A can’t miss spectacle for enthusiasts of all ages is the Concours d’Elegance racecar parade on Friday night, which ran from the track through downtown Elkhart Lake to where the cars park along Lake Street from 6-8 pm – Cars departed from Road America around 6 pm. Throngs of people fill the town and lined the street. Led by a pace car and directed by the police from the track the quiet town is taken over by millions of dollars worth of vintage racing cars. The sound, while not as visceral as being at the track itself is unique in that you are seeing the pinnacle of vintage motoring rumble through public roads.
Crowds leaned in and listened, fans whistled and threw their arms in the air. Standing ten feet from a 1,000 hp big block Can Am car, or the beyond mad 80’s Formula 1 turbo cars as they idle, shoot fire, and rev by you is a sensation that goes beyond hearing. Feeling some of the cars that once pushed the limits hard enough to ban driving down what could be Main Street in anywhere USA is inexplicably cool. As the cars parked crowd filters through the street to stand inches away from legends like the Porsche 917, 908, 906, Ferrari 312 and 312pb, Lola T165, 911 RSR’s, Shelby GT 350’s, and on and on and on.
