Porsche Rennsport Reunion 2001

Probably the most famous of all Porsche racecars is the Penske/Sunoco 917-30 of 1973 driven by the late Mark Donohue. Ferdinand Piech of VW fame and the grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had his hand in the development of this 240mph missile. The 917-30, with a horizontally opposed (flat) 12-cylinder engine producing over 1100hp in turbocharged form, completely dominated the Canadian-American Championships with first, second and third place. The 917-30 was also fast enough to set a closed course high-speed record averaging 221 mph at Talladega super speedway, which remained for many years. There was also the Gulf 917 Kurzheck made even more famous by the movie "Le Mans", which the late Steve McQueen starred. The 917 was not only famous for being very quick but for being unstable at high speeds. Many believed a chassis flaw was to blame but it was discovered the aerodynamics of the rear were questionable and a long tail version solved this mysterious problem. All versions of the 917 were present, thus, displaying the magnificent evolution of the series. Another historic Porsche racecar was the 935 of the late 1970's. Starting in 1976 through 1981, the 935 won the World Championship for Makes every year. This accomplishment therefore made the 935 one of the most successful racecars ever by factory and private teams combined. In 1978 the 935 was dubbed "Moby Dick" because of its new streamline bodywork and rear spoiler. Despite the frivolity of the nickname, the "whale tail" was extremely important for high-speed stability while packing a 750hp turbocharged flat six-cylinder engine. In 1979, actor Paul Newman came in second place at Le Mans driving a 935. Porsche Rennsport Reunion was the largest gatherings of vintage Porsche racecars in North America, if not the world. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed even on the racetrack. However, this is not to say the drivers were not pushing these cars. Judging by a couple of racecars that came back on a wrecker, I would say they were racing quite hard. This event was truly astounding and I do not remember being as awe struck ever before. Everyone in attendance had big smiles on their faces including the Porsche personnel. Until the next reunion, which rumors abound about for Atlanta in the following years, we may have to just cherish this event and patiently wait for Porsche's inevitable return to motor sports in the near future.