300 Spectacular Porsches Celebrate Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7

Oct. 06, 2023 8:43 AM ET byGerhard Horn Auto Show /Comments

Legends of the past, present, and future hit the track at Laguna Seca.

Porsche's recent Rennsport Reunion 7 took place at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and it gave enthusiasts a look at motorsport icons from its past while introducing new models to its current range and providing a look at future cars that will duke it out in the high stakes world of endurance racing.

"It's been a privilege to host our seventh Rennsport Reunion," said Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Marketing at Porsche Cars North America. "The ingredients were just perfect, from legendary drivers from our past and present through to the presence of amazing new cars and additions to appeal to wider audiences that have never appeared at Rennsports, including Esports."

Let's look at some of the amazing metal that was on display at Rennsport 7.

Porsche Penske Motorsport 963

The Porsche 963 is the German brand's competitor in the new top-tier Word Endurance Racing series. It's an LMDh prototype, which stands for Le Mans Daytona hybrid, named after two of the most famous endurance races. The car is also allowed to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where it scored an impressive one-two victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September. Unfortunately,Ferrari claimed the victoryat Le Mans this year.

Porsche Penske Motorsport is a factory team, and its next appearance will be at Road Atlanta on the second weekend of October. This race is known as "Petit Le Mans" as it is only 10 hours long.

Sebastian Vettel is currentlyin talks to get a seat in the 963, racing for the Jota Porsche Team. Will Porsche have an edge over Ferrari with the ex-F1 champ behind the wheel? Le Mans 2024 is certainly going to be one for the record books, as even more manufacturers will join the LMDh class for the first time.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport

Porsche'snew track-only toywas arguably the highlight of the event. The GT3 R Rennsport is unique in the sense that it doesn't have to conform to any motorsport homologation rules, unlike thePorsche 911Cup Cars. To date, Porsche has built 5,000 examples for its one-make series, but GT3 R Rennsport production will be limited to just 77 units.

它配备了4.2升flat-six引擎那t produces 612 horsepower, and it revs all the way up to 9,400 rpm. All that NA power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.

The GT3 R Rennsport completed two show runs for the crowds. "I had so much fun in the cockpit," said Jorg Bergmeister. "We barely even worked on the setup. I drove onto the track, and everything felt great straight away: great car balance, lots of grip, and incredible acceleration. I've never been this fast at Laguna Seca before!"

The Rennsport set a time of 1:20, which is four seconds faster than Porche'sregular 911 GT3 R.

Porsche 917

Arguably the most iconic racing Porsche of them all, the Gulf-liveried 917 did several show runs for the crowds. The 917 dominated the 1970 World Sportscar Championship, winning nine out of 10 races. That same year, the 917 gave Porsche its first-ever Le Mans win, and it won again in 1971.

It wasn't the only classic present at this year's event, however. Porsche hosted two races with its tractors, likely setting the slowest lap times ever recorded at Laguna Seca. The famous Bergspyder also made an appearance as part of more than 300 vehicles that took to the track.

"The Rennsport Reunion is absolutely unique. It becomes clear here what the Porsche brand means to many people," said Alwin Springer, the former President of Porsche Motorsport North America. "Once again, fans and owners of racing cars were united in their passion. That's what makes the atmosphere so special. For me personally, I caught up with many old friends from my career. It felt like the best kind of family reunion."

Maybe next year, the event will host the reveal of the productionMission X...

300 Spectacular Porsches Celebrate Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7

Porsche Penske Motorsport 963

Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport

Porsche 917

Join The Discussion

Gallery

300 Spectacular Porsches Celebrate Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7

Porsche Penske Motorsport 963

Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport

Porsche 917

Join The Discussion

Gallery

Related Cars