Porsche will once again showcase an exciting array of new, iconic and historic models at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2 to 4 July.

In keeping with the Festival’s chosen Viva Veloce theme, the Porsche Museumin Stuttgart will be bringing some of the victorious sports cars from the Targa Florio road race in Sicily, as well as the Porsche 917 to celebrate a significant Porsche motorsport anniversary – 40 years since the 1970 win at Le Mans. The rare 804 Grand Prix car from 1962 will also be demonstrated, as part of commemorations of 60 years of the F1 World Championship.

These iconic models will share the spotlight with some all-new Porsche stars. The Festival sees the debut of the fastest-ever Porsche, the 620 hp GT2 RS, in the Supercar Run alongside the new GT3 RS. The new Porsche Cayenne range will also be on display, and in action, in the Porsche Experience area.

Porsche successes at Le Mans, the Targa Florio and in Formula One celebrated

With an unbeaten record of 16 victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, the reputation of Porsche has been founded on success in the demanding high pressure, high speed motor sport environment.

The iconic Porsche 917 scored the first Le Mans win for the marque in 1970, and this year Porsche celebrates the 40^th anniversary of this achievement by demonstrating the number 23 winner at Goodwood.

The Sixties and Seventies was a golden age for sports car endurance racing, and Porsche drivers climbed the top step of the podium at many venues. With more than 6,000 curves and countless climbs, the 720 kilometre Targa Florio course in Sicilian Madonie was one of the greatest challenges in international motor sport for many decades. To commemorate the feats of the cars and drivers in the renowned ‘Targa’, the Porsche Museum is bringing to Goodwood the 908/02 Spyder that won the race in 1969 together with the 908/03 Spyder that was victorious in 1970.

Although indelibly associated with sports car racing, Porsche has enjoyed success at the very pinnacle of motorsport in Formula 1. The peak of this involvement was undoubtedly a hat trick of World Championship victories between 1984 – 1986, achieved with the 1.5-litre 900 hp TAG Turbo engine designed by Porsche. However, in 1961 the Stuttgart marque entered its own chassis in Formula 1, and for the 1962 season the company developed the 804 – powered by a flat eight cylinder 1.5-litre 180 hp engine. Driven by the American driver Dan Gurney, the 804 scored its first victory at the 1962 French GP and quickly followed this with another triumph at the Solitude track in Germany.

Debut of 911 GT2 RS

The Sunday Times Supercar Run is a prime attraction at the Festival of Speed, showcasing the fastest and most exclusive road-going sports cars. This year’s event will mark the debut of the latest Porsche 911 GT2 RS, which arrives in UK showrooms in September. With 620 hp and the capability to lap the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in Germany in 7 min 18 secs, the GT2 RS is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche. With power up by 90 hp and weight down by 70 kg in comparison with the prior 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of 452 hp / tonne, by far the best in class, and marks the summit in the 911 range.

Joining the GT2 RS in the parade of power will be the new 911 GT3 RS. Offering an engine power increase to 450 hp, lower weight, shorter transmission ratios and a chassis optimised to an even higher standard, the 911 GT3 RS sets the foundation for homologating the racing version of the 911 GT3. The GT3 RS thus provides the key ingredients for extending the unparalleled racing record of Porsche and continues the series of absolute, uncompromised, motor sport-oriented editions of the 911 that are homologated for road use and which can trace their roots back to the classic Carrera RS 2.7 of 1973.

The all-new Cayenne and the Porsche Experience

The new generation Porsche Cayenne range is a trend-setter in terms of efficiency and performance and, compared with the former models, offers an increase in fuel economy of up to 23 per cent.

The highlight of the new line-up is the technically sophisticated parallel full hybrid drive-train which combines the sporting performance of an eight-cylinder with the economy of a six-cylinder. The ultimate in performance driving experiences continues to be delivered by the 500 hp Cayenne Turbo.

The driver-oriented chassis of the new Cayenne has been designed to combine sports car handling on the road with the added versatility of being able to cover ground quickly, regardless of the terrain.

Visitors to the Festival of Speed will be able to experience Porsche power personally courtesy of Driving Consultants from the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, who will be demonstrating the performance and handling of the new Cayenne on a specially designed dynamics course laid out in the Porsche Driving Experience area at Goodwood. The grass-surfaced course around which the 400 hp V8-engined Cayenne S models will power is intended to demonstrate perfectly the outstanding dynamic ability of this immensely versatile Porsche.

Porsche enthusiasts visiting Goodwood will be pleased to learn that there are many more examples of the marque, and former factory race drivers, participating in the Festival of Speed. Not least amongst these will be Richard Attwood, former F1 driver and 1970 Le Mans winner, who will be taking time out of his daily schedule as a Porsche Driving Consultant, at the Porsche Experience Centre Silverstone, to rekindle old flames in the paddock!

Press data & images: Porsche