• Porsche Club of America (PCA) congregates the club’s 160,000 impassioned enthusiasts around nationwide and local events that celebrate the marque, including Werks Reunion.
• Werks Reunion is a bi-yearly Concours car show that considers driving enjoyment, modern car culture, and spirit in equal measure to cleanliness.
• The Amelia Island River Club played host to the first of two Werks Reunion events, welcoming over 4,000 fans and 600 vehicles to the club’s fairway displays.
• Over 25 sponsors and Porsche-specific vendors were in attendance too, including respected titanium exhaust manufacturer Akrapovič.

Next to being trackside, Concours events are some of the more fascinating automotive gatherings in the industry. There’s a meticulous dedication to an endless pursuit of perfection, often with vintage cars whose peers haven’t been on the road for several decades. I deeply respect the commitment. Still, visually admiring the better-than-factory restoration is only part of the overall equation; it’s virtually impossible to truly understand how special something is if you’re unable to experience it with all your senses.

DONE DIFFERENTLY

This is where Werks Reunion comes in. The event was created by the Porsche Club of America (PCA) as a bi-annual celebration of the Porsche marque and the camaraderie of being an enthusiast. PCA is probably the most articulate about describing the distinction between this and a traditional Concours event: “This is not a contest of who has removed dust from the deepest crevices in their Porsche but rather a judged show that rewards a Porsche that has been lovingly maintained and presents itself well on the field.” There are no points—it’s a refreshingly qualitative assessment of quality—and that means that Werks Reunion “Concours” entrants can still enjoy their cars as Ferdinand Porsche intended.

Werks Reunion is a nice complement to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. If the name didn’t give it away, this is a Concours event as you’d picture it in your head. Mega money, uber rare cars, flashy threads, and swaths of luxury appointments throughout. If Porsche could ever be considered a “casual” brand, it’s here. Werks Reunion is a “come as you are” event that celebrates the brand’s entire spectrum and the range of people who own the cars, too.

ISLAND IN THE SUN

If this were a traditional Concours event, rain would be considered a major misfortune. But there wasn’t a Porsche in lines eye that took insult to nature’s onslaught. Sure, 356 cabriolets weren’t able to display in top-down Floridian cruising spec, but even these examples were unfettered by the rain. Moments between downpours saw spectators scurry across the two Amelia Island fairways to admire the spread. Each car had display boards that conveyed standout features at a glance; new cars—except for GT3 RS Twin Tour—leaned on rare specs instead of an accrued storyline. Older fare had a lot more to say about adventures, modifications, or multi-generational ownership history. Werks Reunion attendees were unbiased to either camp, spending equal time admiring vintage 912 engine bays, resto-mods by PS Automobile, and new GT4RSs.

SOUND OF MUSIC

Amongst all the vendors, the Akrapovič tent was impossible to miss. The Slovenian manufacturer brought out an impressive array of titanium exhaust systems for enthusiasts to appreciate in person. Its fortuitous placement next to the Porsche GT corral drew the modern water-cooled crowd in, most of whom were caught off guard by how light and well-crafted these systems were in hand. The Extreme Velocity Motorsports 718 GT4 stole the remaining attention. The Akrapovič was one of several mods on this track-focused project and allowed fellow GT4 owners and fans to see one of its systems installed.

FIRST IN CLASS

There was plenty to love in the field. It’s hard to talk about standouts without mentioning two of Porsche’s most exotic provisions—the 918 Sypder and Carrera GT. The former deservedly earned top honors from Werks Reunion judging. A gorgeous 964 Turbo also took first place. It was the subject of a rigorous restoration to rectify electrical issues, a blown transmission, a sickly engine, and a myriad of other issues, all of which you’d never know were part of this car’s history if you saw it today. The culmination of that nearly ten-year effort was rightfully celebrated with the family in front of the car.

The “longhoods” stole my heart, though. Fittingly enough, the ’73 and ’74 Ducktail Porsche Carreras were the featured models of this year’s event and showed why Porsche’s long-standing 911 silhouette never needed to change much going into the G-body generation. Now 50 years on from debut, it’s still exciting to look at standing still. An honorable mention goes to this well-modified Amaranth Violet 968 and Rohr 993 race car that I had the pleasure of admiring in our rental car’s rearview mirror on the way to the golf course. What a crazy sight to see on the public roads.

All in all, my first visit to Werks Reunion at Amelia Island was a memorable one. Porsche—and its American car club—have found an impressive way to unite generations of enthusiasts under a common flag. Sure, the aspirational badge helps, but as an automotive Marketing agency, it’s an achievement that we keep a pulse on as we explore opportunities for our clients.

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