Icons of Porsche, Sunstede Silverstone Edition – a festival dedicated to Porsche – will take place at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on 20/21 June
One-off celebration marks 75 years of Porsche in the UK, since the first 356 coupe arrived in London for the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1951
Tickets available via porsche.silverstone.co.uk/content
Highlights to include world and UK public premieres of new models
Nick Tandy, British factory Porsche race driver, to lead programme of high-speed track demonstrations in renowned historic race cars
Event also marks 65 years of the Porsche Club GB, and 75 years of Porsche Motorsport
This year, Porsche celebrates the 75th anniversary of its first car arriving in Great Britain. To mark this milestone, Icons of Porsche, Sunstede Silverstone Edition will open its doors on 20/21 June at the world-famous circuit. The track will echo to the sounds of Le Mans-winning Porsche race cars, and the surroundings will hum with the excitement of themed displays of heroes from the past, present and future of the German sports car manufacturer.
Over a weekend of action around the Porsche Experience Centre and the renowned Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on 20/21 June, we will be sharing our success and welcoming owners, fans, enthusiasts and their families to Icons of Porsche, Sunstede Silverstone Edition.
The unique two-day event is dedicated to celebrating the stories that have helped grow and develop the Porsche passion in this country from the grass roots right up to the global stage.
It promises to be a very special party, for in addition to it being 75 years since the first Porsche arrived in the UK, this year also sees Porsche Motorsport celebrating its own 75th anniversary, while the Porsche Club GB is marking 65 years since it was founded.
In support of this will be a programme of dynamic, on-track demonstrations and curated displays featuring highlight race and road cars that will tell the story of Porsche in motorsport, as well as many of the people who have helped write the Porsche story both at home and abroad.
And in recognition of the individual contribution to our success over the years by all our fans and enthusiasts, we are encouraging owners to bring along their own special road and race cars and show them with pride, as well as share their personal history with Porsche.
Legendary line-up of Le Mans winners
The Porsche Museum will be bringing a sensational sextet of treasures from its stunning collection in Stuttgart, each with a Le Mans related story to share.
A selection of the exotic race cars will be participating in daily track demonstrations, with drivers from the global roster of top Porsche talent behind the wheel. Heading the line-up is Britain’s Nick Tandy, winner of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in the Porsche 919 Hybrid. Nick is also one of few drivers to have won the iconic quartet of international 24 Hour motor races, Le Mans, Daytona, Nürburgring and Spa.
Another driver with a literal track record in the 919 Hybrid is Timo Bernhard. In 2018, the German set a new benchmark lap time around the fearsome Nürburgring circuit in the 919 Evo, cementing his place among the legends of the sport, and adding to his many considerable achievements racing for Porsche around the world.
Joining Nick and Timo is ‘Mr 911’ himself, Joerg Bergmeister. The German has raced every version of the 911 GT3 RSR and also contributes to the testing and development of 911 GT road cars by setting the record Nürburgring lap times that complete the company’s sign-off procedure.
The historic race cars participating at Sunstede span an iconic period for Porsche Motorsport from the 1970s to the 2000s.
1969 – 917
Revered today as the most legendary Porsche race car, the 917 ushered in a new era of sports car racing in the spring of 1969. Powered by a flat-12 air-cooled normally aspirated engine, and clothed in fibreglass-reinforced synthetic resin bodywork over a lattice tube frame chassis, it immediately wowed fans and worried rivals. Its first victory came in the Austrian 1,000km race in 1969, and it went on to score two outright Le Mans wins – and in turbocharged 197/30 guise, was triumphant in Can-Am also.
1974 – 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1
Following the successful exploits in forced induction with the monstrous 917/30, the Carrera RSR marked the advent of turbocharging in the 911 and also at Le Mans. Powered by a 2.1-litre flat-six engine mounted in the rear with an output of up to 500 PS, this combined with a kerb weight of 750 kg led to outstanding performance. In 1974, the distinctive wide bodied race car participated in nine races and achieved excellent results, a highlight being second place overall in the Le Mans 24 Hours that year. The RSR was the starting point for the very successful 935 introduced two years later.
1998 – GT1 ‘98
The Porsche pioneering tradition was further extended with this car, which scored an emphatic 1-2 finish in the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours. The GT1 ’98 featured a carbon fibre chassis for the first time, which was not only lightweight but also stiffer. For the GT1 raced in 1996 and 1997, the front end of the Type 993 911 had been used, but for the ’98 version a entirely new front axle was developed, featuring push roads and transverse coil springs. For the aerodynamic concept, renowned Porsche engineer Norbert Singer broke further new ground in his use of scale wind tunnel models and CAD computer design. While the engine was a familiar 3.2-litre flat-six, it was water-cooled and twin-turbochargers boosted output to over 550 PS.
2008 – RS Spyder LMP2
With the nimble RS Spyder, Porsche was the most successful manufacturer in the American Le Mans Series in 2008. At the season final on the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey/California, Porsche secured the manufacturers‘ title in the LMP2 sports prototype. At the penultimate race of the season in Road Atlanta, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas successfully defended their 2007 drivers’ title with the +500 PS RS Spyder powered by a 3.4-litre V8 engine featuring direct fuel injection DFI. They also secured the teams‘ title for the Penske Racing squad for the third time. Separately, Joerg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler claimed the GT2 class title at the wheel of their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
2017 – 919 Hybrid
With three straight outright victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and six titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Porsche 919 Hybrid is a modern day motorsport legend in authentic Porsche style. At its heart is a unique 90 degree V4 turbocharged combustion engine, with +500PS that drives the rear wheels. To this is added +400PS from two different energy recovery systems (front axle brakes and exhaust). On demand, an electric motor powers the front axle and turns the 919 Hybrid in to what is in effect, a temporary four-wheel drive car. In addition, the 919 Hybrid was the only LMP1 race car that regains energy not only when braking but also when accelerating, thanks to exhaust energy recovery.
After an enormous effort in the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, the trio of drivers Timo Bernhard/Earl Bamber/Brendon Hartley sliced through the field from 56th position to overall victory. For Le Mans record holder Porsche, it was a record 19th overall win in the world’s toughest race; and the third in a row meaning the company could keep the famous trophy. Timo Bernhard also scores his second Le Mans overall win this year. And for Earl Bamber, it is his second Le Mans overall win at the wheel of a 919 Hybrid after his 2015 success sharing with Nick Tandy and Nico Hülkenberg.
2019 – 911 RSR IMSA
When Porsche presented the 911 RSR, based on the high-performance 911 GT3 RS road-going sports car, in autumn 2016 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, motor racing insiders were amazed. While the car featured the familiar flat-six engine, in this car it was positioned (in accordance with the permitted regulations) in front of the rear axle. This, in turn, created space for the crucial rear diffuser. And at the same time, weight distribution could be improved. These factors not only made the car faster, they also helped optimise tyre wear.
The results? Three years full of wins and titles. Thirteen victories, 34 podium finishes, titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series, plus triumphs in the great classics Le Mans, Sebring and Road Atlanta. This was the impressive résumé of the Porsche 911 RSR after its 50th and final factory campaign in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October 2019. And guarantees the +510PS GT a place in Porsche Motorsport history as one of the company‘s most successful cars.
Joining these on track will be cars from individual collections, including 956, 962, 911 and even the possibility of a McLaren TAG-Porsche Formula One car, with its all-conquering engine famously designed by Porsche. Plus further demonstrations, including the all-new 911 GT3 Cup race car, ahead of its debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2027.
Porsche Motorsport - RaceBorn
In October 1951, the first examples of the Porsche 356 to arrive in the UK caught the attention of visitors to the Earls Court Motor Show in London. Already by the time of the debut of the 356 in London, the sleek coupe had also made its debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. This marked not only the premiere of Porsche in the revered French motor race, but its drivers Auguste Vuelliet and Edmond Mouche scored the first of many triumphs at the track, winning the highly competitive 1,100cc class and finishing 20th overall.
By the late 1950s, the Porsche reputation saw drivers of the calibre of a young Jim Clark drawn to the 356 and were soon scoring their first wins. Then, in 1965, the 911 was launched and first right-hand drive examples landed in the UK shortly after. Famously, in 1967, the 911 made motorsport history at Lydden Hill in Kent, winning the first ever rallycross event, driven by Vic Elford. Britain, and Silverstone in particular, has played an out-sized role in the Porsche Motorsport story over the years. Both the 956 in 1982 and the 919 Hybrid in 2014 each made their World Endurance Championship debuts at the venue, before going on to conquer Le Mans.
Celebrating the cultural influence of Porsche
In many cases it was a poster of a Porsche road car that first inspired the passion among young fans. And from the humble beginnings of the 356, through the early years of the 911 to the Turbo versions with dramatic rear wings and exotic 959, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder super sports cars, the allure of the company and its commitment to performance and style has inspired generations of dreamers.
Extending beyond the iconic silhouette of the 911, the breadth of possibilities within the Porsche model range has always been attractive, each combining enthralling dynamic performance with versatile everyday usability; 924, 944, 968, 928, up to Boxster, Cayman, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne and Taycan.
Illustrating this enduring appeal and cultural influence over the weekend will be displays of models from across the generations – everything from the earliest 356, through the 911 to the 928 and most recent Cayenne Turbo Electric, the most powerful ever road-going Porsche.
These will be joined by the all-new 911 GT3 S/C featured on display, and the all-new Cayenne Electric will be available for test drives.
First hint of exciting Porsche premiere
And a new chapter in the story of Porsche in the UK will be opened at Sunstede. Porsche Cars GB is proud to own the ex-Betty Haig 356. This car, a 1951 pre-A model, is currently completing a restoration at Porsche Classic in Germany prior to playing a role in the festivities – where it will be joined by a very special edition of a modern-day counterpart making its public debut at Silverstone.
Join The Road Rat at Sunstede
In addition to the large array of classic and modern Porsche sports cars of every colour and configuration, visitors can also look forward to entertainment from a DJ, panel talks, outdoor dining as well as a perfect excuse for our sprawling, diverse British Porsche community to meet on a scale rarely seen before.
Furthermore, we have joined with The Road Rat to produce an exquisite special edition of its revered triannual magazine. Dedicated to the two anniversary themes – 75 years of Porsche in the UK and 75 years of Porsche Motorsport – it will be as artful, culturally expansive and characterfully written as any regular edition of The Road Rat. As such, it is set to become one of the most collectible editions to date. And the most enjoyable way to receive a copy will be to join us at Sunstede, where it will be on sale in a dedicated area for The Road Rat.
