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Photography by Rémi Dargegen, Rosario Liberti, and Andrey Smazhilo
Ever happen across an old Porsche race car and fret about how complicated it must be to maintain it? Long the purveyor of world-beating machines, Porsche’s back catalogue of track weapons is extensive and enticing—but it’s not like your local dealer could service a Le Mans-winning 917K.
Or can it?
Porsche has just announced its full support for the restoration, repair, maintenance, storage, and technical setup of its old race cars. It’s a job that requires working with reputable shops around the world and often digging into its own historical materials in order to ensure each car prepared is done so with the highest degree of care.
The only significant deviation from past practices is the fitment of more modern safety equipment, a task Porsche says is especially relevant to drivers of its Group C creations. Besides earning new clients, what else is in it for Porsche? The opportunity to train a new generation of staff so that its historic racing machines may be enjoyed—and maintained correctly—for years to come.
Dealership? Ha.
It sounds like they are opening up some data to [i]some[/i] shops, which are undoubtedly small in numbers. There is clearly much more to the story… which surely ends with “…follow the money.”
Learning to fully care for and set up cars like this is akin to the passing down of oral tradition in cultures. It goes far beyond new paint and shiny hardware.
Man, I sound like a total naysayer, but I deal with this kind of juxtaposition of old and new everyday. I’ll stand my ground, even if it sounds completely pessimistic.
I must be getting old.
Agreed ….. and …. errr … join the club [ getting … older ]
God forbid folks should look after and store their own classics or at the very least deal with a local shop for their needs keeping a neighbor or two employed . Ohhh .. but wait . Classic cars , both race and street these days are falling in droves into the hands of the [ mostly ] tech based nouveau riche desperately seeking the authentic and the real while barely being able to tie their own shoe laces .. never mind rebuild an engine or tune a set of Webers … so I guess in a very unfortunate sense this service may be a necessary evil … that’ll no doubt cost a pretty penny