Family Affair
Unique Cars Magazine
February, 2008
Words/pics: Howard Walker
MAJOR EVENT: RENNSPORT REUNION III
They're all here: The Pink Pig; the psychedelic Hippie long tail; McQueen's movie car from Le Mans; the fearsome Sunoco Can-Am Spyder with its 1100kW flat-12. Fifteen of them. The largest gathering of Porsche 917s ever assembled in one place, post 1970.
And with them came their drivers. Redman and Elford. Piper and Attwood. Bell and Hobbs. All eager to tell anyone who'd listen, terrifying tales of the car's towering power, evil handling and insane 390km/h top speeds. "What was the best part of driving a 917? That would be getting out in one piece," deadpans Brian Redman, the most famous 917 pilot of them all.
Then there are the 956s and 962s, being celebrated for their quarter-of-a-century of competition. The Holbert-Bell Lowenbräu Special 962. The original Rothmans 001 test 956. The Miller High Life 962C. Maybe 18 in total. Their drivers too. Barth. Schuppan. Robinson. Heywood.
For three days in November, inside the lofty banking of Daytona's International Speedway, Rennsport Reunion III paid homage to Porsche's finest racing machinery, both on and off the track.
"Look down the pit lane and it's Le Mans 1972," says Sean Roberts, former Rothmans PR guru and kingpin on Group C racing. "And it's not just seeing the cars; it's also the characters who drove them. It's a wonderful event."
This is the Reunion's third running. Held triennially, its roots were formed at the Porsche 50 th anniversary bash at the Monterey Historics back in the summer of 1998. Porsche North America motorsports and brand heritage manager, Bob Carlson, sensed the enthusiasm for a Porsche-only gathering, called in Brian Redman's Intercontinental Events group to pull together some historic cars and big-name drivers, and Rennsport Reunion was born at Lime Rock outside New York in 2001. It moved to Daytona and the Florida sunshine for the 2004 festival.
"It's not a huge event. We probably only get 15,000 people. Mostly Porsche club members and club racers. But nowhere else can you see so many historically-significant Porsches in one place," explains Carlson.
Just a stroll through the Daytona paddock confirms that. Parked in the sunshine, unfettered by barriers or minders, are the four legendary 917s that Carlson had shipped over from the Porsche museum back in Stuttgart; the Number 22 Le Mans-winning 917K, the Martini Longtail, that infamous 917/20 'Pink Pig', and the prototype 16-cylinder 917-027 Can-Am Spyder.
It's the first time the Spyder is being shown in the US and the sight of four banks of four air intakes poking out of the 917's fridge-freezer white bodywork will steal your breath. Then you start to ponder its potential power output. If a 917's 5.4-litre turbo 12-cylinder could crank-out up to 1120kW, what would a 16-banger offer? 1300? 1500kW? Maybe it's a good thing the car never raced.
Chad McQueen is alongside the Spyder, explaining the inner workings of the 16-cylinder to his 12-year old son Chase. It's an emotional return to Daytona for McQueen. Back in January 2006, while practicing for the Rolex 24-hour in a Tafel Racing Porsche GT3, he slammed into the wall destroying the car and most of himself. He shattered his lower left leg, fractured various ribs and put a pair of fractures in his vertebrae. He was given the last rites on more than one occasion.
"I'm feeling pretty good considering," he says. "I got banged up pretty bad." But that wasn't stopping him getting behind the wheel of the 1975 Ecurie Escargot 911 Carrera RSR - part of the Brumos Collection - for an exhibition run.
His head turns instinctively at the sight of the famous blue-and-orange Gulf-liveried 917K as it rumbles past on its way to the garages. It's the car his famous actor-father drove in the movie Le Mans; the very car that Chad rode in down the Mulsanne Straight at 200km/h while perched on his dad's lap.
"That's why this event is special. How often do you see that car out and being driven?" asks McQueen.
These days the 917 is the proud possession of funnyman, and Porsche fanatic Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld had planned to drive the car at the Rennsport until he was called to do promos for his new animated flick, Bee Movie.
"If Jerry turns up I'll be happy to loan him my race suit. It's the least I can do for loaning me his car," says Sam Cabiglio, Seinfeld's buddy and car manager, who was tasked with driving the legendary 917 for the demonstration laps.
He explains that after the car was used by McQueen, it was raced by Reinhard Joest in '71 and '72 and then bought by Brian Redman. Redman eventually sold it to Richard Attwood in 1979 who kept it for 21 years. Seinfeld added it to his collection in 2001.
"It's a surprisingly easy car to drive. It has no temperament. It's very linear. When you get on the brakes it stops straight. Of course, because of whose car it is, and because of its value, I don't let myself do some of the stupid things I'm capable of," says Cabiglio.
The sight and sound of McQueen's old 917-022 hammering around the Daytona banking during the exhibition laps brings a lump to the throat of every Porschefile in the infield. Cabiglio obviously isn't hanging about, pulling 290, maybe 320km/h around the banking.
"This really is a very special event. The fact that it only takes place every three years instead of every year only adds to its appeal," says the ever-effervescent Derek Bell, who is splitting his time fronting a Speed TV show of the Reunion, signing autographs, and driving the red Number 17 Jägermeister 962 IMSA racer.
Bell, who won at Daytona three times, and should have won a prize for having his name on the side of the most cars at the Reunion - I counted at least 10 - says his win in '87 was his favourite.
He tells the tale of how he was sharing the Löwenbrau 962-10 with Chip Robinson and Al Unser Jr in the Rolex 24. Two hours from the end, he'd done his last stint and handed over the car to Little Al.
"I was totally shagged out because it was so hot. But we were running up front, so I was happy. Twenty minutes later, they come on the radio saying Al Junior can't do any more; I have to get in the car. Chip can't drive because he's also had enough. Here I am, my brain's going, every muscle in my body is mush. I can't even put my socks on."
Bell suggests team manager and former racer Al Holbert does the last-but-one hour's stint and he jumps in the car.
"The next thing, 30 minutes into Holbert's hour, they're on the radio saying that he's coming in. Suddenly adrenaline takes over; I leap up and put on my clothes, get in the car and finish the race. Pure adrenaline. That was without doubt my most memorable drive here."
The highlight of the Saturday afternoon's proceedings is the Concours d'Sport where the most significant cars are lined-up on pit road and judged in an informal concours d'elegance. It's more an excuse for the crowd to get up close and personal with cars and drivers.
David Piper is holding court alongside the well-worn green and white 917 he's owned and campaigned since 1969. It's the car he and Attwood scored the 917's second-ever victory, winning the Nine-hour Kyalami event in '69.
Piper's car very nearly didn't make the Reunion. When its container arrived at the docks in Savannah, it sat for a week while a team from America's Homeland Security X-rayed every piece.
Sean Roberts, who was handling the shipping of the 917, along with Brit Henry Pearman's Rothmans 956-001 and Miller 962C-02, said he tried everything to speed-up the process.
"I attempted to explain to the officials that a gentleman of Mr Piper's age and standing is not normally connected with Al-Qaeda. It was all very nerve-wracking.
"And while David's car eventually came out without a speck of dust, Henry's two cars came out looking like they had been driven through a field."
Event organiser Redman was happy signing autographs, despite having his arm strapped up. He'd taken a tumble off a skateboard while entertaining his grandkids; at the age of 70. His non-organising Daytona duties included racing the orange Jägermeister 962-138.
"I have great memories of Daytona. I managed to win here in a BMW CSL in 1976. At about five in the morning this thing lost a valve and went to five cylinders. I still drove it flat out using 9000rpm and it was faster on five cylinders than the fastest RSR Porsche. Fantastic."
What was it like driving the 917K at 350km/h back in 1970 when he finished second with Jo Siffert in the Daytona 24-hour?
"Let's say the 917 grabs your attention. It was hard going into the banking before they introduced the chicane. Monza had its Parabolica where you let the car find its own height on the banking. But at Daytona you are pulling the car down all the time. If you got behind a long-tail 908 in '69, it looked like the car was sliding, the back would be out at an angle."
Sunday at the Rennsport is race day, and it includes two impressive bouts in the big car challenges. In the 'Mulsanne' group, essentially for 962s and 935s, talented young Porsche factory driver, Patrick Long powers the former Busby Racing Miller/BFG 962C to the chequered flag - his first time in a 962 - fending off the 962s of Mark Hotchkiss and Lloyd Hawkins.
In the hard-fought 'Weissach' group, Jim Torres in his thundering, big yellow '72 917-30 Can-Am racer finally out-manoeuvred Phil Daigrepont in his silver Martini 908/03 to win after swapping the lead 11 or 12 times. Daigrepont spun-out going into Rodriguez Turn.
"We plan to be back at Daytona for the 2010 Rennsport Reunion IV," says Bob Carlson. "Everyone loves it - apart, maybe, from the guys in the 356s."
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