32nd Colorado Grand Classic Car Rally: Driving in the Last Paradise

Gary Allen, Master Trooper for the Colorado State Patrol, whom everyone here calls “Bear”, stands up and almost has tears in his eyes as he waves goodbye. The Colorado Grand attendees banquet room at the Vail Grand Hyatt Hotel applauds incessantly. “Bear” was at this year’s Colorado Grand for the last time – after 17 appearances. The policeman will retire next June. Once again a sign of why the Colorado Grand is a classic car rally like no other in the world, because the state troopers are an integral part of the four days of almost 1,800 kilometers across the Rocky Mountains. The motors, as the police officers from Colorado State Control are called here in the field, accompany the rally from the first to the last mile. “It’s like family here,” says trooper Gary “Bear” Allen, “it’s more than a job for us, because it’s a lot of fun.”

The Colorado Grand is a rally that takes place every year in autumnal Colorado and not only attracts classic car fans from the USA, Mexico and Canada. One or two Europeans have also heard of this spectacular classic event, which has the reputation of having no speed limits. “Of course we adhere to the applicable speed limits here,” explains Jorgen Christiansen, one of the event organizers, “but the troopers always give you the opportunity to drive out your own car when the road is clear.” The rest of the rally participants have to read between the lines. The fact that the rally was twice booked for its 32nd staging shows that it has a very special character and an incomparably casual charm. This year, the number of participants was limited from over 120 to just under 100 vehicles due to the corona. Traditionally, vintage cars up to 1960 are allowed to take part. Unlike the Mille Miglia or the Ennstal Classic, the Colorado Grand is not a regularity drive with special tests on tubes and light barriers. Here in the state of Colorado you drive for pleasure and without compulsive sporting demands at altitudes between 1,700 and 4,000 meters over some of the most beautiful roads that you can explore in the USA – if possible at a very brisk gallop, while dream panoramas, mountain ranges and plateaus fly by .

The range of vehicles is no less spectacular than the route itself, which is adjusted every year. Since it goes high and is driven sharply, a correspondingly generous engine power does not harm, because an ordinary classic car ride looks different than the Grand. Here, with the state law enforcement officers in their luggage, they mostly drive in the upper speed range when going up to the old gold rush town of Leadville, climbing the massive mountain walls around Grand Junction or jetting from the ski paradise Steamboat over the plateaus to Wyoming. Wherever you stop – with the stopovers in Walden, Encampment, Salida or Meeker – the family character of the event is incomparable. Whether it’s a multi-million dollar car collector, local police officer, children, mayor or the countless hardworking hands that provide entertainment, organization and catering – you get along wonderfully and enjoy the historic cars. Every break just takes a little longer – a pleasure without any time constraints. For many of the smaller towns, the passage of almost one hundred participants with a corresponding lunch or coffee stop is no less than the highlight of the entire year.

The Colorado Grand is the perfect environment and just the right place to simply run your sports or touring car. “You will have enough possibility to stretch your legs”, as Piney, a Strate Trooper, relaxedly mentions. Many vehicles in the field have the star on the bonnet, because the Mercedes 300 SL in particular has enjoyed great popularity among the participants at the Colorado Grand for years. If there are long uphill sections, the open 300 is an ideal choice to savor the 215 hp and enjoy the view. But Aston Martin DB4 GT, Porsche 356, Lancia Aurelia or Ferrari 250 SWB also provide sonorous sound and brisk speeds in the field. Some participants are there with real racing machines from history. Highly decorated racers like the Ferrari Testa Rossa 59, Maserati Tipo or Jaguar C-Type roar shamelessly through the canyons and gorges of one of the most beautiful states in the USA. And where in the wild can you see a 1928 Bentley 4 ½ liter, 1958 Scarab MK II or a 1955 Kurtis 500 KK? One or the other vehicle that shows its motorsport skills at the Colorado Grand could also be admired at the Pebble Beach Concours. Many classics in the field are worth millions.

There is a good reason that the troopers have been part of the entourage with their no less sporty motorcycles since the start of the rally over 30 years ago. In addition to the driving pleasure of the participants, the rally has a charitable purpose as more than 7.2 million US dollars have been donated over the years. Donations are eagerly made in the towns through which the rally drives each year. For kindergartens, hospitals or people in need – as we know it in the USA, quite publicly with the appropriate naming of the amount and beneficiary. The widows and orphans of the state troopers, who have received two million US dollars in the past few years, also benefit from this. “That is precisely why we are grateful to be part of this rally and the large Colorado Grand Family,” says Piney Harris. However, you should know where to give your classics the right amount of exercise. The local sheriffs are only too happy to pester the rally participants – the troopers on their motorcycles can then no longer do anything. One or the other participant knows how to sing a song about it.