Porsche Centre North Toronto Hosts a Memorable First Driving Tour
NOT EVEN THE LOOMING DARK CLOUDS and threat of rain could keep our Porsche Club of America, Upper Canada Region crew from enjoying an exhilarating Sunday drive on September 15th as Porsche Centre North Toronto opened its doors to an enthusiastic group of Porsche fans — sponsoring a day of car talk, great driving, wonderful refreshments and even more car talk, on its inaugural driving tour, aptly named the Enthusiast Cruise.
Guests were warmly greeted as they came through the dealership doors by our hosts for the day’s events, Graham MacNab, Managing Director of Porsche Centre North Toronto, and Adriano Bernaudo, Marketing Manager for PCNT. This was PCNT’s first time hosting a driving tour and they accepted the challenge with real gusto.
Located at 165 Yorkland Boulevard on the northeast corner of where the 401 and 404 intersect, Porsche Centre North Toronto boasts a massive 28-car showroom and service bays so spotlessly clean that one could eat off the floors. We were given the opportunity to walk the showroom floor and gawk at all of the beautiful Porsches on display — the jewel in the crown sitting front and centre was the PCNT-sponsored GT3 Cup car, a 460-horsepower behemoth that looks fast even while sitting perfectly still. Photographers and videographers were on hand to capture the day’s events.
With a solid turn-out everyone was looking forward to another great Sunday drive and the team at PCNT did not disappoint. Our rally start point was at the dealership with a variety of Porsches all lined up and ready to roll at 9 a.m. Breakfast treats and much-needed coffee were served to guests as the PCNT team went over the day’s agenda, providing safety tips and laying out the planned driving route.
Skies were overcast and threatening to open up with torrents of rain spirits as the caravan of 25 Porsches, equipped with maps and dealer-supplied walkie talkies, departed just before 10 a.m.
Skies were overcast and threatening to open up with torrents of rain spirits as the caravan of 25 Porsches, equipped with maps and dealer-supplied walkie talkies, departed just before 10 a.m. Our route took us from the dealership, south on the Don Valley Parkway, a real dream to drive on a low-traffic Sunday morning, and east on Lakeshore Boulevard, winding down Kingston Road and ending up at our first stop, beautiful Bluffers Park in Scarborough.
Heads spun wildly around as the long line of Porsches entered the park and lined up in a section of the parking lot that we were able to secure all to ourselves. The range of models and model years is always what makes these meets an exciting event and when you think that you know a lot about a specific model you’re pleasantly surprised when you learn something new in talking with other fellow enthusiasts. The skies finally opened up on us as we talked cars and the rain barreled down. Hard to believe that a few of these rides have never seen rain before but it was unavoidable on this day.
The drive through the Kleinburg area was amazing, roaring down back country roads with a few blind turns and a healthy amount of twists thrown in to make for an interesting adventure.
While the weather was then pretty miserable and damp, our spirits continued high on the next leg of the drive which took us up Brimley Road to the 401, heading west and then north on Highway 400. The drive through the Kleinburg area was amazing, roaring down back country roads with a few blind turns and a healthy amount of twists thrown in to make for an interesting adventure. Some of us found out that launching in the rain on slick wet roads with all that pent-up Porsche power made for a harrowing experience but everyone took it in stride.
We ended our Enthusiast Cruise driving tour at 355 Confederation Parkway in Vaughan, home of Engineered Automotive. With a collection of cars in its stables ranging from high-end Rolls-Royces, hot rods, muscle cars, classics and rare and hard-to-find Japanese imports, Engineered Automotive is any die-hard car lover’s ultimate dream come true. We were all treated to a delicious, filling and authentic German schnitzel lunch and were given full run of the place. What an opportunity to spend the time admiring all of the amazing vehicles on display both in the EA showroom and in its massive garage. There was even soft-serve ice cream being served up from an old-school ice cream truck stationed in the parking lot — a fitting end to a delicious lunch and fantastic day of driving. Soft-serve ice cream always makes the day less dreary and I think that the rain even let up a little.
Thanks to the dedication, support and sponsorship of organizers at Porsche Centre North Toronto — an excellent first driving tour of which I hope there will be many more. Until then! </>
Story by Cedrick Abary, UCR Member | Photos by Motion and Still Inc.
