When Porsche introduced the Cayenne, Porsche was trying to save itself from imminent bankruptcy. The purists weren’t happy, but then again, when do the purists know what’s good and what’s wrong for the well-being of an automaker? The same thing happened with the Panamera, and more recently, with the Audi Q5-related Macan. Care to guess which of these three is the best-selling Porsche right now? The Macan, of course.
95,642 examples were sold in 2016, representing more than 40 percent of total sales (237,778 vehicles). It’s no wonder, then, why Porsche chose the Macan to showcase its motorsport heritage. In cooperation with the automaker’s office in Singapore, Porsche dressed five Macan models in liveries any proper Porschephile would recognize.
The Macan at the left of the featured photograph, which sports Martini Racing livery, pays tribute to a particular 917 endurance racecar that went official in 1970 at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. The pink-painted Macan next to it serves as a nod to the “Pink Pig” 917/20, a prototype that holds the title of most frequently photographed racecar of the year 1971.
Bang in the middle, the Gulf Oil livery comes courtesy of John Wyer, the gentleman who convinced the petroleum company to sponsor him and his Mirage M1. The sponsorship continued as Wyer jumped ship to Porsche, but the big break for this classic livery came in 1971 thanks to the movie Le Mans, starring The King of Cool, the one and only Steve McQueen.
The first of the two remaining cars is the Salzburg Macan, inspired by the 917 KH that secured Porsche’s first of 19 Le Mans victories in 1970 at the hands of Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood. And finally, the Rothmans-themed Macan is a reference to the 956 that debuted at the 1982 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 956 still is the fastest car to lap the Nurburgring, posting a blistering time of 6 minutes and 11 seconds.
The Macan at the left of the featured photograph, which sports Martini Racing livery, pays tribute to a particular 917 endurance racecar that went official in 1970 at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. The pink-painted Macan next to it serves as a nod to the “Pink Pig” 917/20, a prototype that holds the title of most frequently photographed racecar of the year 1971.
Bang in the middle, the Gulf Oil livery comes courtesy of John Wyer, the gentleman who convinced the petroleum company to sponsor him and his Mirage M1. The sponsorship continued as Wyer jumped ship to Porsche, but the big break for this classic livery came in 1971 thanks to the movie Le Mans, starring The King of Cool, the one and only Steve McQueen.
The first of the two remaining cars is the Salzburg Macan, inspired by the 917 KH that secured Porsche’s first of 19 Le Mans victories in 1970 at the hands of Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood. And finally, the Rothmans-themed Macan is a reference to the 956 that debuted at the 1982 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 956 still is the fastest car to lap the Nurburgring, posting a blistering time of 6 minutes and 11 seconds.