Vintage Porsche event coming to Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Nearly 100 vintage Porsche automobiles from 23 states and Canada will be in Cedar Rapids Aug. 23-26 participating in the Porsche 356 Holiday in the Heartland.

The four-day event will be based at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, and includes driving tours, tech sessions, swap meets and social receptions.

Highlighting the event is a Concours d'Elegance from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 26. on the Second Avenue Bridge in downtown Cedar Rapids. The cars will be grouped based upon the 12 model categories that were produced throughout the 17-year production run of the Porsche 356. The event is open to the public.

Among the vehicles to be displayed is a 1958 356A Speedster that was restored by Stalltek, an automotive repair shop in Wellman. It has received the People's Choice Award at the prestigious Road & Track Concours d'Elegance at Road America in 2008 and First in Class at the 2015 National Porsche Parade in French Lick, Ind.

The 356 was Porsche's first production automobile and is a lightweight, nimble-handling, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door sports car available in hardtop coupe and open configurations. Production started in 1948 when approximately 50 cars were built and continued until April 1965. Of the 76,000 originally produced, approximately half survive.

The Porsche 356 Registry is a 7,000-member organization of owners and enthusiasts that has fostered the preservation and perpetuation of the Porsche 356 series automobile since 1974. The group organizes one or two holidays each year.

For more information, go to heartlandholiday2017.org.