Exclusive Coverage: Icons Of Porsche 2024 Highlights

Day 1 Highlights: Icons Of Porsche 2024

The festival expanded its footprint by an impressive 30% compared to the previous year, covering over 40,000 square feet. This increase in space allowed for a more immersive experience, with multiple themed districts showcasing various aspects of Porsche’s legacy and future. The festival grounds were divided into several themed districts each offering unique experiences with the main ones being:

• Electric Avenue

• Style Plaza

• Turbo Yard

• Performance Paddock

You had nearly 200 cars from across the Middle East region and beyond (I saw plenty of Qatar and Saudi plates), parked up between these zones. The Community Village provided a relaxed atmosphere for socializing and enjoying live music. The main stage played host to a variety of sessions, including discussions on Porsche’s all-electric models, regional debuts, and tête-a-tête with some motorsports legends and race cars.

Upon entering the festival grounds, I was met with Porsche’s EV line-up, with the all-electric Macan, a Guards Red Taycan GTS, and the track-bred Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach package, which meant no rear seats. Next, I turned right and made my way to look at some parked-up exotics that included the iconic V10 Carrera GT and not one, but two Porsche 918s (a holy-trinity staple).

You even had the extremely rare 918 Spyder Edition Turbo S on display, which sat right next to a 918. I never thought I’d ever be able to capture these two in the same frame, but here we are. Speedsters with their legendary double-bubble humps are as rare as they come,, and I was left wondering why this blacked-out 964 Speedster was sitting next to the 918.

This zone which was just outside of the perimeter of the Style Plaza had several classic Porsches ranging from 356s and air-cooled 911s from Targas to Slantnose examples, including an RWB. Innocently sat in the corner, next to the RM Sotheby’s booth was the infamous widowmaker, a.k.a the 930 Turbo. Speaking of Sotheby’s, they had two interesting 991s on display, that caught my eye - a highly desirable RS 4.0 (yes the one with the legendary Mezger engine) and a pristine white GT2 RS.

RM Sotheby’s also spoke on stage at length about the 911 Turbo Remastered, which was set to go under the hammer over the weekend. A one-off creation of Porsche’s Sonderwunch Program (Special Wishes Program) this one-off silver 992 Turbo with Fuchs wheels and a plaid red interior, draws inspiration from the original 1974 911 Turbo prototype, gifted to Ferry Porsche’s sister Louise Pïech for her 70th Birthday.

With dusk approaching, I walked past the Guinness World Record holder for largest inflatable car in the world, a classic 1963 red 911, I made my way to the community village. This area was divided into two zones for street cars and off-road cars. The bulk of the exhibits on display here were modern 911s, along with some 718s.

A few exceptions that caught my eye were a silver 993 Carrera with Turbo-style wheels (I now finally get the 993’s appeal) and a 994 Turbo, a model that in my opinion is undervalued. The one car that was really turning heads in this lineup was a gold-wrapped 911 with a TECHART body kit. The stand-out feature was undoubtedly its double-deck wing and the aggressive rear diffuser.

With daylight gone, I ventured into the sand where there was no shortage of beefed-up first and second-generation Cayennes. One example that was in my opinion the star of the show in this zone was the heavily modified matte white Cayenne dubbed Project 957. Sitting considerably higher than your regular run-of-the-mill family hauler, this example was kitted out to the teeth with some pretty serious hardware.

Think winches, additional auxiliary lightening on the bull-bar and roof, a snorkel, and off-road tires. The interior packs carbon-fiber trim, sporty Recaro buckets, a roll cage, and no rear seats. In its place sat the spare wheel, making this a bonafide weekend toy for a Porsche fan who loves to venture far off the beaten track. Strangely enough, while I was really excited to see several 992 Dakars, especially in the Rothmans colors along with some Safari-style 911s, exhibiting a 959 Dakar could have made for a solid addition here. Maybe next year.

2024 has been an eventful year for the 911 with the roll-out of the dot 2 update for the 992 generation. While I didn’t get to see the base 992.2 Carrera or Hybridised GTS that broke cover back in May, two more recent 911 debuts in the form of the 992.2 Carrera T and the 992.2 GT3 were on display, as part of regional previews for the Middle East region. I was particularly excited to see the manual-only 911 Carrera T. While I didn’t really get to snag a shot of the interior, I did take a look at the short and stubby gear lever for the six-speed box.

The Carrera T is the pick of the range if you want an entry-level analog sports car experience from a modern Porsche 911. Think of the lightweight 911 as a budget GT3. Speaking of the GT3, there was a purple example next to the Carrera T. While the 992.2 GT3 facelift didn’t receive any major updates in terms of power, folks are happy that it retains the naturally-aspirated flat-six (period). The exhibit did give an up-close look at the styling changes, the magnesium wheels, and the Weissach package (available for the first time on the GT3). Sadly, there was no 992.2 GT3 Touring model on site.

I finally made my way to the Turbo Yard, where you not only had one of the original Turbocharged engines on display in all its glory but all eight generations of the 911 Turbo. The 50th anniversary special that debuted at the Monterey Car Week earlier this year, was also on display representing the latest 992 generation. I concluded day one with some parting shots of a 1:1 scale LEGO 930 Turbo. You really have to see this thing in person to admire some unique details like the rear spoiler and the headlights.

Day 2 Highlights: Icons Of Porsche 2024

The scale of Icons of Porsche, simply cannot be put into words. Beyond the 200 cars that were already present within the sprawling site, there was no shortage of interesting cars to look at beyond the festival grounds. I began the second day in the parking lot reserved for Porsche owners, just across from the venue and you had everything from your everyday Macans, Cayennes, and Panameras to 718s and 911s.

I also got to listen in on the distinctive hum of a Taycan, the sound of future all-electric Porsches if you will. Now a few cool cars that caught my attention were a classic Triebwerk 911 a stunning yellow 996 Turbo and a lone 991 GT2 RS. If we’re talking about exotics you had yet another 918 Spyder. The acid-green E-Hybrid accents served as a great contrast to the dark matte grey shade on the bodywork.

Back on the festival grounds, I was eager to check out some of the cars in the Performance Paddock. There were several Porsche partner brands on site including the likes of Bose and Michelin. The Tag Heuer booth had two stunning race cars on display, representing two very different generations of Porsche’s Motorsport lineage.

A 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder that dominated in historic races like La Carrera Panamericana the Mille Miglia and the frankly ludicrous Penske 963. While the front end is dramatic, it’s the side profile that really gives you a chance to appreciate the sheer length of this hybird hyper race car, designed to compete in the LMDh class, IMSA Series, and FIA (World Endurance Championship) WEC.

Next, onto three retro legends from Porsche’s motorsport history. Group C racing greats include a Rothmans-livery Porsche 956, which is one of the most expensive Porsches ever sold at auction at over $10 million, and a stunning yellow Shell 962 C. Both cars dominated Le Mans back in the 1980s.

From the intricacies of the race car suspension to the massive radiators and the flat-six mill boosted by two KKK turbos, looking at these cars without the engine cover showed me how less is actually more. It gave me a chance to appreciate the level of engineering that goes into achieving those incredible 200+ mph speeds needed to survive a grueling endurance race like the 24 hours of Le Mans.

That racing legacy continued into the 1990s with the 911 GT1. Taking on the mighty McLaren F1 and the Mercedes CLK GTR, the GT1 was Porsche’s answer to the LMGT1 class. The green example seen here is based on the 996 chassis used by Team ZakSpeed in the FIA GT World Championship in 1998, but the GT1 program began with the 993, and a Rennversion example from 1997 sold at Broad Arrow Auction, earlier this year for $7.45 million.

My final stop of this two-day extravaganza was the Manthey Racing booth. While the Nordschleife specialists had a 991 GT2 RS with the upgraded package, I was keen to see the 992.1 GT3 RS with the Manthey Racing kit, that finally broke cover last Friday. We’d seen spy shots of the GT3 RS MR for several months now and after speculations and tribulations, witnessing it just days after its debut felt surreal.

I’d previously stated that this is by far the most extreme expression of the 911 GT3 RS and it certainly lives up to that claim, given how I was able to compare some of the changes as there was a standard GT3 RS that sat right next to the dark green GT3 RS MR. Beyond the extensive use of carbon fiber, the most obvious distinctions compared to the regular GT3 RS include the aggressive front lip spoiler, the eight vortex-generator fins on the roof instead of two for improving aero, magnesium aero disc rear wheels, a rear windshield delete, with a carbon-fiber panel taking its place with an all-carbon fin and a taller two-piece DRS rear wing with bigger endplates.

A Nürburgring record with the new Manthey Kit hasn’t been attempted yet, but to give you some context, the standard GT3 RS has a time of 6:49.32 and the GT2 RS MR 991.2 has a time of 6:43.30, the fastest Porsche at the ring so far. With 20% more downforce compared to a standard GT3 RS (1,895 pounds at 177 mph) I can’t wait to see how much of a difference these upgrades make to the GT3 RS’s lap time. As for when the kit will be available and how much it will cost, Micheal Grassl from Manthey Racing told me that the kit will be available in the EU in January 2025, with other regions getting it in March 2025, and a price tag in the region of $80,000.

Beyond the cars, you also had several notable personalities from the Porsche world including the likes of the Volkswagen Group CEO, Oliver Blume, Porsche Works drivers: Mark Webber - nine-time F1 winner and FIA World Endurance Champion, Jörg Bergmeister - Le Mans World Champion and five-time American Le Mans Series winner, and Pascal Wehrlein - Formula E set the stage alive, interacting with fans, enthusiasts and collectors alike.

I can conclude by saying that Icons Of Porsche is far more than a car show. While the sights, smells, and sounds of this high-octane event certainly delivered and got my pulse racing, this truly international event has something for everyone and every age group, as it is also a cultural show with live music and art installations. I can’t wait to see what Porsche Middle East has in store for next year.