Solar power
The British Porsche community celebrated three simultaneous milestones for its favourite marque over a sun-drenched June weekend at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
Silverstone hosted its first motor race in October 1948, six months after Porsche had built its first sports car. By 1951, the 356 coupé and cabriolet had debuted in London, and a year later the former would be competing on road and track around the British Isles.
The following 75 years has been a story of exponential growth for Porsche in the UK, one that was celebrated in June with a unique two-day festival at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Organised by Porsche Cars Great Britain, the Icons of Porsche, Sunstede Silverstone Edition also marked 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 65 years of the Porsche Club of Great Britain, with more than 10,000 owners and fans of the brand travelling to the ‘Home of British motorsport’. What awaited them was a Technicolor love letter to Porsche road and racing history, comprising dynamic and static displays, interactive activities, talks and exhibits, interwoven with live music, street food and a vibrant party atmosphere.
Automotive art:
Highlights included the 21-metre-tall Gerry Judah sculpture that wowed crowds at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023, and is to become a permanent fixture at the Porsche Experience Centre.The event officially began with an invitational breakfast meet at Bicester Motion, the former RAF base that has become a hub for the UK’s classic motoring industry. Famous Porsche owners and enthusiasts such as Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay and YouTuber Harry Metcalfe were joined by leading journalists, social media influencers and the Porsche UK PR team, plus Andreas Preuninger, Director of the Porsche GT Product Line.
Surrounded by the site’s towering aviation hangars, the cars and coffee-style meet-up gave attendees a chance to share their own Porsche stories and enjoy a first look at the car at the centre of the weekend’s festivities – one of the first three 356 models unveiled to the British public at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1951. This split-screen Pre-A 356, now immaculately restored to its original and rare Moor Green, has come to symbolise the start of the British Porsche story, a new chapter of which would soon be written at Sunstede Silverstone.
Unveiled at Earls Court in 1951, one of the first three 356 models is now restored to its original Moor Green
This 356 ...
... was one of three unveiled at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1951 – the first chapter of the 75-year story of Porsche in Britain.Sunstede is an Old English term for the solstice, making it a fitting name for the latest Porsche Icons event, held over the longest day of the year. Light evenings and summer sunshine offered visitors to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone the opportunity to immerse themselves for several hours in a sprawling yet carefully curated landscape of Porsche sports and racing cars of all varieties.
Modern race cars paid homage to the Pink Pig livery that appeared on the 917/20 at Le Mans in 1971
Sections of the undulating infield were given over to cars of all model types and ages, arranged in shared palettes of red, green, blue and yellow. In one corner, the enduring Pink Pig livery that first appeared on the 917/20 at Le Mans in 1971 was referenced by similarly liveried modern race cars, sharing the limelight with a number of vintage tractors from the early days of Porsche.
In a covered area next to Silverstone’s famous Hangar Straight, competition cars from the Porsche Museum collection offered visitors the opportunity to pore over favourites like the 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo that came second overall at Le Mans in 1974, and the 924 Carrera GTP driven to 12th place at the 24 Hours in 1980 by Britons Andy Rouse and Tony Dron. Nearby was the famous Vaillant-liveried 917/30 that won on its debut with Vic Elford in Europe’s mid-1970s Interserie championship, and the Shell-liveried 962C driven by Britain’s most successful Le Mans racer, Derek Bell.
‘GVB 911D’:
The 911 in which Vic Elford won the first ever televised UK rallycross event back in 1967 was among the Porsche Icons on show at Silverstone.Out on track, passenger rides in the new 850 kW (1,156 PS; (Cayenne Turbo Electric (WLTP)*: Electrical consumption combined: 22.5 – 20.4 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A) Cayenne Turbo Electric were interspersed with demonstration drives featuring yet more of the Museum’s most admired historic and modern race cars. These included the first ever 917, the Le Mans-winning 911 GT1-98 and the highly technical 919 Hybrid that helped Porsche to three consecutive World Endurance Championships between 2015 and 2017. Taking turns behind the wheel and chatting to guests during informal track walks was two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard.
The story of Porsche in the UK was explored in a variety of inventive ways at Sunstede Silverstone, including through a partnership with high-end automotive magazine The Road Rat. Porsche Cars Great Britain commissioned The Road Rat team to produce a special issue themed around both Porsche in the UK and the country’s influence on Porsche motorsport. The collectible 228-page publication, which explores the cultural impact of Porsche from its earliest days, was given an official Porsche part number and revealed for the first time at Sunstede. It is now available from Porsche dealerships throughout the country.
The team behind Road Rat magazine ...
... created a 228-page special issue devoted to Porsche and its enduring relationship with the UK. Find it at your local dealer.For many visitors the highlight of the weekend was the unveiling of the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition. A collaboration between Porsche Cars Great Britain and Porsche Exclusive, and based on the latest 911 GT3 with Touring Package, the special edition is limited to just 51 cars. Each will be finished in PTS (Paint-to-Sample) ‘Earls Court Green’ with two-tone Night Green and Chalk Beige leather. Customers will also receive a matching Porsche Design chronograph timepiece and leather weekend bag. The car was revealed alongside a 356 recommissioned by the factory and painted in the same PTS colour. An invitational evening for British GT car owners followed on Saturday, with Andreas Preuninger formally announcing the car and discussing the GT department’s long-standing relationship with British customers.
Spirit of 1951:
This special-edition GT3 Touring is inspired by the 356 shown at Earls Court in 1951. Limited to 51 units, it features a Paint-to-Sample body colour and two-tone interior.The creative possibilities of Porsche Exclusive were further celebrated at Sunstede in a space dedicated to the Porsche Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department, where among a number of striking examples of daring paint finishes and interior specification, yet another new car was unveiled to the public for the first time. The Taycan Turbo S Soho House One was created by Porsche Exclusive in partnership with Soho Home, the design and interiors division of the exclusive Soho House private members’ clubs. This unique collaboration evokes themes of British heritage and luxury and is finished in PTS ‘Greek Street Green’, a playful homage to the famous green door of the original Soho House in Greek Street, London. Inside, the car is trimmed in Truffle Brown leather and burl wood with vintage-inspired Murphy Jacquard seat fabric designed by Soho Home. Alongside these expressions of individuality and luxury, community and inclusivity remained key components of Sunstede Silverstone. The Porsche Club of Great Britain had a dedicated display featuring members’ cars that included a Carrera GT, 959, 356 Speedster and ultra-rare 924 Carrera GTS. As part of its own 65th anniversary celebrations, the Club was joined by a special guest and fellow Brit, designer Magnus Walker, who had flown in from California especially for the event.
The Taycan Turbo S Soho House One ...
... was unveiled to the public for the first time in an area dedicated to the Porsche Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department.
Endurance legends:
The spirit of Le Mans came to Sunstede with the 911 GT1-98 and 917 chassis #001 (right of shot), which were demonstrated by Porsche factory race drivers Nick Tandy, Timo Bernhard and Laurin Heinrich.A lasting reminder of this momentous weekend for Porsche in the UK came in the form of the permanent installation of one of the towering sculptures created by British artist Gerry Judah. First seen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023, this dizzying 21-metre-tall structure now features six 911 cars, ranging from a G-Series Targa and examples of the 964 and 993 Carrera to a 996 Turbo, 997 GT3 RS and a 991 GT3 Cup race car. Referencing the colours of the Union Flag, these cars have been painted in Guards Red, Carrara White and Bali Blue, and the sculpture will now be a landmark fixture outside the Porsche Experience Centre Silverstone.
‘When the 356 first appeared in the UK, the impression those other-worldly little sports cars must have made on a British public is hard to fathom,’ said Rory Lumsdon, PR Director at Porsche Cars GB Ltd. ‘But the early 1950s was an era of real excitement and optimism, and the Porsche vision clearly chimed with the zeitgeist. Fast forward 75 years and our cars have become part of the fabric of British motoring and the Sunstede festival was a fantastic way to celebrate that. It’s been a pleasure bringing so many owners and fans together, sharing in their enthusiasm and continuing to tell the story of Porsche in the UK.’
Further information
For more images of our Sunstede event, or to discover more about the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition and Taycan Soho House One, please visit porsche.com/uk
