At a glance
- Porsche is kicking off the “Raceborn – 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport” anniversary at Retro Classics 2026, showcasing four racing cars along with historical exhibits.
- Customer racing takes center stage and is highlighted as motorsport on a level playing field.
- Panel discussions featuring Timo Bernhard, Ayhancan Güven, and other guests offer insights into past and present motorsport perspectives.
At Retro Classics, Porsche will begin its year of ‘Raceborn – 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport’ anniversary celebrations. From Thursday 19 February to Sunday 22 February, the Porsche Heritage and Museum team will showcase chapters that go far beyond victories, titles and records. Seven and a half decades of motorsport stories – of regulations, technical boundaries and of people driven by an uncompromising pursuit of perfection. “Motorsport is far more than history for Porsche – it is part of the company’s identity,” says Achim Stejskal, Director Porsche Heritage and Museum. “We’re inviting our guests to explore Porsche Motorsport from a new perspective. It’s about stories of technology, courage and people.”
Alongside four selected racing cars, Porsche will be displaying motorsport artefacts from its archives, along with historical film footage. Another highlight for visitors is the opportunity to see the car that will be taking on the role of motorsport ambassador for the Porsche Museum in 2026, appearing at numerous events throughout the year. The chosen car – and what it is that makes its design so special – will be revealed to attendees when they visit the Porsche stand.
Racing drivers of different generations
On the Saturday and Sunday of the show (21 and 22 February) at 14:00 (CET), Porsche will host a panel discussion titled ‘Different perspectives in Motorsport’. Holger Eckhardt, spokesperson for LMDh, GT and Customer Racing at Porsche, will be joined by two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard, Porsche works driver Ayhancan Güven, and Frank Jung, Head of Corporate Archives and Collections. The panel will offer insights into motorsport past and present, discussing topics such as the pathway from sim racing to real-world circuits and how it feels to retire from driving racing cars but to run a successful customer racing team instead.
Customer racing began with the Porsche 356 SL
One of the highlights on the stand will be an original Porsche 356 SL – the first car from the then-fledgling Porsche sports car brand to be built specifically to be used in motorsport. With its class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, this model (known internally as Type 514) marked the official beginning of Porsche motorsport. The 356 SL embodied versatility from the outset: circuit racer, rally car, record-breaking vehicle and, at the same time, the basis for early customer racing. In the 1950s it secured class victories on circuits and proved its reliability and competitiveness at endurance events and rallies such as Liège–Rome–Liège. Richard von Frankenberg added another chapter to motorsport history with a 72-hour record drive covering 10,987 kilometres at an average speed of 152.34 km/h. In 1952, Gilberte Thirion took second place in her class at the Rallye Paris–Saint-Raphaël Féminin with her 356 SL. With achievements like these, the 356 SL became the starting point of customer racing, for the first time offering private drivers and small teams a car capable of competing internationally.
The Porsche 909 Bergspyder: extreme lightweight engineering
The lightest of the cars on display, the 909 Bergspyder, was developed by Porsche in 1968. The demands of the European Hill Climb Championship at the time required a car that could master steep gradients and rapid changes in direction. Weighing less than 400 kilograms, the 909 is an example of extreme lightweight construction, powered by an air-cooled eight-cylinder boxer engine, with a capacity of just less than two litres, that produced 275 PS (202 kW). It accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in about 2.4 seconds. To optimise its power-to-weight ratio, its tubular spaceframe was made of aluminium and its coil springs were made of titanium. Its thin bodywork was shaped from glass-fibre-reinforced plastic. Under the supervision of then Head of Development Ferdinand Piëch, the 909 Bergspyder became a car that explored the boundaries of technical possibilities within the regulations – right to the very edge.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R and modern DTM history
Less than a year ago, Ayhancan Güven competed at the Hockenheimring for Porsche customer team Manthey EMA and secured the championship title on the last lap of the final race. His victory made him the first ever Turkish DTM champion. The DTM is one of the toughest proving grounds for the 911 GT3 R: short sprint distances, mandatory pit stops and identical technical specifications make the competition a matter of fractions of seconds. Tyre choice, strategy and radio discipline are as decisive as engine performance and aerodynamics. Several title contenders arrived in Hockenheim alongside Güven with realistic chances of success; the championship remained undecided until the final laps of the race. At Retro Classics, Porsche will present the racing car to the public for the first time since its competitive outings.
Supporting programme
Across each day of the show, the Porsche Heritage and Museum team will be on hand to talk to interested visitors about the cars on display. For younger guests, there will also be age-appropriate hands-on activities at the show stand. Fans are also invited to browse the museum shop, which offers a select range of Porsche merchandise.
Visitors can explore the Porsche stand between the hours of 11:00 and 19:00 (CET) on 19 February, and from 10:00 to 18:00 (CET) from 20 to 22 February. About 77,000 classic car fans and sports car enthusiasts attended Retro Classics in 2025. This year marks the event’s 25th anniversary.
