Rennsport Reunion is the ultimate meeting for Porsche fans

Sometimes a carefully constructed and cherished pattern of expectations turns out to be nothing more than narrow-minded stereotypes in a deliberately anonymous winter coat. When we were sent to a gathering of Porsche fans in California, we were able to picture it: mostly middle-aged white men with silver-gray 911s, probably polished to perfection when they didn’t need to, because they were there. it was hardly driven anyway.

Polo, khaki shorts and New Balance shoes for that smart-casual the sky, the Porsche helmet that just emphasizes that this is a weekend hobby, the teeth that are so white. Kever meeting for the rich. And yet: when we arrive at Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion VII in Monterey, we seem to have exactly 85 mistakes. Wow, so many teeth, but this Porsche 75th anniversary party is definitely not the ‘look at me’ show we were hoping for.

The drop is guaranteed at the Porsche Rennsport Alliance

After about five minutes your lower jaw hangs somewhere near your knees. This is basically a Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​full of Porsche products, a Burning Man full of boxer engines. The event that the 959 looks humble and almost normal is already quite special, but the event that you are looking for the perfect color for the 959 is absolutely incredible.

Note to ourselves: the reconsider If we still had a boys’ room, Bruce Canepa’s 959 SC would be hung immediately above the bed. We can’t spare time for the range of modern 911 Cup cars, so the sheer breadth of the range is very impressive. Porsche people are… eclectic. Just like cars.

There are Rothmans Le Mans 956s in cigarette pack colors next to Brumos 911s and Kremer 935s. Classic 356s, modified for racing or styling purposes, stand aside for the rows of 914s with impressive looks. That may sound contradictory, but the closed, raspy-sounding 914 race cars are anything but as funny as you can imagine. They look as if they are made from the aluminum foil that your Côte d’Or bar is wrapped in. There are 550s and Carrera GTs, 918s and a nice little 1966 609 Carrera 6 that seems like the perfect antidote to modern complexity.

Almost every 911 is there

And of course there are 911s – of every type, color, wheel arch width and rear wing extravagance. Air and water, air cooled in chilled water. Rally and racing modifications, high-value historic examples with or without RS badges, but also cars that are hit every day, with more than a million kilometers on the clock.

A few TGFavorites are Safari 911s. Some are absolutely spotless, as if brand new, but there’s also a clay-colored Targa (the worst base car), raised and topped with big tires, with a cooling system that looks like it’s been cobbled together from computer fans and arches. wheels. cut at waist length. Not even equally; the car seems to have been put together in an apocalyptic way, but it gives evidence for many glorious hours of adventure. His scars tell stories of use and abuse.

But it doesn’t end there Rennsport. Once you get a deep sense of frustration, you can unleash your inner brand nerd. If you want to organize a gospel concert offered in one brand, three quarters of a century of diverse heritage gives you a very wide platform to preach. There are four-cylinder boxers, six-cylinders, V6s, eight-cylinder and V-shaped boxers, twelve-cylinder boxers and even two- and three-cylinder diesels from Porsche tractors. And then we don’t include all the modern stuff, from mixers to full electrics.

Bring the earplugs to the Porsche Rennsport Alliance

The newest leaf on the 911 tree, the GT3 R rennsport (deliberately without the capital R), roars past the pit lane for several rally laps, all 140 decibels unmuzzled. He has a very loud voice. The unlimited 4.2-liter boxer produces no less than 620 hp – instead of the GT3 R’s 565 hp – and runs at a maximum of 9,400 revolutions per minute.

Only 77 will be made and all have already been sold. Only the hood and roof are similar to those of the GT3 R. The rear wing is very large and reminiscent of the 935/77 Brumos Porsche that competed in the 1978 Daytona 24 hours race.

The Mission X is also there, a preview of the future of Porsche supercars. He stands in the pit box with his four e-motors and around 1,500 hp. Everywhere you look, you see smiling faces and amazing cars. We stop at the intersection for a while and a real unicorn passes by, as happily as through the nose and lips.

A surprise is inevitable around every corner

A member of the Porsche family drives to the track in the very first Porsche ever – the 356 Roadster, a car that is normally locked away in a climate-controlled museum and is worth more than all of our souls combined. Kremer 935, whose junior member was responsible for the fact that they once started building cars at Tamiya, coughs and sneezes while waiting for the classic but fully restored 968 model to pass. The Carrera GT passes by and no one notices it. You really don’t know where to look.

But despite all the metal that grabs your attention, it’s the people that really matter. The atmosphere is friendly, open and welcoming, and there is mutual appreciation. The drivers blend in easily with the crowd and there is no bridge to Porscheness – everyone seems to be having a good time here and can be up close to machines that you only see once on TV or in an internet video.

You don’t want to look stupid

These types of shows, which revolve around a single brand, can be quite intimidating. You have those people who know everything about the brand, and by everything we mean the complexity of the production between the years of the model that is known only to the psychic of the person who took care of the upholstery at that time. A common partner can be classified as one you wantwretch or dilettante.

But at Reunion you meet people like Chad and his son London, owners of the Baja race raised Cayenne. It has spare wheels in the trunk and an interior designed in the jeweled pattern of hand-woven Mexican blankets. These two are no ordinary Porsche enthusiasts. They are much, much cooler than that; they are geniuses who value engineering and brand performance above all else. “Besides, Porsches are … interesting,” Chad says with an easy honesty that doesn’t require a pretentious answer. He just knows what’s right.

And there’s Mark Donahue, who tells a great story about driving the 917/30 Can-Am that his late father raced. About the pressure from the audience, the intensity with which all the performances are given and the sad realization that ‘this is what my father saw and experienced’. The kind of connection you can’t buy, that’s truly unique.

Hopefully the Porsche has good insurance

And among all this, the whole fortune revolves around the circle, next to another endless amount of millions of greats from the history of Porsche. You would think that ‘demonstration laps’ are driven at a leisurely pace, but apparently no one has told the drivers that.

They drive happily lap after Laguna Seca. Every now and then someone enters after being touched by the security guards. A quick fix is ​​made, layers of tape are thrown around and off you go: back on track, you. Race teams do race things, regardless of who the patient is.

About three days later, the fatigue still hasn’t set in. Then there must be something special going on. If you are hosting a birthday party, don’t let your guests peek through the windows of your home. They can enter. And that’s what Porsche does here: it involves the fans in the whole thing.

People who buy cars, use cars and drive them. It inspires the next generation by honoring what has gone before, paying tribute to a rich history that is deep, diverse and exciting. This is the perfect way to celebrate a birthday. And if we get that chance, we will also be there in 2028, when Porsche turns 80.