Double Apex was invited by Porsche South Africa to attend the Icons of Porsche 2023 showcase. We sent our managing editor to scope out the palette of Porsches (pitlane of Porsches…?) on display.

In South Africa we have BMW M Fest and AMG Performance Tour. In Dubai they have Icons of Porsche. You know, because it’s Dubai. Icons of Porsche 2023 took place in the Dubai Design District this past weekend. This was the third running of the event and the popularity of this one-brand showcase is growing rapidly.

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Seven thousand collectors, brand fans, enthusiast clubs, Porsche owners, families and friends attended in 2021. That figure grew to 15 000 in 2022. Twenty-seven thousand people came through the gates in 2023. This makes Icons of Porsche the largest car show in the region.

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A Plethora of Porsches

There were over 1 000 Porsches within the showground, and countless more outside the arena. Incredibly, the vast number of cars on display belonged to members of the public. Porsche AG brought along just a few dozen. The wide variety of metal on show would have given any Porschephile whiplash. You name it, and it was there. Carrera GTs, sure, 918 Spyders, of course. There was even a 959 and the one-off Mission X concept car on display.

While just about every model range was present, there was a tendency towards the newer stuff. 911s are definitely favoured here, with numbers tending towards the more recent generations. All derivatives were on show, from cooking variety Carreras to GT cars with all the right digits.

There was an abundance of GT3s, including the wild-looking new GT3 RS, with many boasting Manthey Racing kits. A mint 993 3.8 RS sat alongside all its namesakes in a special RS area. There was even an example of the highly desirable 997 GT3 RS 4.0 on show. Only 600 were made and it is widely considered the to be the ultimate 911.

Rare As You Like

There were plenty of creations from Porsche’s Sonderwunsch personalisation program on hand. I counted half a dozen personalized 3,6-litre 964 Turbos, you know, the Bad Boys car.  The most intriguing was the 911 Turbo prototype. This car was commissioned for Louise Piëch, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, back in 1974. It was the inspiration for a modern-day interpretation based on a 992 Turbo.

Another ‘one-off’ was the giant 911 that towered over showgoers. The red F-Series set a record for the ‘largest inflatable vehicle’, as recognised by Guinness World Records. It measures almost 20 metres in length, over six metres high and eight metres wide. And some people think the 992 is large…

Family Affair

Droolworthy machines aside, Icons of Porsche 2023 had something for all members of the family. There were live art installations, Lego building stations, live music and DJs, virtual kite surfing, product presentations and countless food stalls to keep everyone entertained. There was also the first public presentation of the all-new Porsche Panamera, which you can read about here. Icons of Porsche is fast becoming a must-attended event for fans of the brand.

  • Porsche 911 Turbo prototype
  • Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 seen at Icons of Porsche 2023
  • Icons of Porsche 2023
  • Icons of Porsche 2023
  • Icons of Porsche 2023