There are so many totally cool Porsches at Rennsport Reunion that aren’t even Rennsport racers. While walking around the track for three days, I saw a ton of incredible street going Porsches. Here are ten of my favorite, in order of awesome quotient. Check them out and drop your favorites (or whether you agree or disagree with our choices) in the comments below.
10. A Porsche 924 Carrera
It’s no secret that I absolutely love Porsche’s Transaxle cars, and the 924 Carrera GTS is among my most favorite of that lineup. I didn’t spend enough time scoping this one out to verify whether it was real or not, but if it’s a replica, it appears to be a relatively convincing one. Very cool car, either way.
9. The Guntherwerks 400R
It’s been on the scene for over a year now, but the Guntherwerks 400R is still a beautiful machine to see in person. It’s incredibly wide, especially at the front, and takes the concept of the 993 to its fullest extent. This is what the 993 was always meant to be. The full carbon body 993 they were showing off on the same stage was equally cool, but didn’t photograph as well. The red will always be my personal favorite anyway.
8. Ruf CTR2
Does a CTR really need an explanation? This is the single most rad Ruf ever built.
7. Pre-Safari Off Roader 911
This old 911 Targa has been running around for years in NORRA off road racing. Before the current Safari trend, there was this car. For the last couple of years it’s been sidelined with a blown engine, so I was a little bit surprised to see it out and about. Dirty as always, and well loved.
6. Porsche Fresno’s Savage1 Project Car
Porsche Fresno took this high-mile 993 C2 in on trade, and because it would otherwise have gone to a used car auction, they decided to turn it into something of a promo car for their shop. With a set of KW Clubsport wheels, a nice pair of carbon kevlar GT seats, a completely unmuffled exhaust, and some questionable aesthetic changes, it was built with the intent of driving about as fun as any car can while grabbing attention. Hate it or love it, this 993 rips.
5. Canepa Design’s 959 SC In Tangerine
This car is about ten steps above a ‘regular’ 959. With several hundred more horsepower than stock, a complete bare-metal restoration, and a complete color change, each 959 SC is different from all others. A half dozen or so of these have been finished thus far, but the Tangerine example remains my favorite. If you’re going to go all out, you may as well choose an eye-searing color with historic ties to the Porsche brand.
4. The Formula One-powered Porsche 930
Allegedly 12 of these V6 turbo-powered 930s were built in the 1980s and tucked away in hiding for that long. For years I’d hardly heard any word about them, and then one magically resurfaced at Rennsport. The story goes that one of McLaren’s higher-ups (allegedly Ron Dennis) wanted a TAG Porsche V6 engine in his 911. Whatever the backstory, it’s extremely cool.
3. This Road Worn Porsche 356C Coupe
Porsches are meant to be driven. If your new 991 doesn’t look like this in 50 years, you’re doing something wrong.
2. Vonnen Performance Hybrid 991 GT3
Home-brew electric performance is the wild west of modified cars at the moment, and I could not love it more. Vonnen has added an electric motor in place of the stock flywheel, and it adds a whopping 175 horsepower for short bursts. Their kit is available to fit all 991 and 981 model 911, Boxster, and Cayman built between 2012 and 2016, including Turbo and GT3 examples. A very cool project.
1. Rock Chip Heaven Nine-Eleven
Bar none, this is the single coolest car in the parking lot. It’s used. A lot. and it has the battle scars to prove it. With a roll bar in the back, a rear seat delete, hundreds of thousands of hard miles worth of rock chips, and a gorgeous patina developed, this might be the best 911. I appreciate it so much, and I want to be friends with the person who drives it.
Honorable Mention – My Steed For The Weekend, The Rad44
As a fun car to drive, the 944 owns all for the money. A few friends and I purchased this 944 to share as a fun ride, and also as a marketing tool for Radwood, our 80s and 90s car show. This 944 is a European model with no sunroof, a manual steering rack, and a manual transmission. Since we got it, we installed a set of Campagnolo wheels from Group 4, a set of Pirelli P6000 vintage-look tires from Tire Rack, and a few other minor upgrades, as well as the livery, which was inspired by the 924 Carrera GTS that ran the 1982 Rally Monte Carlo with Hugo Boss sponsorship. I drove this car on the Momo Road To Rennsport Rally last week, and it’s been a blast.
