We were recently asked to attend Porsche’s North American launch of the Macan GTS. You’ll hear a lot more about that car, and that trip, in coming days (for now you can check out the 10 Things We Learned About The New Macan GTS). For now, we want to focus on the liveries Porsche dressed each of the Macans in. You see, the launch took place at a very historically significant site for Porsche, and motorsport in general, Pikes Peak. Having won numerous Pikes Peak International Hillclimb titles on the mountain, Porsche knows the ins and outs of this course intimately. More to the point, Porsche’s success is due, in large part, to the incredibly talented Jeff Zwart. Jeff has been running at Pikes Peak since 1994, and has competed in 10 different Porsche models, winning 8 titles along the way. Porsche invited him out to Pikes Peak, along with his 2002 class-winning 996 GT2, and a sextet of Macan GTS’s for us to drive.
To make the event all the more exciting, Porsche had each of the Macans wrapped in Zwart-aping liveries showing off some of his amazing Porsches throughout the years. Lets take a walk through Zwart’s Porsche/Pikes history.
We asked Jeff how seeing these Macans all dressed up for the mountain made him feel, and this is what he had to say:
“It’s pretty special, you know, I look in the mirror driving the GT2 up and seeing all six of the Macans chasing me up here. And then looking and seeing all of the liveries that I’ve won with, starting with 1994, clear up to the 2015 car last year. It’s kind of cool to see them all together, because I’ve never had a chance to see everything together like this. That makes this event pretty special.”
We also asked which of the liveries was Jeff’s favorite, and after a brief moment to think, he had an answer. And then another answer. They’re all his babies, I guess.
“The 33 car, which is the white car with the blue stripes around it, that actually was the whole course of Pikes Peak wrapped around the whole car. It was a [993] Turbo S, so it was a very special car. I drove it in ’97, ’98, and ’99. I actually won twice with that car, and it was just a really cool graphic on it.
I love the 11 car, which was the Valvoline car in 1995, and that was a super cool car, too. They all kind of evolve. My GT2, I think was my favorite with the Mobil 1 Pegasus on there. It’s hard to pick just one, you know?”
Macan GTS #11 – 1995 Porsche 993 Turbo – 1995 PPIHC “High Performance Showroom Stock” Class Winner
Macan GTS #22 – 1996 Porsche 993 Turbo – 1996 PPIHC “High Performance Showroom Stock” Class Winner
Macan GTS #33 – 1997 Porsche 993 Turbo S – 1997 PPIHC “High Performance Showroom Stock” Class Winner
Macan GTS #44 – 1994 964 Carrera 4 Andial Turbo – PPIHC 1994 “USAC Open Division”
Macan GTS #55 – 2007 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup – PPIHC 2010 “Time Attack 2WD” Class Winner
Macan GTS #66 – 2013 PPIHC – 2007 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup “Turbo Hillclimb Special” – 2015 PPIHC “Time Attack 1” Class Winner
With Jeff driving his 2002 996 GT2 up the hill with us, each of his seven class-winning cars are represented. It was such an amazing experience, and we are so glad that we got the opportunity to be a part of it. Once we fully decompress from the event, we’ll have a lot more coverage for you to peruse. Check back often for more.