Porsche Rennsport Reunion 2001

The first sporting endeavors from Porsche can be traced back to 1938 with the Type 64, which was based on the VW Beetle chassis. The Type 64 developed from the interest of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche to participate in a race extending form Berlin to Rome. The event never came to fruition due to the start of World War II but, nonetheless, a vehicle that would signify decades of motor sport excellence to come. "Motor sport is to Porsche like water to the ocean. The brand name from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen has been successful in nearly every category of motor racing at the highest level. Eight world championships in long-distance sport, three World Championship titles in Formula 1, 16 victories at Le Mans, record victories in the classics in Daytona, Sebring (USA) and the Targa Florio (I), for example, prove this beyond a doubt. Worldwide, Porsche sports cars have achieved around 23,000 racing victories." - Porsche AG A pure passion for motor sports has elevated the private auto manufacturer to a high level of respect by driving enthusiasts' worldwide. Today we see Porsche as an independent automaker diversifying its model line to solidify its motor sports future in a time when racing technology and funding are as complicated as launching NASA's space shuttle. In the end, it comes down to a passion for sport driving. At the Porsche Rennsport Reunion held at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut (July 2001), this passion was in plentiful supply as these racecars re-lived their historic achievements. Famous drivers such Brian Redmond, Derek Bell, Hurley Haywood and Roger Penske attended the event representing their own victories with their respective Porsche racecars. The entire range of Porsche Rennsport(German for "race sport") cars were on hand and in some instances out on the racetrack clearing out the cobwebs. Porsche North America showed no restraint for such event and brought over many famous winning cars from their museum back in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. How often can a marquee's entire history be viewed in action at one event? Cars ranging from the 550 Spyder of the late 1950's to the Le Mans winning 1998 GT1 were on display. There were over 100 cars with many in "museum" condition. It was nice to see many enthusiasts and famous people intermingling at this historic event, sharing their passion for an automobile like no other.