Traditional motor shows might be fading away but enthusiast-focused car festivals like Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion are going from strength to strength. The German automaker has just brought the curtain down on its seventh Reunion after four action-packed days in California.
More than 90,000 Porsche fans descended on Laguna Seca to see a diverse collection of Porsches old and new as the company celebrated its 75th year in the car game. The highlight of the weekend for many was the global reveal of the brand new track-only 911 GT3 R Rennsport, a heavily modified version of the competition GT3 R limited to just 77 units.
While the racecar has to abide by shadowy “Balance of Power” rules that govern its weight, gearing, power, and downforce in the interests of creating closer on-track action, the $1m limited edition model has no such limitations. With its naturally aspirated motor churning out 612 hp (620 PS) and a rear wing inspired by the one on the Daytona-winning 935/77 squeezing the tail into the asphalt, the GT3 R proved more than four seconds faster over a lap than its donor.
Related: Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport Is A 612 HP All-Motor Beast Capped To 77 Units
Other modern Porsche hero cars in attendance were the Mission X concept, the Vision 357 Speedster, the GT4 e-Performance, and the 963 endurance racer. In total, over 300 vehicles hit the track during the event, and not all of them were cars. Various Porsche racecar drivers, including Nick Tandy, Patrick Long, and Jörg Bergmeister, battled it out on the track’s famous curves in Porsche tractors during two special races.
But it was the classic road and race cars, not the classic farm machinery, that most visitors had come to see. And with everything from the 356 SL Gmünd Coupe that won the 1,100 cc class of the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans to the Porsche RS Spyder that proved so successful in the 2000s in North America, plus hundreds of road cars to pore over in the parking lots, there was something for everyone.
