A pointer to Porsche’s future – Festival of Dreams

June 8, 2023, marked the 75th anniversary of the granting of the Porsche 356 No. 1 Roadster type approval. This date is considered the birth of Porsche as a carmaker. There were many celebrations and shows around the globe for Porsche’s 75th birthday. The biggest of these was the Festival of Dreams at the Hockenheimring in Germany. Around 80,000 people made their way to the race track. In addition to plenty of racing by ADAC GT Masters and the associated supporting program, there was Le Mans public viewing, a large static display and, as a crowning finale, a concert. Between the lines, however, there is a hint of the upcoming paradigm shift.

Porsche’s Festival of Dreams was a party for the whole family

Even the journey to Hockenheim was a blast. Highway, city center, parking lots – there were Porsches everywhere, as far as the eye could see. A total of 8,000 customer vehicles were counted. Porsche fans who arrived very early were even allowed to park their vehicles prominently in the infield of the track. There were hardly any traffic jams. The organization was – typically Porsche – exemplary.

Although the Festival of Dreams was held at the same time as the ADAC GT Masters race weekend and the Porsche Carrera Cups Germany and Benelux, the event was much more than just motorsport. Its supporting program gave even the less motorsport-savvy visitors plenty of reason to enjoy themselves. There were live bands, dance performances, mobile brand stores, lots of action for the youngest attendants, racing simulators, vehicle exhibitions… the lot!

A special highlight was the Porsche Sprint Challenge Classic

In addition to the brand-new GT3 race cars and the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, there was a special treat. Air-cooled Porsche 911s competed against each other in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Classic. The Carrera Cup cars of the Porsche 964 and 993 generations fought it out among themselves, just like in the old days. Above all, the soundscape of the 3.6 and 3.8 liter engines caused goose bumps. Who knows how often we’ll have the opportunity to see these cars in action. Incidentally, the air-cooled engines have a way deeper tone and are much quieter than their modern descendants.

At the Porsche Experience Center, a large static display awaited the visitors. The Macan, Taycan and Cayenne – equipped with the new Tequipment roof tents – were lined up next to the 911 GT3 Touring and RS (painted in PTS star ruby, among other colors) in the parking lot. Under the canopy of the group’s own event location, “racing cars from all decades” then bustled about. From the legendary Porsche 911 RSR in Martini livery to the 911 GT1 ’98 – completely covered in exposed carbon fiber – there was plenty of racing history here. Even the ultimately unsuccessful excursion into the US Indycar series was exhibited in the form of the Porsche 2708 CART.

Despite some classic models in the static display, one could notice that the brand’s focus is changing

Even at the anniversary party with the Porsche Mission X unveiling in Stuttgart Zuffenhausen on Thursday evening, all speakers, as well as CEO Oliver Blume, emphasized that Porsche has repeatedly adapted and reinvented itself over the decades. That innovation has always been the driver of the brand. And they are absolutely right. Porsche’s management team is boldly moving forward and putting the qualities of alternative drive types in perspective. At the same time, they are aware of the brand’s tradition, and the emotionality around the Porsche boxer engine in particular.

Driven by Dreams – 75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars

Details

At the 75th anniversary celebration, there was a sense of where the group is heading in the future, and certainly where it needs to go in some areas. Porsche, for example, invited all attendees to take free rides through the Experience Center. With the exception of a Porsche 992 GT3 RS and the Cayenne models for the off-road Experience, only the battery-powered Taycans were on the road. And – driven by Porsche instructors – they really went flatout. A showcase that was sure to convince many doubters of just how good and how much of a Porsche the brand’s all-electric vehicles are.

Instead of historic vehicles, Porsche sent the new Cayman GT4 e-Performance onto the track

However, anyone who assumed that Porsche would once again send the entire heritage fleet out onto the track and rev up the engines for the “Porsche Track Activities” part of the program was proven wrong. Although Festival of Dreams visitors were able to listen to the sounds of old racers – at the Experience Center there was some engine sound of the race cars in the booth – Porsche showed the future in motion.

Thus, a delegation of brand ambassadors led by Axel Stein and Hannah Schönwald was sent out onto the track for a show lap in the Porsche Cayman GT4 e-Performance. The Cayman, which has been converted from mid-engine with a combustion engine to all-electric drive, achieves up to 1,200 hp in qualification mode. It accelerates the study from a standstill to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds. That’s faster than a Formula 1 car! Even from the outside, you could see how much faster this car is than a 991.2 GT3 RS running on the track at the same time for demo purposes. This shows the big plus of battery-electric drives.

60 years of Porsche 911 were not a topic at the Festival of Dreams

It will be exciting to see how Porsche breathes a certain emotion into this new genre. Or whether that will even be necessary in the future. Because even as a die-hard petrolhead, you have to admit that the extreme volume of the GT3 race cars is sometimes borderline. The variety of sounds – each manufacturer has its distinctive sound – certainly picks you up emotionally. However, it can also be frightening to uninitiated and less enthusiastic viewers. The air-cooled Cup Porsches were much “friendlier” without the show suffering.

Another question that was not answered at the Festival of Dreams revolved around the 911. Because no mention was made of the sixth anniversary of the rear-engined sports car that has made the brand world famous. Will there be another anniversary model, as there was for the 30th, 40th and 50th anniversaries? That is written in the stars…