Rare Metals: All the Porsches of Rennsport Reunion VI
Every few years
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 This is really private owners,
00:06 fans bringing their passion to the event.
00:08 We create the setting,
00:09 but they really help fill it with life.
00:11 (car engine roaring)
00:16 RANSport is the ultimate gathering
00:20 of legendary and current race car drivers,
00:24 of engineers, and of our fans.
00:26 This is the one event where they can meet,
00:28 share their stories, and most importantly,
00:31 share their passion for Porsche.
00:33 This is the sixth installment
00:35 of Porsche's RANSport reunion,
00:36 and the third time it's been held
00:38 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
00:40 It's the 70th anniversary of Porsche sports cars,
00:43 and there's no shortage of Porsche heritage
00:45 to get excited about.
00:46 Every fan of motorsports is certainly familiar
00:49 with Laguna Seca.
00:50 Now this track is historical,
00:52 it's been around for decades,
00:53 it remains one of the most exciting,
00:55 most challenging, and most popular destinations
00:57 for motorsports in all of the United States.
00:59 - Oh, well Laguna Seca's always been a fun track to be on.
01:03 It's not easy.
01:04 We have to be very wary in the corners.
01:07 Because of the sand here, for some reason,
01:09 we've always had a problem with getting the traction
01:11 in the middle of the corner,
01:12 so it always slides out.
01:14 So you can't go as quick as you'd like to.
01:16 (car engine roaring)
01:19 - Here in the Champion's Garage,
01:23 you'll find anything and everything
01:25 for a Porsche motorsport enthusiast.
01:28 This is the 1960 718 RS60,
01:31 the successor to the 550 Spyder.
01:33 That's the car that James Dean died in back in 1955.
01:37 So whenever I see one of these,
01:38 I'm reminded not only of that,
01:40 but also the racing success the RS60 had
01:42 right out of the box.
01:44 Now notable among that success
01:46 was victory in the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring.
01:50 In fact, that win was the first major endurance race victory
01:53 for Porsche as a marque.
01:55 (upbeat music)
01:56 This is not quite a prototype like we know them today,
01:59 but the 1996 911 GT1 was just a fantastic shape,
02:04 fantastic livery.
02:06 This is the '98 version,
02:07 but when it showed up at Le Mans in 1996,
02:10 it promptly finished second and third in class.
02:13 In '98, Porsche brought the GT1 back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans
02:17 and promptly won again.
02:18 This is the 2010 911 GT3 Hybrid.
02:24 Now what makes this car so fascinating
02:26 is it featured a never before seen
02:28 kinetic energy recovery system and a harvesting system
02:31 produced in partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering,
02:34 familiar to anyone who's a fan of Formula One.
02:36 What that means is there was a flywheel
02:38 resting inside the cockpit right next to the driver
02:41 where normally a passenger would sit in a road car.
02:43 And this flywheel would spin at up to 40,000 RPMs.
02:46 And if you think about that, that's absolutely staggering.
02:49 (upbeat music)
02:51 (car engine revving)
02:55 (upbeat music)
03:01 - It's been wonderful.
03:02 I mean, who could not like it?
03:03 We're all obviously Porsche fans one way or another.
03:06 And without Porsche,
03:07 there wouldn't be much sports car racing in the world.
03:09 That's for sure.
03:10 (upbeat music)
03:13 (upbeat music)
03:15 (upbeat music)
03:18 (upbeat music)
03:20 (upbeat music)
03:23 (upbeat music)
03:25 ♪ Hey ♪