Porsche was founded in 1948 and began participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as early as 1951. Their debut resulted in winning their class and securing 20th place overall. Continuing to compete annually, Porsche achieved numerous class victories at Le Mans. In 19/0, their longstanding ambition was realized with the first overall victory, achieved by the 4.5-liter prototype racing car, the 917 Porsche’s endurance racing prowess is undeniable, boasting the most overall victories in Le Mans history. In addition to racing machines, Porsche’s hallmark includes continually releasing race-ready machines based on commercial road cars such as the 356 and 911. Hardcore derivative models based on the 911 designed with motorsport participation in mind, include classics like the 1967 911R and the 1973 Carrera RS. This history and tradition are firmly upheld in modern-day Porsche. The 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, announced in November 2016, epitomizes this special “911” designed for racing. Developed specifically for competing in the LM-GTE (Grand Touring Endurance) class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the United States, this pure racing single-seater has its engine positioned differently from the rear layout of commercial road cars. It features a 4-liter water-cooled flat-six around i horsepower, austable through restrictor settings. The 919 RSR made a notable debut on various circuits, with a highlight being the 86th edition of the Le Mans 24-hour race held from June 16th to 17th, 2018. This significant year marked Porsche’s 70th anniversary. Porsche aimed for victory in the LM-GTE class by sending tour 911 RSRs to Le Mans. Among them, car number 92, driven by Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Michael Christensen, led for most of the race, securing Porsche’s 106th class victory in total. Notably, in celebration of Porsche’s designed with motorsport participation in mind, include classics like the 1967 911R and the 1973 Carrera RS. This history and tradition are firmly upheld in modern-day Porsche. The 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, announced in November specifically for competing in the LM-GTE (Grand Touring Endurance) class of the FlA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA racing single-seater has its engine positioned differently from the rear layout of commercial road cars. It features a 4-liter water-cooled flat-six 70th anniversary and to emphasize the glory, history, and tradition at Le Mans, two of the four 911 RSRs that competed that year featured iconic liveries. The winning car, number 92, sported the “Pink Pig” color scheme, while the second-place car, number 91, sported the “Rothmans-inspirec livery”, recreating graphics reminiscent of legendary past machines. The “Pink Pig” livery, resembling a pig with its body representing meat sections, was a revival of the unique body color scheme worn by the Porsche 917/20 at Le Mans in 1971, creating a significant impact once again.
