By Guest Writer
Oct 9, 2023
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Porsche,
Rennsport Reunion
Photography by Alan Galbraith
Story by Alan Galbraith
Normally I’d rather have an IRS audit, a root canal and a colonoscopy on the same day than attend a large gathering of single-make car owners. Pedantic discussions of which direction the carpet nap should face or if they used a knurled or smooth Knutten nut to secure the Findlay sprocket on vehicles made in October 1967 hold little interest to me.
However, Porsche is no ordinary carmaker and RennSport Reunion 7, held September 28-October 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, is no normal gathering of car owners and enthusiasts.
Now, I’m not a Porsche superfan, but I didn’t need to be to enjoy the event. Being an auto and motorsport enthusiast in general is enough to make Rennsport Reunion more than enjoyable.
Porsche’s rich history touches nearly every genre of motorsport, and examples from nearly every one and from every decade of Porsche’s 75-year history could be found.
Attempts to make headway while walking through the pits was frequently interrupted by the realization that I was staring at a Le Mans-winning car–or the full-scale version of a slot car I had as a kid.
These cars could be found both in the beautifully stylized and curated displays erected by Porsche and among the cars parked in the pits waiting to go out on track. And the cars on track are what make Rennsport special.
Any motorsports event at Laguna Seca is special, but being able to see, smell and hear moving pieces of history on track, at speed, truly overwhelms the senses.
Classes of various vintage and modern cars with significant provenance put on what could best be described as “gentlemanly competition.” Club racers in everything from 914s and 924s to modern 911s used the track time to hone their skills around Laguna’s freshly paved corners.
Real racing took place, as the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series made Rennsport one of its points-paying events. Special exhibition laps were executed by the just-revealed, track-only, million-dollar, limited-production 911 GT3R Rennsport.
While all these classes, races and exhibitions brought conversations to a halt to watch and listen to the cars, the running Le Mans-style start of the Porsche tractor race class brough the most smiles and laughs to pits and grandstands around Laguna.
At its core, Rennsport Reunion is an on-track exhibition with some serious racing mixed in and car corrals in the infield, along with vendors and curated displays of cars significant to Porsche’s history. But it’s really much more than that. It’s an example of what can happen when attention is turned from the stilted nature of some single-marque events to what really makes the brand special, all showcased in the best possible way.
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