Contributed by Christopher Dyer
Back in early October, 000 Magazine hosted their fifth “Rare Shades” event. Not familiar? Keep reading!
Rare Shades is an annual event held at a different location each year celebrating Porsches in custom and unusual colors. It’s essentially a highly organized cars and coffee, but exclusive for Porsches of rare and unusual colors. So don’t expect to see 50 of your basic silver Porsches here. I was fortunate enough to have attended the very first Rare Shades event which was held at Canepa in August, 2018. I didn’t attend other events as they were held in different states, but Rare Shades 5 was held in Marin County… at Skywalker Ranch.
000 Magazine is a very special magazine dedicated exclusively to all things Porsche. Exquisitely printed, incredible photography, collector grade for sure—and should be as it’s a quarterly magazine that will cost you $250 a year to subscribe, unless you want the hard-bound “Subscription S” which will run you just under $1000. That may seem pricey, but the wealth of information, and the stunning quality of literally everything about it makes it an invaluable resource to the true Porschephile. The people who run this magazine, and the show, are some of the most die-hard Porsche enthusiasts you’ll ever meet. And that passion shows in the pages of the magazine, as well as the events they host.
Getting into Skywalker Ranch is just about impossible unless you happen to work for Lucasfilm. When Rare Shades 5 announced it was being held at Skywalker Ranch, I knew immediately I had to attend (aside from being a Porsche fan/owner, I’m also a fan of Star Wars… who isn’t?). However, the cost was steep, which was really unusual as Rare Shades events are historically free. However, due to specific requirements of Skywalker Ranch, a $100 per-head fee had to be levied.
If you wanted to show your car, you had to apply and be approved. Not all “rare shades” were accepted, but somehow my 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera in Orient Red Metallic made the cut. If you didn’t make the cut, your $100 still got you in as a spectator. But once inside the gates, you were treated to some of the nicest and most interesting Porsches in the most rare, unusual, and interesting colors.
Even though the requirements to get in were rigid (vaccination status, cost, limited capacity, etc.), the event was very relaxed and casual. It was exclusive, as only 100 cars were on display, and only 400 people were permitted to be in attendance. I’m much more a fan of vintage cars than I am modern cars, but there was plenty of both varieties to tickle anyone’s fancy. There was also plenty of free snacks, such as pastries from the Skywalker Ranch cafe, unique tiny donuts that were fresh and made-to-order, and Marqued was there to promote their new digital platform for car enthusiasts, they also gave away free Porsche themed socks. FYI – both 000 Magazine and Marqued are Bay area based businesses—support the locals!
The cars at the event were displayed very well. Essentially, they were setup in sections… so shades of gray and black were together, reds, greens, blues, whites, and so on and so forth. It was refreshing to see so many unique colors together in one place. It really makes you realize just how special so many of these cars really are—and the people who own them. Walking around and looking at the cars, talking with the owners, and even the vendors, was like chatting with old friends—even when I had just met most of them for the first time. The atmosphere was great. Maybe the picturesque scenery and perfect weather that day had something to do with it, but everything seemed to be right with the world during that time (and that’s not an easy feeling to accomplish during these times).
Please enjoy some of the photos below, and keep your eyes open for Rare Shades 6, which will happen some time in 2022.
