Rare classics and future concepts at Porsche’s biggest ever event

Dubai. A display of rare and classic Porsches celebrating more than 70 years of sports car manufacturing, the likes of which has never been seen in the Gulf region, will take place this month at the “Icons of Porsche” event being held at The Slab in the Dubai Design District from November 19-20.

Representing the largest gathering of Porsches ever in the region, the festival includes some of the most exciting highlights from the brand’s rich racing history as well as rare classic road cars and design studies making their first ever appearance at a public event outside of Porsche’s home country Germany. It will also represent the biggest collection of famous classic models from the Porsche Museum in 2021.

The two-day event will connect a range of communities who are fascinated by classic cars, local and international contemporary art with the region's car culture. It will be open to the public at no cost, following an online registration at www.iconsofporsche.com.

Commenting on the event, Dr Manfred Bräunl, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, said it will be a chance for all visitors to witness Porsche’s advances as a luxury sports car manufacturer and competitor in top-flight motor racing. The organization’s main objective is however to create a new and entertaining event for the public to showcase that the brand continues to constantly evolve in line with its tradition to innovate.

He added: “The brand perception in the minds and hearts of the people and especially the young generation is what’s most important to us. Since 1948, we are not just building luxurious sports cars, we are fulfilling dreams.”

“Icons of Porsche” will not only be one of the largest classic car events in the Middle East to date, it will also be the launch platform to build on for years to come. The festival will comprise zones for: The Unseen (concepts), The Library (heritage), The Yard (car culture, food trucks), The Studio (local and international contemporary art), The Garage (motorsport) and The Park (family friendly, kids activities). As such there will be something for everyone.

Markus Peter, Marketing Director at Porsche Middle East and Africa, commented: “‘Icons of Porsche’ is a new festival-style event celebrating classic Porsches, art and the region's car culture, with the sole purpose of bringing together the community. With so many customers and fans across the region, there is no other car brand that is more suited to put up such an event.”

It is expected that hundreds of privately owned and unique Porsche cars will complement some of the rarest cars brought in from Germany for the festival.

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Additional remarks:

Among the many highlights on display, significant cars from Porsche’s history will include:

• Porsche 356 “No. 1” show car: The 356 “No. 1” Roadster was registered in 1948 and underwent considerable modification over several decades. Porsche brought the original form of its first sports car back to life as a show car.

• Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster (1988): A rare narrow-bodied model and one of just 171 units built specifically for export.

• Porsche 959 S (1987): With the 959 Porsche demonstrated what was possible in the field of automotive design at that time. Using the 911 as its base, the “Sport” version was built as a technology demonstrator in an exclusive run of 29 units.

• Porsche 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’: One of the most creative executions of the 911 theme with only two models ever built. Le Mans race car, which fans dubbed “Moby Dick” due to its elongated shape, massive fairings and white base colour. It had a short but sweet racing career, winning the Silverstone 6 Hours in 1978 with an advantage of seven laps ahead of its closest rival.

• Porsche 917 KH: Exactly 50 years ago, the 917 short-tail with starting number 22 crosses the finish line as the winner of the Le Mans 24-hour race. Averaging 222.3 km/h the three Porsche drivers set two records that would remain intact for 39 years.

In addition, three vehicles from the Porsche Unseen series will make appearances, including:

• Porsche 919 Streetcar: A modern racing legend, it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in succession from 2015 to 2017, making it one of the fastest and most successful racing cars of the 21^st century.

• Porsche Vision Spyder: Known as the ‘little Rebel’, it was inspired by James Dean's iconic Porsche 550 Spyder.

• Porsche Boxster Bergspyder: With its white and green touches, this is every race car lover's dream. Designed as a single-seat sports car without a roof, door handles or windscreen, it pays homage to the 981 Boxster.

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This article was previously published on UAE Moments.To see the original article, click here