‘Icons of Porsche’ To Host Six Epic Cars This Year

The annual gathering of Porsche fans in Dubai is scheduled for November 23-24.

For those with poor memory (like me), Porsche opened the ticket sales counter for this year’s ‘Icons of Porsche’ a few weeks ago. In addition, it touched upon what to expect, among which was the inclusion of rare models from the Porsche Museum. Well, we now have the juicy details about that highlight.

Porsche fans know that 2024 marks 50 years of the Turbo badge. Hence, the theme ‘50 Years of Turbo’ will echo around the Dubai Design District on November 23-24. To commemorate the occasion, Porsche has chosen six epic models from the Porsche Museum collection to headline the event. Three are from the world of cut-throat racing, while the other three floored regular folks on regular roads.

Leading from the front for the on-track heroes will be the Porsche 956 that competed in the World Endurance Championship in 1982. When it debuted at Le Mans, it bagged a one, two and three finish. The racer featured a 2.6-litre turbocharged with a five-speed transmission and an advanced monocoque chassis with built-in diffusers, aiding the 956 to achieve faster cornering speeds.

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Next in line will be the Porsche 962, the successor to the 956. Introduced at the end of 1984 for the IMSA regulations in North America, the new model retained the chassis and underbody of the 956. It bettered the equation with a new dual-clutch PDK transmission, which has trickled down the evolution path and is now available in almost all Porsche models. The 962 allowed its maker to enter the Supercup sprint races from 1986. It won the championship the following year while following in the footsteps of its predecessor at the 24-Hour Le Mans with victories in ’86 and ’87. The 962 also bagged the World Sportscar Championship in ’85 and ’86.

Rounding off the loaned racers is the Zakspeed-entered Porsche 911 GT1 ’98. It competed in the top category of the 1998 FIA GT World Championship, claiming several top 10 finishes, including a third-place finish in the Silverstone 500km race. Just five examples of this racer were built, each featuring the first-ever Porsche-designed carbon fibre chassis, carbon fibre brakes, and a six-speed sequential gearbox.

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The loaned cars include an example of the second-gen Porsche 911, which debuted in 1973 and stayed in production until 1989. Which one, exactly? A 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 Coupe. That was the model the second-gen bid farewell with. It was the first car to feature a 300ps turbocharged engine with a five-speed transmission.

Alongside the 911 Turbo 3.3 will be a 1991 Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet. What’s unique about this one? Well, it was this model that bid farewell to the 944 badge. Porsche produced north of 160,000 944s between 1981 and 1991. Of them, about 23,000 were Turbo Coupes and only 528 Turbo Cabriolets.

Lastly, a pristine example of the 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 will attract eyeballs. It roped in a turbocharger and upped the 3.6-litre engine’s output to 360ps/520Nm while returning improved mileage numbers over the 3.3-litre version. For many, the 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo represents the quintessential look of the iconic sports car.

So, which one will you drool over first?