Werks Reunion Amelia Island Porsche Judging

The PCA Werks Reunion Amelia Island is one of the first events of the Amelia Car Weekend with 600+ Porsches scheduled to come together on Friday, March 6, 2020 at the Amelia River Golf Club. There are two options to participate: 1) Judged category 2) Parking Corral.

In previous years Air Brigade has been in the Parking Corral with the 997.1 Turbo as it is a nicer ride and drive for the 6.5-hour drive from Asheville to Amelia Island. I am not really a show car guy either though I have had previous Porsches in the Concours d’Elegance of America and Eyes on Design Concours. The Parking Corral was always just fine.

This year Werks Reunion Amelia Island is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Porsche 914. Being a 914 owner I decided to enter. My first hesitation was to have my driver 914 being judged in a PCA show. Porsche PCA judges are notoriously picky and my 914 is not a concours 914 since I regularly drive it. But it looks really nice in the Phoenix Red (orange) color and presents very well for a very stock, carefully maintained original 1973 Porsche 914 2.0. It is my belief that original stock 914’s are few and far between.

Before committing to the Judged category, I did a quick review of the judging rules to understand the criteria. This is how it was described on the PCA Werks Reunion web site.

Werks Reunion was created by the Porsche Club of America as an event to celebrate both the Porsche marque as well as the camaraderie of being an enthusiast. This is not a contest of who has removed dust from the deepest crevices in their Porsche but rather a judged show that rewards a Porsche that has been lovingly maintained and presents itself well on the field. Our judges do not use Porsche Parade Concours score sheets but rather rank the cars according to certain attributes discussed prior to judging. There are no score sheets returned or protest committees. This is a casual gathering of Porsche enthusiasts focused on having fun rather than solely competition.

I liked the sound of these judging criteria and decided a little further investigation was necessary. The 356 Registry had a forum thread on the subject. The idea by PCA was to draw more cars into the show by allowing cars that are driven as they were intended as opposed to gaining a field full of garage Queens. This format allows a Porsche that is less than perfect to beat out a fresh, perfect restored Porsche.

So, my 1973 Porsche 914 2.0 was entered with the hope that the rules might favor it in the stock class: original, stock, three-owner and driven the 500 miles from Asheville to Amelia Island.

The plan is to drive the back roads of South Carolina and Georgia as opposed to the freeways. This will give me a chance to see a little America in a less hectic driving situation in a 47-year old Porsche. A Porsche 914 is a pretty basic car with minimum sound insulation; power nothing and an old original Blaupunkt radio that doesn’t draw in many stations. Just like in 1973. I can’s whine too much about a 500-mile trip within my Air Brigade brethren as one member recently drove their 1950 356A Cab 2,500 miles one-way to the 356 Holiday Gathering. Another just drove their Porsche 912 1,300 miles from Asheville to Kerrville, Texas for the Texas Hill Country Rallye.

My prep for the 2020 Werks Reunion Amelia Island was a pretty basic cleanup:

• Waxing

• Interior cleaning and vacuuming

• Aluminum wheel polishing

• Black Rubber molding color freshening

• Detail with Q-tips in cracks and crevices wheel dust and dirt accumulated over 47 years

• Glass cleaning inside and out

• Check the oil, tire pressures and change the wiper blades

It is supposed to rain on Thursday so the car will get dirty and will require a good cleanup early in the morning before it hits the show field at 7:00 a.m. on Friday March 6, 2020. Here is the schedule for the day:

7:00 AM Registration opens

7:00 - 9:00 AM Cars placed on the judged field

All Day Porsche Corral open

7:00 - 10:00 AM Breakfast and coffee available

9:30 - 12:00 PM Judging

10:00 - 4:00 PM Bar stocked with a wide variety of beers and wines

10:30 - 12:00PM Youth Judging sponsored by Hagerty.

11:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch available from onsite vendors

2:00 - 3:00 PM Awards Ceremony

ALL DAY View cars, socialize, have fun!

See you in Amelia!

Werks Reunion Amelia Island Event Location

Amelia River Golf Club

4477 Buccaneer Trail,

Amelia Island, Florida

Tags: Werks Reunion Amelia Island, Amelia Island Car Week, Porsche 914, Porsche Club of America, PCA