There’s little to say that hasn’t already been said about the Porsche 911, what is probably the most famous sportscar in the world, and certainly the most successful. How do you celebrate it in an original way? The Goodwood way, of course. So at the 80th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, we have a selection of Porsche 911s for a parade, though it’s far from a line-up of similar silhouettes in gradually expanding shapes that the road cars generally are.
Celebrating 60 years of the Porsche 911 at the 80th Members' Meeting
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No, these are the massive variety of racing cars that the 911 has spawned over the years and honestly, some of them are unrecognisable.
Compare if you will Moby Dick – 935/78 – or the GT1-98, to 911 Carrera road cars of the day. It speaks to the versatility of the 911 name and its platform, that everything from rally cars, to sports prototypes, have grown out of them. Of course these are the extremes, with the 911 throughout its six decades proving the perfect platform from which to build a reliable competition car.
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The first 911s that really got serious in their preparation for competition were the Carrera RSRs of the early 1970s, seen here. Widened and with a jutting chin intake, these monsters accommodate throatier engines and fatter tyres in that engorged rear end. Soon they grew turbochargers hanging out of their abdomen and as the horsepower began to swell, the bodywork got more and more aggressive. With the Group 5 super production rules, the 911 mutated into the 935, which apart from the cabin and glasshouse, wasn’t very 911 at all.
This pack encompasses so much of the 911’s racing history, ranging from the 1973 Carrera RSR, to the 1998 911 GT1 Evo, with RSRs and 935s of the ‘70s and ‘80s and 993s of the ‘90s filling out the ranks. Perhaps the biggest testament to the breadth of the 911’s presence in racing over its 60 years, is that this is but a snapshot. A stunning sight.
The 80th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport is live now! You can watch every second of the action right here on GRR.
Photography by Jochen Van Cauwenberg and Joe Harding.
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