Caveat on the header image!  Porsche is not resto-modding its priceless racing icons.  Just a bit of photoshop fun for the header graphic — melding 917K with 2016 Cayenne quad LEDs.

The Gulf-Porsche 917K LeMans-winner must be one of the most iconic racecars of all time. Celebrated and hated in equal measure by track opponents during its competitive reign, the stunning champion is now a universal all-star at classic races like the Mitty Reunion at Road Atlanta every Springtime.

Porsche knows its classic racecar owners love nothing more than tracking and competing hard — so is rolling out a multi-prong effort to support classics and racecars much more than ever before.

The new motorsport services program aims to both restore and care for classic Porsche racecars out of the new LA Porsche Experience Center — opening in mid-2016.  The plan is to be a one-stop-shop for owners wanting their classics to be at race-ready condition year-round. Full restorations, mechanical work and racing services are part of the Porsche Motorsport Classics business plan. The Porsche Motorsport Classics program is even set up to be a full transport and on-track pit crew for a few all-star clients. This means the owners can just arrive and drive at global events — their car brought and carefully prepped by factory experts.

On a more mass-market level, Porsche Classic itself has now launched a branded lineup of car care and maintenance products. Along with the upgraded Becker-look audio system with an updated nav system, the new Porsche Classic mission is to celebrate and hold close the firm’s very enviable racing legacy.

 

 

917K – Digital LED Restomod

Porsche Motorsport Classics — Gulf-Porsche 917K

Restored Porsche 917K returns to US race track after 40 years

Porsche provides new services for historic motorsport

Stuttgart. Historic Porsche race cars represent many victories at the 24-hour classics of Le Mans and Daytona. And they also celebrated memorable successes at 1,000-kilometre events on storied circuits such as the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. To ensure that these vehicles can still be admired at race tracks today, Porsche now also offers customers a comprehensive service for historic motor racing in Germany and the USA. The priorities of the new business field are to restore vintage race cars as true to the original as possible as well as to repair and maintain them.

“These vehicles have written motorsport history and have gained in value, at times markedly, in recent years,” says Jens Walther, President & CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America in Santa Ana/California. “The historic motor racing scene has an extremely strong following in the USA, but many of these vehicles can also be seen on European race tracks. An increasing number of owners are now recognising how important it is for future gain that such vehicles undergo a true to original restoration.”

The figurehead for the new business service is the now completed restoration of a Porsche 917K. The legendary victorious car of the 1,000-kilometre race at Spa in 1971 experienced its roll-out at Porsche Motorsport North America and can now be admired at the “Rennsport Reunion”, the world’s largest event featuring historic Porsche race cars held from September 25-27 at Laguna Seca in California. The race car was also successfully campaigned in the USA, for instance at Watkins Glen, before it was finally put into storage at the museum in Zuffenhausen. In 2009, the vehicle was painted in the famed Gulf colours and exhibited in the museum. In 2012, Porsche Motorsport North America was commissioned to restore the race car to its 1971 condition and get it back on the track. This task was implemented using a variety of resources, such as the Porsche Museum archives with its extensive collection of documents, as well as in consultation with witnesses of that time and, of course, by relying on the experience and broad knowledge of older and former Porsche employees. To firmly anchor this expertise at Porsche and pass it on to future generations of staff is another important goal that Porsche is pursuing with the new area of business.

In addition to restorations and repairs, Porsche also offers a comprehensive service for owners of historic race cars to take their vehicles racing. This includes, for example, the replacement of safety-relevant parts. Especially now, this is an issue with many Group C vehicles that were built 30, 40 years ago. When it comes to safety, and only then, deviations from authenticity can be made. For instance, old safety belts are not fitted. In order to fulfil every customers wish, Porsche aims to establish a network of vintage car restoration and repair specialists already known in the historic motorsport scene. This ensures that customers receive the greatest possible guarantee of supply in all matters. Jens Walther: “The owners of these vehicles want assurance that their cars are track-worthy and that they can also rely on us if something breaks. We want to give them this assurance.”

Another focus in the portfolio is the maintenance of historic race cars. As with current motor racing customers, Porsche not only takes care of supplying parts, also at race tracks, but is available for customers with advice and assistance in all technical matters. After the completion of the new Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) in Los Angeles, which is expected mid next year, customers are also offered the chance to store their historic vehicles on site. Between race meetings, they are maintained by experts, transported to the circuits if desired, and sent back to PEC afterwards. There, they are exhibited in a first-class Porsche environment for visitors to enjoy – until the next race.

“I’m very pleased that we can now also offer our motorsport customers a comprehensive service for their historic race cars,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “At our Weissach Motorsport Centre and at Porsche Motorsport North America we have specialists for every task in this field. The 917K, which now returns to the race track after more than 40 years, is a perfect example of how we implement this expertise and preserve it for the future.”

Porsche Classic Products

Porsche Classic develops dedicated car care range

New shine for classic sports cars

Stuttgart. Owners of classic Porsche sports cars attach the greatest of importance to preserving their vehicles’ original condition. Porsche Classic has therefore put together a car care kit that has been developed specifically for the characteristics of earlier paints, soft-top fabrics and other materials. The total of 17 products and implements cover the full gamut of exterior care. These include shampoo and cleaning clay for stubborn grime, polish and hard wax, synthetic materials cleaner and acid-free wheel rim cleaner. Also included are the appropriate sponges, cloths and brushes for each. Every product has been tested in the Porsche development centre in Weissach for compatibility with the relevant materials, with tests run both in the lab and in practical application. The car care kit is available in an appropriately configured leather bag featuring the classic Pepita pattern. In Germany it costs 470 euros, inclusive of value added tax.

One example of the high quality of the car care kit is the polish. Its abrasives contain no synthetic materials and have a consistent, uniform structure. This makes it possible to achieve an even shine without any tiny scratches at all. For long-term protection the hard wax consists of 40 percent carnauba, the hardest natural wax there is. Special nano-polymers ensure a high sheen and simultaneously make application easier. The synthetic materials cleaner is also made up of a special combination of protective oils and light stabilising additives. It prevents the emollients from diffusing and as a result rubber and plastics remain more supple. All products can be individually reordered.
As a division of the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer, Porsche Classic looks after providing supplies for all vehicles with a production period that ended in general more than ten years ago. This covers all aspects of vehicle care and technical literature, includes the supply and reproduction of original parts and extends all the way to complete restoration. So that classic vehicles are looked after and reconditioned in optimum fashion, the company is currently expanding its international dealer and service network to around 100 Porsche Classic partners. Awaiting Porsche customers and other interested parties at the service bases is the complete array of Porsche Classic services. In this way, Porsche is integrating caring for and preserving the value of classic and vintage cars into an innovative service strategy that closely dovetails Porsche’s tradition and innovation. More information and the parts range can be accessed from www.porsche.de/classic.