The passion for racing heats up at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Our contributor and resident supercar enthusiast Ken Uy visited Monterey Car Week back in 2019 and wrote that the annual pilgrimage is a bucket list for every car aficionado. The five-day event is held every summer as car collectors and enthusiasts trek to the Pacific Coast in what is considered to be the most prestigious and most beautiful car event that side of the world. He went back again this year, and one of the highlights this year are the curated displays of cars themed with the one-year preparation of the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to be celebrated in 2023. Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex has been supporting this week-long automotive celebration for 25 years since 1997, when Rolex first partnered with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance which is also one of the main draws for Monterey Car Week.
This year’s Monterey Car Week held from August 17 to 21 was highlighted by activities like big ticket auctions, tours and concours car shows held in the stunning backdrop of the Monterey Peninsula. Ken, who is a passionate Porsche guy, quickly shared photos of the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS which made its first appearance this weekend at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, only just two days after its digital world premiere. This stunning show car was customized with the GT Model Line and Style Porsche is a tribute to the 1972 911 Carrera RS 2.7.
Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), said that the car will serve as inspiration for a limited-availability Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur offering exclusive to U.S. customers: a Tribute to Carrera RS Package.
“America is the second home of the 911 and a special tribute exclusive to the U.S. is the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7,” said Gruner. “So many of us idolized the original 1972 car. We want to create a special experience that combines exclusive options on the new GT3 RS with a one-of-a-kind list of accompanying items. Together, it will be an exciting and individual tribute to the RS lineage. This is a live project in its early stages, and is being created by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts as a joint effort between our colleagues in Zuffenhausen, Flacht and our team in America. The ideas and concepts are really exciting and we’re having a lot of fun developing it – all of us are looking forward to sharing more details with you soon.”
On the exterior, the car comes in white with Python Green accents, which is a direct reference to the iconic white and green color configuration offered in 1972 on the first 911 “RS” model as well as a new interpretation of it. Aside from the special non-metallic white paint and Python Green trims, it comes with forged aluminum wheels also finished in Python Green with white pinstripes. The car also has the Porsche Exclusive Design taillights with the green-on-white theme by eliminating the red color from the rear taillights and third brake light. Another exterior detail are the side plates on the left and right ends of the large rear wing are painted white with RS logos in Python Green.
“Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur allows customers to personalize their car to a point where the vehicle is as much a reflection of them as it is of Porsche,” said Karl-Heinz Volz, Director of Exclusive ManufakturOptions. “Personalization is a Porsche tradition dating back to our first production model, the 356, when a customer requested a wiper be added to the rear window of their car. Today it is an incredibly extensive personalization program, offering options ranging from small changes to true one-off creations.”
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is considered the most extreme street-legal Porsche 911 model yet. It has a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated boxer six-cylinder engine generates 518 hp with all the power transferred to a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission. Its motorsport-derived aerodynamics generates more than 900 lbs. of downforce at 124 mph and 1,895 lbs of downforce at 177 mph.
The classic 911 Carrera RS 2.7 on the other hand was born 50 years ago and it was Germany’s fastest sports car. It was created as a homologation special and had many technological innovations. It was the most powerful version of the first-generation 911, with 210 PS of power and 188 lb.-ft. of torque with an air-cooled flat-six engine developed by Hans Mezger and Valentin Schäffer. At the Mecum Auction which is part of the week’s activity, a Carrera RS 2.7 formerly owned by the late Paul Walker of the Fast and Furious fame is also up for bids with an estimated bid price of over US$1million.
Rolex Testimonee and Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button was also there. He is himself a Porsche enthusiast and recently auctioned off his Porsche 964 Turbo with the very rare X88 power package and had bespoke finishing. The car was a one-off Porsche commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei.
“The Quail is truly unique and inspires everyone who attends. I love seeing pioneering new designs and prototypes being launched by the resourceful and independent coachbuilders, alongside car manufacturers who are household names. Equally, the style and functionality at the heart of Rolex watchmaking is reflected here in the beauty and longevity of these classic cars. For me, it’s all about the stunning lines and seeing machines that are like carefully sculpted works of art,” said Button.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is also a celebration of motoring heritage and the brand has been a title sponsor since 2010 where some 500 historic cars participate in some wheel-to-wheel racing and this year saw the largest ever assembly of winning and historically significant Le Mans cars, in appreciation of the legendary endurance race.
The classic 911 Porsche is one of the favorite race cars of choice particularly in the Group 7 (1956–1971 Le Mans).
Photos by Ken Uy, Porsche and Rolex
