Sportscar Together Day (SCTD) in Bangkok, Southeast Asia’s largest Porsche gathering to celebrate 70 years of Porsche sports cars, featured supercars and superstars, races, plus fun-filled activities that catered for petrolheads and families alike.
Thousands came to the event at Show DC Oasis Arena and more than 300 Porsche cars arrived throughout the course of the day, despite rain or shine. In parallel, droves of spectators turned up to watch 911 GT3 Cup cars tackle the challenging corners of the street circuit perched at Bangsaen beach for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA).
70 years after the first sports car to bear the Porsche name, the 1948 356 “No.1” Roadster, received its general operating permit, the brand is celebrating its heritage, while at the same time looking resolutely to the future, in anticipation of its first all-electric model, the Taycan.
A day to remember
Throughout the day at Show DC Oasis Arena, guests were entertained by performances from celebrities including Thai singer-songwriter Singto Numchok, R&B idol and role-model mother Lydia Sarunrat, and top local disc jockey DJ Yukio, with actress, presenter and Instagram-celebrity Diana Chungjintanakarn presiding as emcee.
Crowning the evening at Show DC Oasis Arena, the Porsche family joined Singto Numchok to cut a giant cake, made of 400 individual cupcakes arranged in a mosaic forming the Porsche logo in a photo-finish moment.
In parallel, AAS Auto Service (AAS), the sole authorised importer and distributor of Porsche cars in Thailand, had a beachside hospitality at Bangsaen where guests enjoyed watching the PCCA race while having a view of the Gulf of Thailand.
Adding to the impressively varied fleet of Porsche owner cars as well as “Das Treffen” vehicles over the two locations of SCTD, Porsche Asia Pacific flew in straight from Zuffenhausen, Germany a Porsche 918 Spyder. It is owned by the Porsche Museum, and is a powerful mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car that smashed the Nürburgring record of seven minutes. The same sports car was driven by Jacky Ickx at PCCA in Bangsaen, who made a guest appearance doing a viewing lap of the meandering circuit before the race began.
The Porsche Museum also loaned its legendary 959 Paris-Dakar, a technology demonstrator that earned its stripes in one of the world’s toughest rallies, completing the 13,800 km desert course with a one-two victory in 1986.
The 919 Hybrid, which is on its Tribute Tour across the world, made a stop in Bangkok and reunited symbolically with Porsche Works Driver Earl Bamber, who raced it to multiple victories at the World Endurance Championship (WEC), including 4 wins and 5 podiums in the 2017 season. It too did a parade around the Bangsaen circuit to the delight of its fans.
It was a truly special day not just for car lovers. Sanjay Rekhi, a Porsche Club Singapore member who planned an elaborate surprise proposal to his girlfriend right at Show DC Oasis Arena, was overjoyed when she said an emphatic ‘yes’ surrounded by dozens of balloons and thunderous applause.
The epic journey across Southeast Asia
After travelling a few thousand kilometres from all over Southeast Asia, Porsche Club members, owners as well as media colleagues arrived to the SCTD in a Porsche car procession worthy of the feted marque. They were accompanied by police escorts that ushered their grand arrival to Southeast Asia’s largest Porsche gathering.
Some cars had travelled from as far as Singapore and Malaysia, while others were just from the neighbourhood. The vehicles represent a cross section of Porsche’s illustrious history, including every single model in the Porsche range – the 911, 718 Boxster & 718 Cayman, the Panamera, the Cayenne and the Macan. Remarkably, 6 air-cooled Porsche cars from Singapore also made the trip up to Bangkok, their durability matched equally with the passion of its drivers. All were united by their great sporting heritage and their owners’ unwavering love for the Porsche brand.
Giving back by making dreams come true
While it was Porsche’s 70th birthday, it was the carmaker who did all the giving. Benefiting children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the local arm of a global charity organisation that grants wishes for children with critical illnesses, Porsche cut a cheque for THB 356,000 that was presented on stage. The figure was not a coincidence; it was a nod to the Porsche 356 “No.1” Roadster that started it all 70 years ago.
Facts and figures
Approximately 2,000km – the distance driven by the Porsche Club Singapore to reach SCTD
More than 300 – the number of cars that were on display at SCTD throughout the day
42 – the total number of Porsche cars that made the journey from Singapore and Malaysia
6 – classic Porsche cars drove from Singapore: 1978 911SC, 1972 911 2.4 E, 1973 911 2.4 E, 1989 930 Flachbau, 1982 930, 1970 911T
46 years – the birthday of the 1972 911 2.4 E was celebrated on its way to Bangkok
