Events
Coming up
Ferraris   by Serial Number
Maseratis   by Serial Number
Gallery
Mercato
Victories
Search
Art & More
Literature
Address Book
Archive
Info
 Home
Price Development
Parts and    Restoration
Culinaria
Contact
250 TR s/n 0736TR, 250 GT SWB Berlinetta s/n 2985GT & 250 GT LWB Berlinetta "TdF" s/n 0905GT
Pirro.com

5/2/2023, 12:31:24 PM cet

Top of Page

Colorado Grand

Beaver Creek, 11 September, 2000

The twelth running of the Colorado Grand historic rally took place in perfect weather conditions, totally in contrast to the 1999 event, when entrants encountered torrential rain and even snow on the higher passes.

Great Weather
This year all they encountered were clear blue skies and daytime temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees, making the whole event a much more pleasurable experience. This gave them the opportunity to revel in joy of driving on the almost deserted scenic byways, that the route took through the spectacular scenery that Colorado has to offer.

Great Organisation
Since the last running, the organisation had lost the founder and driving force of the event, Bob Sutherland, who died in November 1999, and many thought that it couldn’t continue without his presence at the helm. However, his dedicated team decided that the best tribute to his efforts over the years, in fact the most fitting tribute, was to ensure that they continued the tradition of which he was the progenitor, so the Grand goes on !

Great Causes
One important aspect of the event, apart from the fact that it brings great cars to a beautiful place for a marvellous social touring rally, is that all the proceeds go to charity. During the first eleven years over $1.2 million dollars have been donated to a wide range of worthy causes, and to continue this good work was one of the prime aims in continuing with the legacy that Bob Sutherland had left.

Great Cars
Monday 16 September was a leisurely day for event registration at The Charter hotel in Beaver Creek, where by the end of the day a total of sixteen Ferraris could be counted on the eighty three car entry list. This figure doesn’t include the McCaw brothers back-up car to their pair of Testa Rossa entries, an earlier example, chassis number 0736TR . The first gathering of all the entrants was for a welcome dinner, held in the evening at the ski station above Beaver Creek. This was reached by chair lift, or bus for those of a less adventurous nature. That said, the return journey by bus, which was obligatory, down the dirt mountain road in pitch black, accompanied by the smell of fried brakes, was not for the faint hearted !

The eclectic array of cars on the entry list ranged from a 1916 Lancia Kappa, which had a surprising turn of speed for its age, through a 1932 Studebaker Special speedway racer, pre-war Alfa Romeos, Bentleys,  Aston Martin, and Bugattis, including a genuine Type 57C Atlantic coupe, and another Type 57 rebodied in the same style, through post-war rarities like a Cunningham C1 plus a C4R, a Kellison J2 Roadster, a Kurtis 500M, plus numerous Jaguars, Porsches, etc, and the epitome of the American sports car, the lurid orange and white 1956 Chevrolet Corvette of Phil and Martha Bachman, which has participated in every running of the Grand.

Great Scenery
The participants departed from The Charter on a slightly chilly Tuesday morning, but by ten o’clock it was warm enough for sleeveless shirts, and the only time that anything more was needed for the rest of the event, was occasionally in the late evening. The route took the caravan southwards to Salida for the lunch stop picnic in a park by the river, where the trees provided some respite from the blazing sun, which can burn very quickly in the thin atmosphere. The afternoon section of the route took the participants west to the overnight stop at another ski resort, Crested Butte, all the while through an ever changing scenic pattern. It could be narrow mountain passes climbing and falling around the sides of the range, or long straight blasts across highland plains, sometimes scrubland and other parts seemingly well cultivated rich farmland.

Even Greater Scenery
The Wednesday took everybody further west via a lunch stop at Hotchkiss, where they were serenaded by a local band during the picnic, through to Grand Junction. The morning section took the cavalcade round the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. From the rest area at Pioneer Point you are able to peer down an almost sheer drop of  about 600 metres, no good if you suffer from vertigo ! The afternoon route actually took the cars further west past the overnight stop, to take in the Colorado National Monument. This is a 28 square mile national park, and if you can only visit one place in Colorado this should be it, the scenery is so varied, and totally awesome. Colorado has some truly spectacular scenery, virtually around any bend in the road to the west of Interstate 25, but the beauty in this park is beyond belief in such a relatively small area. Thursday was the longest driving day covering 510 km, the trail went south to the Southernmost point on the route, Durango, before kicking north to the overnight stop at Tamarron. Friday was the last driving day, and also the second longest in terms of distance, as it took the party all the way north, back to their staring point at Beaver Creek, having covered over 1700 kilometres.

The final day of the event at beaver Creek, comprised of a Concours de Non-Elegance for all the surviving cars, which were displayed in as finished the rally condition, and a brunch with charity auction.

Just Great
Great weather, great cars, great company, great organisation, great scenery, great food and drink, how many ”greats" can one take in a week !

Keith Bluemel

250 GT LWB California Spyder s/n 1073GT  "Fill'em up"
410 SuperAmerica s/n 0479SA
250 TR s/n 0768TR
250 TR59 Fantuzzi Spyder s/n 0766TR
250 TR s/n 0768TR
250 TR s/n 0736TR
250 TR59 Fantuzzi Spyder s/n 0766TR
250 TR s/n 0736TR, 250 GT SWB Berlinetta s/n 2985GT & 250 GT LWB Berlinetta "TdF" s/n 0905GT
250 TR s/n 0736TR
212 Export Touring Barchetta s/n 0158ED
250 GT SWB California Spyder s/n 2377GT
250 TR s/n 0766TR & 250 TR s/n 0768TR
250 TR s/n 0768TR
250 GT LWB Berlinetta "TdF" s/n 0555GT
166 MM/53 s/n 0342M
250 GT Drogo Speciale s/n 0977GT
250 GT LWB california Spyder s/n 1073GT
250 GT Boano Coupe s/n 0525GT
410 SuperAmerica s/n 0479SA
340 MM Vignale Spyder s/n 0350AM
250 GT Drogo Speciale s/n 0977GT & Bugatti T57 Atlantic Rebody
250 GT SWB California Spyder s/n 1883GT
 Previous page
 Next page
Up
250 TR s/n 0768TR
Barchetta 
The Classic and Sports Car Portal
Find your dream car !

... where you find your dream car

Created with StudioLine
Tweet