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Porsche Moments from the 2023 Rolex Motorsports Monterey Reunion

Vintage Porsches celebrated at Weathertech Raceway, Laguna Seca

Hot shoe and collector extraordinaire Charles Nearburg enjoys piloting his 1980 Porsche 935K3. Photo © 2023 Rex McAfee

From the 1950s onward

No stranger to the Monterey Peninsula, Porsches have always been one of the most successful marques to be celebrated during car week in Monterey. Long before “Car Week” existed, the inaugural race weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway in 1957 revealed a front row of two Porsche 550 Spyders driven by West Coast rivals Ken Miles and Jack McAfee. Steve Earle would start the Monterey Historics in the 1970s, with two of the most popular years being 1982 and 1998 when Porsche was the featured marque.

Jack McAfee (left) and Ken Miles (right) awaiting the start of the 1957 SCCA Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Photo © Jack McAfee Collection

Fast forward to the 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and several race classes were graced by significant Porsches. The Can-Am group saw the awesome Porsche 917PA taking some laps with hot-shoe Gunnar Jeanette behind the wheel. The high pitch of its naturally aspirated flat-12 is something I can still hear weeks later. The Le Mans 24-winning Porsche 962 driven by Malcolm Ross turned many heads as did the fire-belching 935K3 of Ranson Webster. More boost, please!

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