Rennsport Reunion

Famous Porsche cars and drivers, together again

Story and photos by Glenn H. Hill

For one short weekend this summer, New England became the center of the Porsche world. On July 27-29, a snarling pack of historic Porsche racecars reunited with their equally famous drivers at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. The Porsche Rennsport Reunion turned out to be the largest single gathering of Porsche competition cars in history. The historic event was organized by Brian Redman, a Brit who's famed in his own right for his many victories in some of the fastest cars Porsche ever produced.

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Friday's track events consisted mainly of practice sessions for the various classes. Normally docile 356s hurtled down the track with their flat-four engines howling. Rakish little 550s, 904s, and 906 Carreras showed a new generation of fans why they were considered the "giant killers" of the 1950's and '60's, as they thrived on trouncing cars with engines twice their size. And then all hell broke loose as the monster 907's, 908's, and 910's took to the track. Here, brute force and sheer beauty appeared in equal parts. Porsche 914-6s and the ubiquitous 911 turned out in force, representing the hard work and effort that so many privateers have put into the sport. Club racing is, after all, the bedrock upon which Porsche motorsport was built.

Newer Porsche racers soon started laying rubber as over 20 Porsche 956s and 962s began careening around the tight little track. Even several GT-1 Le Mans beasties came out to play, emphasizing just how far race technology has come in the past decade. The water-pumping crowd was well represented by yowling 924 Carreras and mean-looking 944 racers.

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Star of the show, however, was the illustrious, all-conquering Porsche 917. Several variations of this all-time-champion Porsche showed up, but the star of stars was without a doubt the famed Sunoco-blue 917/30 of Mark Donohue, the most powerful and fastest car ever made by Zuffenhausen. Its turbocharged flat-12 cranked out 1100 hp in "normal" racing tune, while its ultimate monster-motor version spit out 1600 hp for a speed run at Daytona in 1975. The resulting world record stood for over a decade. The sight and sound of these Porsche thoroughbreds thundering past at Lime Rock will not soon be forgotten by anyone fortunate enough to be there.

Equally inspiring were the famous drivers brought in for the Rennsport Reunion. The list of attendees reads like a who's-who of international racing. Derek Bell, Brian Redman, Jacky Ickx, Roger Penske, Vic Elford, Hurley Haywood, Paul Newman, Manfred Janke, and many others all participated actively in the event (i.e., they tried to blow each others' doors off!). Chad McQueen, son of actor/racer Steve McQueen, dove several cars, as did Michael and David Donohue, sons of the late Mark Donohue, who to this day remains a Lime Rock favorite.

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Also present were Fred Schwab, CEO of Porsche Cars North America and Norbert Singer, longtime manager of Racing Engineering at Porsche. Interviews with some of these individuals over the LRP's booming PA system added to the color of the event. Many of the VIPs at the reunion were quite accessible, and it was not difficult to obtain an autograph--or 10--if you so desired.

Saturday began with qualifying heats for various classes. Emboldened by ample practice the day before, drivers really hammered the pavement as they made every effort to secure pole positions for upcoming races. Several Historic Exhibitions were held during the day, and these involved groupings of certain cars, or the presentation of other cars that would not be raced, such as a unique Formula-2 car from the Porsche Factory Museum. Racing for real began in the afternoon, starting with the "Historic Under-2.5 Liter" class. Once again, the nimble 356s, 550s, RSKs, and early 911s tore angrily around the track. During the next four hours, the air filled with the glorious sound of speed. Brian Redman himself claimed top honors as he won the 956/962 challenge race driving a Jaegermeister 962. The final 45-minute Historic Enduro provided plenty of action for the crowd. The Enduro required a mandatory five-minute pit stop with an optional driver change, so Hurley Haywood and David Donohue tag-teamed for the big win driving a 914-6GT that seemed ideally suited to the tight, twisty course.

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Connecticut law bans race engines from running on Sundays, so the final day involved a spectacular Concours d'Elegance, held on the long main straight. Now you could really get up close and see the cars in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible. One frequently overheard comment was that many people were surprised by how small many of the cars were. Indeed, it really is quite astounding to see a car with a steering wheel that is literally at kneecap-height. The cars have also been lovingly preserved. Several of these vintage racers were so clean, you'd swear they they'd been newly manufactured. I guess that "newly re-manufactured" was more likely the case.

Collective thanks from all Porsche fans must go to Brian Redman for his heroic organizational effort, Lime Rock Park for providing a truly beautiful setting, PCNA for bringing several of their most valuable cars, the famous drivers who made time to come to the event, and also to the many collectors, racers, and dealers who provided their own cars and staff which helped make this such a monumental occasion.

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