It's all about Porsche…if you're an owner of a Porsche,or a big enthusiast of Porsche Cars, Porsche Motorsports, Porsche Design, Porsche History, or a member of a Porsche Club….join me on focusing just about PORSCHE!!
George Follmer and Mark Donohue in Porsches pace the 1972 Can-Am race here.
Porsche loyalists will flock to the Monterey Peninsula October 14-16 when Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosts Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV.
Complementing the hundreds of historic Porsche race cars competing or on special display in the open paddock, are a number of fan activities that will appeal to the young and young-at-heart.
One of the highlights will be a chance to visit with more than 50 legendary Porsche drivers who will be attending and signing autographs each of the three days. It will be a rare opportunity to mingle and hear stories of their competitive days.
On Saturday, there will be a remarkable collection of Porsches lining up for an afternoon Concours on Pit Lane where judges will be hard-pressed to select overall winners in a variety of categories.
Then, when the sun is setting, the Porsche Fan Party in the Biergarten kicks into full swing with live music, authentic German food and a screening of the classic Steve McQueen film “LeMans.”
Ringing the bustling Yamaha Marketplace and all its exhibitors and food stops, will be an 800-plus Porsche Car Corral. The Porsche Club of America is organizing what is likely to be the largest single marque car corral in Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca history, a remarkable accomplishment in its own right.
“There is going to be so much for visitors to do once they are here, it is going to be nearly impossible to cover it all in one day,” says Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
“Rennsport occurs only once every three years and Porsche Cars North America is ensuring that its West Coast debut will be a memorable one.”
Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will bring together many of Porsche’s most historic racing models from the Spyder of the mid-‘50s through the 917 and 956/962 of the ‘70s and ‘80s to the popular RS Spyder of the last decade.
Additionally, a special tribute will be paid to the numerous racing versions of the Porsche 911.
Seven days before the official start of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, automotive enthusiasts will gather in Chino Hills, California, to celebrate the historic race and the one person most responsible for driving the event into America’s consciousness during the 1970′s . . . Steve McQueen.
Chad McQueen and Ron Harris
The fourth staging of the Friends of Steve McQueen Car Show will take place on June 4th on the campus of the Boys Republic in Chino Hills, California.
Co-chaired by Ron Harris and retired race car driver and producer Chad McQueen, the event will celebrate Le Mans with a unique display of cars representative of the historic race during McQueen’s era. With the help of auto-designer Freeman Thomas, auto-collector and inventor Peter Dunkel, and automotive fine artist Nicolas Hunziker, the 200-acre campus will be transformed to recreate an atmosphere reminiscent of the 1971 film; combining memorabilia, art and photography together with automobiles, motorcycles and off-road vehicles that evoke the memory of Steve McQueen. Read more >>> HERE
Chad McQueen remembers his first race
Chad McQueen: On the set of Le Mans
The Boys Republicis located at 1907 Boys Republic Drive in Chino Hills, CA, 91709.
Gates open to the public at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, June 4, 2011.
General admission is $10; children 12 and under are free.
All proceeds benefit the Boys Republic, a private, non-profit community serving at-risk teens in Southern California.
For car registration, sponsorship opportunities, vendor space or media information call (909) 627-0017 or visit: www.FriendsOfSteveMcQueen.com.
The famous slate grey 1970 Porsche 911S Coupe from Le Mans movie has been consigned to RM Auctions for the Monterey Sports Car Auction in August 2011, owned and driven in the movie by Steve McQueen….stated the present owner Mercedes-Benz and Porsche collector of New Jersey, Frank Gallogly, on Pelican Parts Forum.
He bought it two years ago from the car’s third owner, Jesse Rodrigues of Long Beach, Calif. Gallogly said he had not been looking for the car. “Cars find me,” he said, adding that a friend had told him that the car was available: “Frank, a famous Porsche is for sale.” He said he called Rodrigues and was quoted a price. “It was a lot of money,” he said, and he told Rodrigues he would get back to him. “Five minutes later, I called back and said, ‘I’m in,’ ” he said, adding that he accepted the price because he figured it was the only chance he would ever have of owning the car.
Gallogly declined to say how much he paid other than to say it was closer to seven than six figures. “MY MOTTO IS: I would rather over pay for a great car, than under pay for a bad car!”
What is your guess this car will auction for ? more than six or seven figures? I am sure there will be some interested buyers for this McQueen Porsche. Maybe another collector like Jerry Seinfeld, or Jay Leno?…you may have to wait till August to find out.
If your interested in the car contact RM AUCTIONS however, the price for the car and the details on the auction have not been released yet by RM.
Previous owners and some history of Ex-Steve McQueen Porsches here.
Steve McQueen has one of the greatest lines about auto racing.
“A lot of people go through life doing things badly. ‘ “Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it’s life. Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting.”
This is the iconic 911 that appears in the first few minutes of Le Mans, as McQueen’s character, Porsche racer Michael Delaney, drives it through the French countryside. It is a ’70 model, but very close to the ’69 that McQueen owned at the time. Photo by Matt Stone.
This 1970 Porsche 911S Coupe was the car that Steve’s character Michael Delaney drives in the opening scenes of Le Mans. Solar Productions purchased the car for use in the film, and for Steve to drive while in Europe. The car was later shipped to America, and subsequently sold. The Porsche 911S is powered by a two-liter, air-cooled flat six that gives it brisk acceleration.
In the spring of 1970, Steve McQueen resided in France for a short period while filming the movie ‘Le Mans’. While there he ordered himself a brand new Porsche 911S, for use both in the film and for personal countryside blasts. When the movie wrapped up he decided he wanted to keep the car, so he sent it off to Stuttgart for some more US-friendly gear ratios before having it shipped to his California home. However, he already had a ’69 911 that he’d spent a small fortune installing a bespoke stereo in – he was that kind of guy – so the new Porsche was surplus to requirements.
The car is still in its original spec today, featuring all of the options picked out by McQueen four decades ago: air-conditioning, leather seats, tinted windows, Fuchs alloys, driving lamps and US-band Blaupunkt stereo. It hardly needs saying that the man had taste.
George Follmer and Mark Donohue in Porsches pace the 1972 Can-Am race here.
