The Le Mans Classic makes a welcome return, with Porsche front and center at the historic home of endurance racing.
Porsche, once again, was a pivotal part of this 10th staging of the popular historic motorsport event, with the 50th anniversary of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 the perfect excuse to send five generations of track-focused RS models from the Porsche Museum to form a central display for the brand.
Also making star turns at the Porsche Experience Centre, situated at the heart of the action at Maison Blanche, was the new 911 Sport Classic, the second project created as part of Porsche’s Heritage Design programme. With its 3.7-liter flat-six delivering 543-hp to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual transmission, the limited-edition Sport Classic, which itself wears a ducktail rear spoiler in homage to the original Carrera RS 2.7, is the most powerful manual 911 currently on sale.
Another draw for the thousands of Porsche fans who visited the PEC over the weekend was the surprise arrival of the 963, Porsche’s all-new endurance racer, which only recently enjoyed its international debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 680 hp prototype racer, which features a fixed hybrid drive system mated to Porsche’s own twin-turbocharged V8, will be campaigned simultaneously by Team Porsche Penske in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the World Endurance Championship, allowing Porsche to compete for outright victory in both of the world’s most prestigious endurance racing series. For spectators at the Le Mans Classic, this first appearance at the circuit served as a tantalising reminder that a Porsche works team will be competing once again for top honours at the 24 Hours in less than 12 months.
In the meantime, the crowds were treated to a series of spectacular on-track displays, including the ever-popular Porsche Parade and the Porsche Classic Race. The latter saw a variety of classic Porsche works and customer racing cars, spanning well over half a century of competition, lap the famously fast and demanding 13.6-kilometer (8.45-mile) circuit. Numerous classic 911 models were flanked by examples of the 904 Carrera GTS, the rare late 1960s 910 prototype and several turbocharged 935 cars and early 911 RSR examples. Under cloudless summer skies, packed grandstands echoed to the unmistakable sound of the air-cooled flat-six, the whistle and chatter of turbos in their wake as dozens of cherished creations from Porsche’s rich racing past returned to one of its most familiar and fruitful hunting grounds.
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