Porsche Club of America, Chicago Region

The area Chicago covers

PCA assigns members to a region by primary residence, and anyone living in northern Illinois or Northwest Indiana goes to Chicago, per the region’s membership page, which puts membership above 4,100. The home page dates the region to 1957 as the Chicago-Milwaukee region, the sixth in the country. It became the Chicago Region in 1960 when Milwaukee formed its own, and it sits in PCA’s Zone 13.

The region’s history page, drawn from articles its historian wrote for the 50th anniversary, sets the scene. In 1957 the Chicago area had nineteen sports car clubs, and Porsche owners shared one problem: parts and service. Several owners made the trip to the second Porsche Parade in Washington, came home confirmed PCA members, and the national club suggested they start a region of their own. Thirty-four Porsches turned out for the organizing meeting, and the first rallye started from Chicago and Milwaukee at the same time.

Socials, shows and the gala

Most events fall on spring, summer and fall weekends, per the membership page. Porsches and Pastries is the season’s morning social, often with a no-pressure Show ’n Shine where only the exterior is judged for cleanliness and everyone votes for People’s Choice. The concours page lists four judged Show ’n Shine and concours events from May through September, a Concours School each March and a Judges’ School each April, and the Geneva Concours in August with Porsches parked on Campbell Street.

The 2026 season closes with a fall tech and social session at Jeff Kruger Motorsports in Lake Villa on 7 November, with a GT3 and a factory Cup car side by side; the last Porsches and Pastries, combined with a Toys for Tots drive, at Labriola Ristorante in Oak Brook on 14 November from 9am to 11:30am; and the Annual Awards and Dinner Dance Gala at the Chez Hotel in Arlington Heights on 12 December.

Charity runs through the year. Each year the board picks a Charity of the Year from causes members nominate, with a preference for local groups that serve children. For 2026 it chose two: CASA of McHenry County and The Spring Foundation.

Driving

The region offers two driving tours a year, one in spring and one in fall, usually two or three days to a destination, with hotel room blocks, group dinners and a preference for country roads over interstates. The tours themselves typically carry no charge. For members driving on their own, the Great Drives library posts Chicago-area routes as Google Maps links and GPX and KMZ files, including a lakefront drive through the city and one along the historic park and boulevard system. Time-speed-distance rallyes start with a Rallye School and a Fun Rallye, then five more through the year.

For track days, the drivers ed page lists Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit and Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Michigan. It recommends Blackhawk for a first event: the novice day falls at the end of April or the start of May, with an assigned instructor and a Zoom classroom beforehand, and the Precision Driving School runs a week or two earlier. Electric and open-wheel cars are not allowed at its HPDE events, and Porsche SUVs only when an event says so. Experienced drivers can move on to club racing through TRAC, the region’s club race.

Autocross is open to most sports cars that pass tech, but only Porsches are eligible for trophies. Courses run 40 to 90 seconds and change every event. The region also holds two Street Survival schools a year, spring and fall, for drivers aged 15 to 20 in their own cars, capped at 30 students, with preference to members’ children.

Members receive the Chicago Scene, the region’s magazine, every two months.

New members

Once PCA processes a new membership, the region’s membership chair gets in touch with information about the Chicago Region. Dues and the application are on the PCA page.