Special Concord Cars & Coffee to celebrate Porsche & LeMans
Saturday, June 15 is a special day for customers at Hendrick Porsche. It is the official start of the 92nd annual Le Mans 24 Hours race at Cirque de la Sarthe in the north of France, the most prestigious endurance race in the world.
Also on that day is a memorable Cars & Coffee presented by HendrickCars.com celebration in front of Charlotte Motor Speedway, featuring the public debut for two Manthey (Man-tye) Racing Edition Porsche’s from the Hendrick Heritage Collection. The Concord, North Carolina show starts at 9 am ET and is open to the public.
On display will be a Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, first of the cars from Hendrick Porsche to receive factory-backed updates.
“They both have suspension upgrades and aero upgrades,” said Albie Blanco, variable operations manager, Hendrick Porsche in Charlotte. “We are one of 16 dealerships across the country that has partnered with Manthey Racing. They are the racing arm of Porsche.
“Mercedes has AMG, BMW has ‘M’ and Nissan has NISMO,” Blanco added. “Manthey is its own racing company and Porsche is a large stakeholder. If a customer buys a GT3 Cup Car or a GT4 Clubsport, each are shaken down at the Nurburgring by Manthey. It’s great to have a motorsport supplier that fully warranted from the factory.”
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Manthey Racing also has two, factory-backed Porsche 911 GT3 entries in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
As part of the day, long-time clients will also get an exclusive opportunity to watch the opening laps of Le Mans and tour the Heritage Center Collection. It is a way to offer a special day for Hendrick Porsche’s most loyal customers, which includes a very special modified Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series-inspired car.
“It’s a thank you to them,” Blanco said. “We are offering an exclusive experience to go through the Hendrick Heritage Center. A few cars (in the collection) have raced Le Mans or have Le Mans heritage attached to them – namely the Garage 56 car that ran in last year’s race.”
Garage 56 was a partnership among Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR and Goodyear to campaign a NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro at the Le Mans in its non-points paying special entry designated for automotive innovation. NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jimmie Johnson, 2009 Formula One World Champion Jensen Button and former Le Mans 24 winner Mike Conley drove the car. The car was a huge hit and the first stock car to compete in the endurance classic since the 1970s, performing better than expected and completing the 24-hour race to tremendous worldwide fanfare.
LIVE coverage from the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours starts in the United States on either MAX or MotorTrend television Saturday, June 15 at 10 am ET. You can also catch LIVE radio coverage on SiriusXM Satellite Radio or RadioLeMans.com (RS1 stream).
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From the Mulsanne Straight to Main Street
Porsche engineers look at every aspect of their race cars to gain an advantage over the competition. This is especially true in endurance racing, where the slightest of improvements can add up to big celebrations at the end of 24 hours.
It’s the type of innovation that also improves the road car experience for customers. For example, Porsche first introduced its Doppelkupplung (PDK), dual clutch automatic transmission in the 2009 Porsche 911, replacing a dated tiptronic at the time.
The revolutionary Porsche eight-speed transmission has two clutches that go back and forth between gear selections, makes for a smooth, quick shifts and a 0-60 time that’s often quicker than a manual.
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The PDK is the same transmission that helped lead Porsche’s 956 and 962 World Sportscar Championship race cars to Le Mans 24 Hours victories during the 1980s. Perfected for daily road use, the transmission is more efficient in its operation and fuel savings.
In the other direction, the 963 LMDh Le Mans Porsche prototypes, which are racing in the top category at Le Mans this weekend, are using a modified version of a current road-going engine. The car is in its second season of competition, hoping to gain its first Le Mans victory for a manufacturer who has already scored 19 overall triumphs in the race -- the most all time of any mark.
“The flat plane V8 that’s in the 963 is actually a derivative of what we see in the 918 in the past, but also the architecture you see in the Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne GTS, Panamera Turbo and GTS,” Blanco said. “That V8 is production based on the (worldwide) rules that apply to the LMDh platform. It goes back and forth for homologation purposes.”
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But Wait, There’s More … The new 911 Carrera S Hybrid
Another track to street application for Porsche comes in the brand new Porsche 911 GTS Hybrid – the brand’s first hybridized version of its iconic sports car flagship.
Powered by a re-developed 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine with an electric exhaust turbocharger and an electric motor integrated into the car’s PDK system, the 911 GTS is a technological marvel.
The electric motor delivers power directly to the transmission, giving the car high torque output in even low-speed environments. When in recuperation or regeneration mode, it sends energy back into re-charging the battery. Developed from technology derived with Porsche’s championship and Le Mans-winning 919 hybrid prototype endurance race car, the car’s 400-volt battery has been maximized for optimum, smooth performance across the board. The car is taking the heat generated by the car and turning it into power.
“There is no wastegate any more, which is crazy,” Blanco said. “Using the same technology from the 919 race car, it’s still the flywheel-powered engine inside the bell housing (with an electric motor), to give it that little extra power. That’s the latest tech straight from the track to the road.”
The power is true as the new 911 hybrid produces 532 combined horsepower at 449-foot pounds of combined torque, with a 0-60 mpg time in the 3-second range. A similar Mulsanne to Main Street story can be found in the innovative 911 GT3 RS road cars.
“No more evident than the centrally located radiator in the GT3 RS, a prominent feature in a lot of the LMGT3 race cars, 911 RSR and current 911 GT3R,” Blanco said. “Instead of two smaller ones on either side of the front trunk, we no longer have a front trunk. The crazy (radiator) fins were designed to direct wind away from the rear spoiler because hot air coming out of the radiator is not good for downforce. You want cold air hitting it. Those fins are actually pushing that air outside the car.”
For Porsche, its investment in racing truly makes a difference across the board.
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Stuttgart Saturdays
While this weekend is a special presentation, Hendrick Porsche also hosts a monthly get-together called “Stuttgart Saturday” ever second weekend on the month. Even with little promotion, the event draws numerous enthusiasts from around town to share in the joy of Porsche ownership.
“We try to keep it Porsche centric, but we’re open to all types of cars,” Blanco said. “We’ve grown that to over 100 cars on a regular basis without any fanfare or advertising, just people showing up and enjoying each other’s vehicles.”
Don’t miss out on the fun if you are in the area.
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Speaking of summer fun, the Hendrick Summer Sales Event is underway. Shop our nationwide inventory of new, certified and pre-owned cars, trucks and SUVs available throughout the United States. The event includes a customer option to defer payments for 90 days! For more information on the sale, scroll down to the rules at the bottom of the page.
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