Before you die, you must go to Colorado Grand Is the One Event.

Before you die, you must go to Colorado Grand Is the One Event.

You don’t need a Bugatti to achieve this, although that probably wouldn’t hurt.
The annual Colorado Grand is the best place and best people to display your classic car.

Auctioneer David Gooding said that the Colorado Grand is one of the best car rallies and tours in the world. This year, he drove a Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet Series I. Gooding said the Grand’s beauty combined with his experience traveling through it made it one of the best experiences of his life. But if you look west from Denver, you see the towering buildings of the Rocky Mountains, folded from the dry, hot, hard plains like a rug pressed against the wall by an overexcited dog, its broken Chips and folds form jagged peaks against autumn colors.

You can easily travel from Denver to New Orleans by dropping a marble in the middle of the country. Next, let it roll through the country until it rolls into the Gulf of Mexico. Colorado’s western part — specifically the Grand — features a Marble Mountain, which is where the Rockies begin.

Cars are cool too. For 33 years, the Colorado Grand, founded by the late Bob Sutherland, has brought together some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world. If you look at the entry for the Mille Miglia or the earlier Targa Florios, you might recognize these cars. The Grand has had some truly outstanding entries in the past.

“Some of the most unusual luxury cars include Bill Evans’ 1903 Mercedes, Richard Proctor’s Squire, Dr. Williamson, Bruce McCaw’s 300SLR and six years ago. A package (Ferrari) GTO,” said Frank Barrett, retired route planner at Grandes and former editor of The Star, the Mercedes-Benz club magazine. “Somehow we always seem to have at least one Cunningham at the Grand – road or race.”

There were more post-war cars that year than there were before the war. Here are some highlights:

Alfa Romeo: 1931 6C 1750 GS, 1940 SC Touring Berlinetta, 1943 6C 2500 SS Spider and Giuliettas that shake more than one camshaft.

Aston Martin: 1959 DB Mk III, 1959 DB4GT, 1964 DB 4GT Zagato.

Bentley: 4.5 liters to the horizon, 8 in total, two 8 liters and some special bodywork.

Ferrari: There are six different models of the 250 GT, two 400 Superamericas, a 212 and a 750 Monza Spider Corsa.

Jaguar: 4 XK120, 1 XK140, 1 C-Type, 1 D-Type and 1 XKSS.

Lancia: Two beautiful B24 spiders.

Maserati: One 1956 A6GCS, two 200S, one 250S and two 300S.

Mercedes-Benz: Eight 300 SL Roadsters, two Gullwings and a 1969 280 SL that somehow got in.

Porsche: No less than 21,356 and a 1961 Abarth Carrera GT/L.

If you wanted to complain, what would you complain about? 356 too many? Too many Jag XKs? Come on, there’s a 1955 Kurtis SS500, a 1951 Cunningham C2R and an OSCA 372 FS this year that you don’t see on Cars ‘n Coffee.

How did you choose your car?

“It’s 1960 or earlier,” says Grand Chairman Tom Horan, his 150-watt smile that keeps all the wheels turning.

There are exceptions.

“The caveat is that if they were built like the 300 SL in 1960 and remained largely unchanged for a few years, they could still come. But the deadline is usually 1960.”

They always strive for the perfect combination, even when things get out of hand sometimes. Take this year’s 356 for example.

“We have a lot of 356s this year, but I think we only take 7 or 8 a year, and maybe 19 here (there are 21). Some people said, ‘Okay, what do you want, my Alfa 8C, my 300 SL or my 356? “Then we said, ‘Take the Alfa 8C. “Then they go a month before the Grand, ‘You know, those transfers don’t work very well. So I’ll take the 356.

In every life, there must be a little rain. But if you drive fast enough, the rain will fly over the roof no matter what.

Shanda is open to all and it is not impossible to enter.

“This year we have 175 (applications) out of 95 places. So it’s about people and cars and getting some new people on board…it’s become a big family. I try to have at least 12-15 new people a year. , I don’t want it to be called bloc and ‘don’t bother applying’.”

So apply! You will have fun!

“It’s definitely my favorite, no ifs, no buts,” said Tom Glory, yes, racer and owner of the championship-winning Trans-Am team.

“Oh, great,” said collector Rick Rawlins, who raced the Mille Miglia in Italy and drove one of those 21,356 cars this year with his son Grant. “I drove the Mille three times. That’s a lot lower, more reserved. A lot less stressful.”

“We have these very unique cars, which gives us the opportunity to use them in a different way than just sitting in the garage. We can actually get them out, drive them on the road, and enjoy the cars ourselves,” Houston Collection Home David Dutu said he has been using the Grand Drive-Thru service since 2001. These kids have never seen this type of car – and many older people have never seen them. When they come out, the fact that we’re able to do that and raise money for charity is going to be really exciting. ”

While many of these tours are run as for-profit companies, the Grand is strictly for charity. Grand not only writes checks to United Way, but also donates the money raised to the towns it passes through.

“We asked the city, ‘What do you need?’ They came up with something different,” Chairman Horan said.

Over the years, Grand has purchased or helped purchase everything from ambulances to life pine for the local fire department. Sometimes it’s a much-needed medical device or night vision goggles for rescue helicopter pilots.

“A few years ago, Walden, Colorado had the only medical clinic within 100 miles. So we bought them a new mammography machine for $25,000,” Horan said. “Every lunch break, we give a $9,000 scholarship to a high school senior who goes to college in Colorado. We let them (recipients) come back after college, and in four or five years, we’ll be in town Eat lunch, walk around, and thank the adults. For many of them, this is the first family member to go to college from these small towns.”

Most of the money goes to the fund for the state trooper escorting grand.

“It’s called the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation, and it supports the families of officers who have been injured or killed in the line of duty. The officers’ kids are all getting college scholarships. I think about $3 million of the $8 million raised so far has given away to the State Patrol Family Foundation.”

Some attendees also donated to charities when they were unable to attend the gala in person. That’s enough to get rid of the cynicism of some “Ferrari tycoons.”

Check it out at co1000.com. And pull the Type 57 Atlantic out of the barn.

“It’s very unique, first, it’s fun, but second, you get the satisfaction you get from being part of the donation,” Dutou said. “That’s the most important thing, share your time.”