Motorized journey back in time to the fifties to eighties

Porsche Heritage and Museum are sending seven sports cars from six decades to the "Solitude Revival". Almost 60 years after the last race, the international classic motorsport festival from June 22 to 23, 2024 will be a reminder of the motorsport of yesteryear, when formula cars, GT cars, sports cars and prototypes raced through the forest just outside Stuttgart. "We are delighted to be there with legendary vehicles and drivers when the former race track comes back to life for two days," says Achim Stejskal, Head of Porsche Heritage and Museum. The races on the Solitudering used to attract up to 150,000 visitors.

The "Solitude Revival" showcases historic racing and road vehicles on the former race track in Leonberg, which consists of public roads and is closed especially for this occasion. Among others, there will be racing motorcycles and racing motorcycle sidecars up to 1972, racing and sports cars up to 1947, racing sports cars and prototypes from 1948 to 1976, GT and racing touring cars from 1948 to 1972 and formula racing cars from 1948 to 1976.

Porsche is also contributing some historic gems from its rich racing history. For example, the 356 B 2000 GS Carrera GT "Dreikantschaber". The wedge-shaped nose and the abrupt break in the roofline give the Porsche from 1963 its nickname. Weighing just 820 kilograms, the Gran Turismo racing car, which was based on the 356 B Carrera 2 and only built twice, weighed 195 kilograms less than its road-legal counterpart. At the 1963 Targa Florio, Edgar Barth and Herbert Linge won the GT class with this car. Three months later, Linge became the first GT driver to lap the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in less than ten minutes with the "Dreikantschaber". The organizers paid tribute to the racing driver and Operations Manager of the Weissach Development Center, who died at the end of January, with a "Herbert Linge" memorial run, in which Porsche Heritage and Museum took part with a 550 Spyder from 1954

Another lightweight version of the 356 B is the 356 B 2000 GS Carrera GTL Abarth. Thanks to the 778-kilogram racing car, Porsche managed to remain competitive in Gran Turismo racing in the 1960s. The hand-built aluminum body with the characteristic air scoop at the rear is compact and streamlined. With various engines - from 1.6-liter to 2-liter power units - the 356 B 2000 GS Carrera GTS Abarth achieved class victories at the Targa Florio and at Le Mans. Porsche also won the European Hill Climb Championships from 1961 to 1963 with the racing car.

The racing event also brings together active and former racing drivers and motorsport enthusiasts. These include Le Mans overall winner and endurance world champion Marc Lieb and Porsche works driver Richard Lietz, who has won the GTE-Pro class of the endurance race for the Zuffenhausen-based company a total of four times. The winner of the Bathurst 24-hour race, Ayhancan Güven, will also be driving a Porsche through the forest near Leonberg. The 26-year-old is the next generation of racing drivers.

Visitors will also see Tatort actor Richy Müller at the wheel of a historic sports car and Porsche brand ambassador and rally legend Walter Röhrl in his 911 GT3 Rallye, which will be running on e-fuel at the "Solitude Revival". The synthetic fuel, which is produced from hydrogen and carbon dioxide using renewable energy, will also be used in the 550 Spyder and 911 Carrera 2 Cup at the Solitude Festival. The sports car manufacturer sees e-fuels as a sensible addition to electromobility and is a driver of innovation in this area. (aum)