The line of 911s disappears around the block. I can see frustrated faces – at the wheel or bargaining with event staff, and though they’re patient enough not to honk, quite a few give up, exit the queue and roar away into the distance. Defeat never sounded so good. You see, with over 27,000 attendees coming to this year’s Icons of Porsche, every Porsche owner in the UAE wants to park their car up in the prestigious lot. But the slots were filled and registrations closed days ago, so those hoping to simply drive in and display are being turned away at the gate. Word on the street is if your Porsche isn’t a custom, a classic, a limited edition, a race car or a Turbo/GT of some flavour, you’re politely expected to park outside and enter as a civilian. Those that make the cut, however, are nothing short of the brand’s greatest hits.
And these hits span 75 glorious years, with even a few examples of the 356 – the 911’s predecessor – on display, representing the brand’s past. Meanwhile, representing the future is the Mission X – a precursor to the all-electric halo hypercar due in a few years. In fact, if there was any doubt as to Porsche’s intentions for the wild concept, parked behind it are its beloved and iconic forebears – the 918 Spyder, Carrera GT and 959. But Porsches don’t get more iconic than the 911, and every conceivable form of the rear-engined sportscar is here to celebrate its 60th birthday. While last year marked the regional debut of the dune-bashing Dakar, this year was the turn of the newest iteration – the S/T. Essentially a de-winged, de-teched and manual version of the GT3 RS, the company describes it as the purest 911 you can buy.
It’s easy to get lost in the hundreds upon hundreds of cars on display. Amidst scores of 992 GT3s (a rare delicacy in India), you might spot a one-of-991 911 R, and hiding in a nondescript corner of the venue is none other than the 917 KH ‘Renntaxi’. There’s a special stage (pun intended) for the 911 Dakars and Safaris, and a VR zone where participants can race each other on simulators. The event set a new Guinness Record for the world’s largest inflatable car – a 20-metre-long original 911, and it saw the regional debuts of the new Panamera, 718 Spyder RS and Vision 357 Speedster.
A particularly interesting inclusion was a special zone for Exclusive Manufaktur, Porsche’s customisation department, which had on display its latest one-off ‘Sonderwunsch’ creation. A ‘remaster’ of the 1974 911 Turbo that was gifted to Louise Piëch for her 70th birthday, but based on the new 992 Turbo S, its tartan interior and side graphics lovingly recreated for the modern age. And while there weren’t celebrity racing drivers like Mark Webber and Jackie Ickx this year, I do manage to run into a personal hero of mine. Enjoying the comfort of some bespoke Exclusive Manufaktur lounge furniture is Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s GT division and creator of some of the finest road-going racers to go on sale. We have an animated chat about downforce, suspension and India’s new race circuits; I am a happy camper indeed.
With a Dubai-typical extravagant show of art, music, food, drink and a sea of inescapably exotic metal, you don’t have to be a Porsche nerd to enjoy Icons of Porsche. But if you are one, it’s something you absolutely should not miss.
