Text by Dean Larson

Photos by Dean Larson and John Kendall

If there is one event on the calendar that the guys here at ReinCarNation refuse to miss, it’s Elkhart Lake. We head down every year for the Weathertech International Challenge with Brian Redman at the outstanding Road America, and stay for the Elkhart Lake Vintage Concours D’ Elegance and night festivities.

As always, the heat at the track was hellish. With somewhere North of 400 vintage race cars lapping the historic circuit, there was plenty of racing to watch. Other fun track activities include dodging race cars in the pits and zip-lining.... for some reason. And while we've never hit the zip line, we'll assure you that the go-karts are a great way to resolve disputes among friends. 

After a day getting burned at the track, the party moves into Elkhart Lake where thousands of cars and people descend on the town for the evening. Two fantastic car shows are the main events of Friday and Saturday night followed by live music. 

You know the replica industry has come a long way when the replicas fit right in next to historic Can-Am racers and award winning Astons. Check out these replicas we spotted over the weekend.

We’ve ogled at this Ferrari 250 GTO replica the last couple years. Finished to a very high standard, this GTO looks the business and stops a lot of people. Word is that the car has a alloy body hand built at a metal fab school.

We caught up with this guy selling a Manta Mirage in the racetrack parking lot. This yellow wedge caught our eye from a mile away; driving this thing on the street has to be a riot!

This 1929 Ford Racer with a hoped-up four cylinder was hand built by its owner Kurt Flannery. Starting out with a bare frame and a picture of what he wanted, Kurt built his dream. Look for this car in a coming issue of ReinCarNation.

Kelly-Moss Motorsports built this 2002 Porsche GT3 RS with carbon fiber and Kevlar body panels. Kelly-Moss states that the entire body weighs just 66 lbs. This car is reported to have won every race it entered, talk about unfair advantage!

This Jaguar XJ13 replica stole the show Saturday night. While its long curvy body is hard to fit in one frame, we think it would fit in our garage just fine. 

If you're like us and crave the sounds of Can-Am cars and the smell of race gas, you have to put Road America and Elkhart Lake on your list. To hold yourself over until next year, check out our archives from Elkhart Lake.