RENNSPORT VI through JZG's lens............my last Hurrah.

[John Z Goriup]

Finishing the club tents with a pair of images of a beautifully done 356 Outlaw Coupe ( photos # 1 & 2 ) and continuing with four photos of a magnificently restored '72 factory 911 ST, in fact, the last one ever produced, Ser # 1268, if I recall correctly. A superb effort by Phil Bagley's Klub Sport organization..........sadly, I failed to obtain a suitable frontal photo of this splendid automobile, because I spent far more tiome studying it and looking at the superb detail work, than taking pictures of it.

[John Z Goriup]

Amazingly, there were two pairs of 718s in separate pits in the paddock this time around, and in both cases one was a super-rare center-steer model and the other the conventional Sports racer two-seater, from which the F-2 single seat conversion was derived. If I recall correctly, four 'single seaters' were produced by the factory, with about a half dozen or so 'kits' being sold to privateers to convert their cars for single seater class racing. The original single-seaters were a dominant success in their class in the day, and today bring nosebleed prices, if they ever even come up for sale at all.

The attached set concentrates on the standard two-seater '60 version, which should be correctly referred to as an RS 60 since the factory significant changes mandated by FIA rule changes the year prior.

To permit myself a moment of editorializing, if all I see at any Rennsport Reunion are some of these vanishingly rare treasures from the "giant killer period of PORSCHE's existence competing against each other on the track once every three of four year and see, hear & experience nothing else, it'll be reason enough to attend RR VII.................if I can still walk & find myself still on the green side of the grass in 2021.

Only 8 photos in this post.

[John Z Goriup]

I threw in photo #9 in the above post solely to highlight the differences between the 'standard' RS 60 Sports racer and the single seat F2 example, and now in this post would like to devote all 10 images to the other single seater which was at another pit with its RSK teammate in the next aisle.

What brilliant cars these are, and always will be. Incredible handling and agility, fast, rugged and reliable when looked after by thoughtful owners / machanics / drivers who are aware of and are willing to learn all about the vagaries of the miraculous Fuhrmann four-cam motor, not to mention the overwhelming fun-to-drive factor ..................it just doesn't get any better than this. An opportunity to see & hear these remarkable little cars has and will keep me going to the ends of the earth to see & hear them again and again, and to thank the folks who keep them going.

Note the dull paint on the hood / bonnet, please - indicating that this is one of the models with the double panel hood, with a serpentine copper-coil oil-cooler embedded between the two panels to take advantage oif the ambient temperature air flowing over the area.

[John Z Goriup]

Please bear with me as we finish up all the walkabouts through the paddock Wednewsday through Sunday with a couple more batches pf pictures - please note shots #8 through 10, the RUF Yellowbird II, more accurately known as the Ruf Twin-Turbo, the actual car used by R &T to update their every-decade 'World's fastest car' selection.

[John Z Goriup]

One can roam the paddock only for so long, and then you just have to stretch your legs in the form of a vigorous hike to an interesting corner, and with a fresh, hot cappuccino in hand, pop a telephoto onto the camera and study everything from rich guys without a shred of talent flogging their latest toys, to legendary Porsche drivers who have won at LeMans, Daytona, Mille Miglia & the original Targa Florio races.

Photo #10 shows the actual 919 'Tributre' car, the very one that set several speed / lap records in Europe, including pulverizing the Nürburg Ring lap record. The car did a couple of exhibit runs in the first couple of days of RR, but then abruptly pitted during what had been long been scheduled as the record Laguna Seca lap record attempt on Friday if memory serves me correctly, and did not reappear on-track again. Someone said they overheard one of the Porsche execs tell someone that they had received an e-mail from Stuttgart instructing them there would be no record attempt and to pack the car up to get it ready for shipment to the museum.

[John Z Goriup]

One of the genuine pleasures of attending the Rennsport Reunions is to see and chat with some of the folks who were so instrumental in making PORSCHE what it is.............drivers, legends, designers, engineers, family members, etc., especially when one realizes that some of these gents are in their 80s, and that every sighting is a significant moment.

[MikeM]

John
I think I speak for many...Thank you!

[H-viken]

Someone said they overheard one of the Porsche execs tell someone that they had received an e-mail saying there would be no record attempt and were instructed to pack the car up to get it ready for shipment to the museum in Stuttgart.

Wonder why?

And Thank You John for sharing your pictures!

[John Z Goriup]

As the sponsor and 'patron' of all the RENNSPORT Reunions, PORSCHE has a fairly ubiquitous presence during the event. Lots of factory personnel, PCNA types and pretty much everything from Lego Porsches to the latest Turbo cabriolets, all-elctric future projects, a surprisingly comprehensive promotion of the Porsche Classic Department, including the beautifully restored ex-Micchael Keyser Toad Hall ST prominently displayed in the dedicated Classic building, historic displays o past race winners, and even a small fleet of Panamera to haul tired old men from the paddock up to the top of the Corkscrew and / or anywhere else within the Laguna Seca compound, driven by some of the prettiest young ladies imaginable...........thank you, PCNA.

[StephenAcworth]

Thanks for posting these amazing images, John. Another Rennsport I had to miss, and, yet again, your photos capture so much of the esssence of the event!