Porsche Parade Gimmick Rally History
Looking back, the first Parade Gimmick Rally was held in 2005 at the 50th Porsche Parade in Hershey, PA. It was a new Parade event, inspired by the success of the fun, low-key gimmick rallies held across PCA on 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. Beginning in 2010, when Parades began being organized by a national team, Ellen Beck accepted the Gimmick Rally Chair challenge and has been creating a new rally each year.
The Gimmick Rallies are designed to highlight 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 developed by something unique about the route and its possibilities that inspire the rally master…. and that changes every year. The competitive aspect of solving the gimmick has inspired some entrants to go to great lengths to get every answer correct, while others just enjoy a day out and about in their Porsche. Parade entrants who have a rental car or tow vehicle are also welcomed, and three competitive categories are now available: 2 People, 2 People Plus Passengers, and the PCA Juniors Family class.
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, such as the Wagon Wheel Motel, where the task was to match vintage postcard images with their current appearance.
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” featured 16 covered bridges marked on a map. Entrants had to plot their own route and come back with the lowest total mileage, and also prove they found each bridge by taking a selfie.
2015 in French Lick, Indiana we ran “The Rally for the Roses” with a horseracing theme, searching for clues and finding scavenger items at the Kentucky Derby museum at Churchill Downs and scenic surrounding towns.
2014’s Monterey scenery was incredible – both inland and along the coast, 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 and southern charm of South Carolina, with an eye for the signs.
2010 St. Charles rally followed the Lincoln Highway through Illinois using a Jeopardy-themed Q and A.
Hope you continue to enjoy Parade Rallies in the future! Ellen Beck | Parade Gimmick Rally Master