains to Idyllwild, and then descending to Banning. Rallyist were kept busy negotiating the switchbacks just like the crew and cast in the 1963 movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” and keeping track of speed signs along the 67-mile scenic route.
2022’s Gimmick Rally in the Poconos toured the scenic and historic Delaware Water Gap area and channeled the Pocono family resort era, with entrants competing for points in a round-robin set of 9 vintage games, such as shuffleboard, badminton, bocce, croquet and even a gymkhana-style “blindfolded autocross”. It was a hoot!
2021’s “Porsche at the Movies” Rally was the first ever evening event, with a backroads of Indiana drive, a series of questions about movies featuring Porsches, and ending at the Holiday Drive-In Theater for an outdoor screening of LeMans 1971, starring Steve McQueen, the ‘King of Cool’.
2019’s rally took people to Fort Lauderdale on “Spring Break”, visiting a number of iconic, famous locations on a scavenger hunt, including Champion Porsche, the Elbo Room at the beach, and visits for ice cream, antique cars, history, and butterflies!
2018’s “Get Your Kicks on Route 66!” rally featured many iconic and historic Missouri locations along the ‘Mother Road’ whose images on vintage postcards challenged rallyists to find and confirm their current appearance and sequence along the route.
2017 was the infamous “Doozy of a Floozy” Poker Rally, crossing the border from Spokane into Idaho’s silver mining town of Wallace, over Dobson Pass, and with a fabulous-costumed cast of characters right out of the famous saloons and bordellos. This one will be hard to forget!
2016’s Covered Bridge Selfie Rally at Jay Peak in Vermont featured 16 covered bridges marked on a map. Entrants had to plot their own route to drive the lowest total mileage, and prove they found each bridge by taking a selfie.
2015 in French Lick, Indiana we ran with a horseracing theme, searching for clues and finding scavenger items at the Kentucky Derby museum and scenic surrounding towns.
2014’s Monterey scenery was incredible – both inland to Salinas and along the coastal 17-Mile Drive, and rallyists had the choice of driving either one of the routes, or both, for the overall trophy.
2013 saw Porsches going forwards or backwards around Michigan’s Mission Peninsula, passing each other every which way, with a unique selection of photos to identify along the way.
2012’s Salt Lake gimmick was all about the numbers - speed limit, caution and grade signs – adding and subtracting your way through the gorgeous mountain passes.
2011’s route traveled from Savannah to and through the unique Low Country islands and southern charm of Beaufort, South Carolina, with an eye for the signs.
2010’s St. Charles rally followed the Lincoln Highway through Illinois using a Jeopardy-themed Q and A.
Gimmick Rally Chair
Ellen Beck