Words and Images by Kevin Ehrlich and Martin Raffauf An endurance race around the clock can pivot on the events of seconds. The margin at the finish of the 2024 Rolex 24 was only two seconds. Porsche’s Filipe Nasr outlasted Tom Blomquist to claim Porsche’s 19th overall win as a...
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In 2005, Porsche released a commercial featuring a young schoolboy who is distracted from his geography lesson when he looks out the window and sees a new 997 passing on the street. When the dismissal bell rings, he races on his bicycle to the local Porsche dealership. The salesman shows him the new car and he ends up sitting in the driver’s seat, barely able to see over the steering wheel. He asks for the salesman’s business card and promises to return in about twenty years. That schoolboy might as well have been Kevin Ehrlich. Kevin grew up with an interest in cars, scouring magazines long before he could drive. Patient parents helped pave the way to auto shows and short oval tracks around the area of both the paved and dirt varieties. Once armed with wheels, Kevin haunted garages and car dealerships across the Pittsburgh area in the State of Pennsylvania in the United States. Road cars had their allure but somehow the cars with the numbers on the doors, rollcages, and aerodynamic spoilers were always just that bit more interesting. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2004, the natural next step was to acquire a black 1997 Porsche 993 cabriolet with which to enjoy the Southern California car culture. Fortunately, providence decided along the way that Kevin should not wander race tracks alone. His bride Mary has an inclination towards cars and racing (perhaps not at clinical levels) and has been the perfect co-pilot on their adventures. Together, they have trekked across the globe to the most iconic endurance race tracks, including Le Mans, Daytona, Watkins Glen, Bathurst and Road America among others. They have been regular visitors to the Nürburgring 24 and its very moody weather changes through snow, fog, rain and bright sunshine. Kevin’s primary passion is endurance racing and its history, with a particular interest in Porsche.
Many marques have sought glory at Le Mans but none have stood atop the podium as often as Porsche. Porsche has claimed 19 overall victories and 110 class wins over a century of racing around the clock in France. Success at Le Mans made Porsche a powerhouse and Porsche made...
Photos courtesy Porsche and Chuck Anderson High expectations for Porsche not realized at the Sebring 12 Hours Unlike previous years where Stuttcars have reported on Porsche dominating the 12 hour endurance spectacle, 2023 was a reminder of the “tough luck” side of racing. Porsche was the verge of an improbable...
Photos: Martin Raffauf, Porsche, NBC/Peacock 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona starts new GTP era After months of anticipation, the 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona ushered in the new GTP era and the racing debut of the Porsche 963. Porsche partnered with Penske and had logged thousands of miles of testing. ...
Porsche Off the Pace Words: Kevin Ehrlich. Photos: Martin Raffauf, Porsche This article is available exclusively for members. Join us today and get immediate access! Already a Member? Sign in to your account here....
Almost Extinct The Porsche 911 came very close to extinction. American Peter Schutz began his tenure as CEO at Porsche on January 1, 1981. He didn’t take the job to save the 911 but when he arrived, he found a company that had decided to abandon the 911 in favor...
Porsche design cues trace their origins to a sawmill in Gmünd, Austria where the first hand-crafted sportscars bearing the family name were born. Curves penned by designers over decades both honored tradition and advanced the marque forward. What happens to cars that have an unscheduled meeting with an immovable tree...
“What in the world is an American woman doing here with this car?” Jacky Ickx was incredulous. The legendary Formula One, sports car, and Dakar driver materialized in the desert bivouac next to Amy Lerner’s 1982 Porsche 911 SC. Lerner had come a long way to run her Porsche sports...
Photo Courtesy: Chuck Andersen The 2022 IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring will be remembered for Earl Bamber’s late charge to victory lane in his Ganassi Cadillac, a heavy crash that took out GTD and LMP2 favorites, and two Ferraris emerging to stand on the GTD podium. It will not be...
Every year on a late winter weekend, the Porsche world turns its focus to Southern California. Crowds converge in Los Angeles for the LA Literature, Toy, and Memorabilia Show—and for the accompanying Porsche shop tours. Thankfully, the tradition resumed in 2022 after a 2021 hiatus. Staged in the ballrooms of...
Photography courtesy of Martin Raffauf and Griffith Bean. Words by Kevin Ehrlich. This article is available exclusively for members. Join us today and get immediate access! Already a Member? Sign in to your account here....
Words by Kevin Ehrlich & Mary Fischer / Images by Amy Lerner, Dakar and Porsche During public health restrictions that shuttered workplaces, restaurants, museums and even outdoor recreation areas, many retreated behind closed doors. Some intensified their work-out regimes while many logged couch time binge-watching their favorite television series. Others...
The Porsche 917 story is among the most significant chapters of the marque’s history. More than five decades after the first iteration of the 917 broke cover, six examples gathered at the Velocity Invitational, a celebration of vintage racing on the Monterey Peninsula. This article is available exclusively for members....
The silhouette is familiar. With weaves of carbon fiber covering almost every external surface, the Porsche 935/19 cuts an unmistakable shape. Like a black hole, it absorbs light and emits it judiciously. No chrome bits compete for attention. The car has presence. It has a sense of occasion. It is...
Rare Shades 4, Los Angeles arts district, 14 September 2019 Why would dozens of Porsches converge on a side street nestled among gritty brick and mortar buildings covered with painted murals in downtown Los Angeles? But why would they do it on September 14? Rare Shades 4, Los Angeles arts...
Gulf Porsche chassis 917-016 Under the welcoming embrace of sunny California skies over wine country, the Sonoma Speed Festival established a new tradition of historic racing at Sonoma Raceway. Held on the first weekend of June, the Festival sought to emphasise quality over quantity with a compelling collection of rare...
Depending on your view, the Gods of the Green Hell either restored Porsche to its rightful place on the top step of the podium or robbed the Mercedes AMG from a sure win in the 2018 Nürburgring 24 Hours. This article is available exclusively for members. Join us today and...
Luftgekühlt 6 – Porsche 356 street scene There was an obvious irony to Luftgekühlt 6. Somehow an event devoted to the gravitas and authenticity of the air-cooled Porsche era took the spotlight among the Universal Studios back lots in Hollywood which is made up of facades cleverly designed to reflect...
Nürburgring, 12 May 2018: The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (left) just prior to the 24-hour race. Timo Bernhard was on hand to perform several demonstration laps for the eager crowds along with the Museum’s Porsche 956/83-005 (right) which was driven by Hans Stuck In July 2017, Porsche shocked the motorsport...
Simeone Foundation Museum – 1970 Porsche 917-043 While diplomats and cartographers may technically show the roads around Le Mans as French soil, Porsche has laid claim to the winding bit of pavement that comprises the race track and especially victory lane. Since 1951, when a silver Porsche 356 clocked up...
RM Sotheby’s Petersen Automotive Museum Auction – Saturday, 8 December 2018: Porsche Carrera GT Christmas shoppers in Los Angeles on December 8 had a special selection at the Petersen Museum as RM Sotheby’s hosted its last auction of 2018. The RM Sotheby’s staff assembled 68 vehicles and 56 items of...
Lot 200 – 1983 Porsche 956-110 awaits its turn on the auction block The mental wheels started turning when RM Sotheby’s announced on 9 March 2018 that a single marque Porsche auction would be held at the Porsche Cars North America facility in Atlanta on the weekend of 27 October....