A 27-minute video featured in Autoweek’s October 5, 2026 article offers a look at the Colorado Grand, a non-competitive charity tour for classic sports and racing cars. The event’s route changes from year to year; in 2026, the tour began and ended in Vail and crossed several Colorado mountain passes.
What the video shows
Autoweek’s account of the 2026 event describes a field that included Aston Martin DB4s, Ferrari 250 GTs, original Testarossas, a Maserati 300 S, a Jaguar D-Type, an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, Porsche 356s and Mercedes Gullwings. These are the cars identified in the article’s description; the source does not establish a full vehicle-by-vehicle inventory or identify every car’s exact year.
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The title’s “1,000 miles” refers to the scale of the tour, not a single race or fixed course. The Colorado Grand describes its event as roughly 1,000 miles, typically over five days. The route varies by year, so the 2026 itinerary should not be treated as a permanent one.
What the Colorado Grand is
Founded in 1989, the Colorado Grand is an annual, non-competitive tour for distinguished sports and racing cars. The organizer says it is held in September and describes a typical field of approximately 85 cars. These are general descriptions, not guaranteed figures for every edition. The event’s purpose includes charitable giving: the organizer says proceeds support rural medical clinics, arts organizations, local 4H clubs, scholarships and other Colorado charities.
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The Colorado Grand’s homepage reported more than $11 million in donations since 1989 in 2026. Separately, a December 4, 2025 organizer news post said the event had donated more than $1 million after the 2025 edition. Those figures refer to different time periods and should not be conflated.
The 2026 route behind the footage
The official 2026 application scheduled check-in in Vail on Monday, September 14, with the tour running September 15–18 and concluding with an awards banquet and live charity auction on Friday, September 18. The event ran September 14–19 overall, starting and finishing in Vail.
The published itinerary described a changing route through Salida, Crested Butte, Lake City, Gunnison, Snowmass, Hotchkiss and Meeker. The cars were scheduled to drive about 250 miles each day from Tuesday through Friday, with mountain passes including Cottonwood, Independence, McClure and Grand Mesa along the way. For the detailed year-specific schedule, see the Colorado Grand’s 2026 application itinerary.
Which cars can enter?
The organizer’s general eligibility guidance is for sports and sports-racing cars from 1960 or earlier. It allows limited exceptions for later examples of models whose production began before 1960 and continued relatively unchanged. Eligibility is determined by the event, so a car’s age alone does not establish that it qualifies.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Competition for places is substantial: the official FAQ says the event receives about 175 applications for around 90 places. For current rules and application details, consult the Colorado Grand FAQ.
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Watching versus attending
The video is the most direct way to see the tour without being an entrant. The organizer says spectators are welcome to see the cars and meet their owners, but the available official information does not establish a detailed spectator timetable. Check the event’s official homepage for current public-access information rather than assuming a past schedule applies.
What entrants need to know about the mountain route
The official FAQ says the route typically crosses passes above 11,500 feet. For participants, it recommends checking cooling systems, brakes and tires and carrying car-specific spares and equipment. Its list includes belts, hoses, ignition components, a fuel pump, oil and filter, a spare tire, jack, lug wrench, fire extinguisher, second keys and tools suited to the entrant’s car.
Entrants and crew are also asked to bring a driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance to check-in. The event says its own mechanics travel along the route.
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The Colorado Grand’s official homepage characterizes the event as a relaxed tour rather than a timed competition. Martin W. Brauns calls it “the finest vintage rally/tour in our country and perhaps even the world,” presenting that as his personal opinion and noting his experience with events including the Mille Miglia and California Mille.
The 2026 video’s appeal is the combination of rare cars and a route through Colorado’s mountain scenery, with the charity mission running alongside the driving. Its itinerary and field are specific to that edition; future routes, dates and participation figures may differ.
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