Porsche Enthusiasts Unite at Rennfest

Peachstate PCA, the Southeast Region’s chapter of Porsche Club America, returned to the mountains this weekend for Rennfest 2021. Now in its 52nd year, this end-of-summer celebration is a relaxing and refreshing Labor Day getaway for Georgia’s family of Porsche enthusiasts.

Hosted at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa, just north of Brasstown Bald, the four-day festival featured a variety of activities, driving tours, mixers, and events, all catering to the Porsche community’s particular brand of passion. The trek to the venue itself was an occasion to itself. Attendees heading North were treated to a thrilling selection of routes leading to the resort, each offering an exhilarating collection of twists, turns, and bends, all set against the backdrop of the North Georgia Mountains, the perfect preview for every Porsche driver in attendance.
Festivities began on Thursday, September 2nd with the “Rennfest Golf Challenge” — a fun and casual outing for early arrivals. Rennfest officially started on Friday the 3rd, with members and guests arriving in the afternoon. Brasstown Valley offers several amenities and activities, including a bar, spa, hiking trails, equestrian trails, as well as stunning views from the patio. Guests who were looking to enjoy those views from their drivers’ seats could join one of several scenic driving tours through the mountain roads, planned and guided by PCA. Friday evening closed with a welcoming party and dinner, bringing together old friends and new ones in the Peachstate Porsche Club, and wrapping up the first night of the festival.

Saturday morning opened with cool weather, setting the perfect stage for the Porsche Concours, a showcase of the most pristine, historic, and significant Porsche models in attendance. Our display featured a 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S, fitted with nearly every option and wrapped in a dazzling satin-finish Ice Gray. Parked among several classic and contemporary models from Porsche’s timeline, the Taycan Turbo S represents the future of Porsche performance and propulsion and offered an exciting opportunity to explore the latest in Porsche’s technology, innovation, and design.

The Concours also included a stunning collection of very special Porsches, including a trio of 356s – Porsche’s first sports car, a 924 Turbo, a rare front-engined Porsche, and a very diverse collection of 911s, Boxsters, and Caymans from all eras, each featuring creative color combinations, specifications and a unique story thoroughly displaying the passion Porsche enthusiasts have for their cars. One such story is that of Jack Cooke’s 1971 Porsche 911S. While serving in the military, Cooke was transferred to Germany. Upon finding that his 1967 Corvette was ill-suited for Germany’s twisting mountain roads, he and his wife visited a Porsche showroom in Frankfurt and ordered a Bahia Raid 911S Coupe complete with every option available. Within the first couple of years, Cooke and his wife put over 13,000 miles on the 911S touring the German countryside during his service. Upon returning to the U.S., the car went into storage, as Cooke’s career kept him on the move. However, it would see the light of day again in 2019, when it was thoroughly restored. Jack Cooke’s 1971 911S has currently only covered 27,000 miles and it looks as good as the day it rolled off the showroom floor, a testament to the dedication that enthusiasts hold for their favorite cars.

As the Concours wrapped up Saturday afternoon, attendees met for lunch at the Brassies Grille and planned their route for the Rennfest Rally, a timed drive through the mountains towards Franklin, NC. The cascading ribbons of roadway snaking up and down the North Georgia mountains gave ample opportunity for drivers to enjoy their vehicles the way they were meant to be driven. After soaking in the scenery and dancing through the corners, guests returned for dinner, followed by a dessert social which featured an R/C car autocross, as well as a Tech Quiz for Porsche-philes to show off and share their knowledge.

No Porsche event would be complete without some track time, and Sunday saw guests gathering after check-out to form a convoy to Jerry Sutton Public Safety Driver Training Center for an autocross. This five-acre property offered drivers a fun and challenging stage to safely test the limits of their Porsches, and practice their driving skills for their next race-day excursion. The convoy returned in the afternoon to relax and prepare for a cocktail hour and dinner, where Lori Schutz joined us as this year’s guest speaker. Lori shared her fascinating experiences as the daughter of Peter Schutz, the only American to ever serve as CEO of Porsche AG.

We are very proud of our team’s passion at Porsche Atlanta Perimeter, and we look forward to every opportunity to share that passion with those in our community. Porsche represents a lifestyle of driving pleasure, rich history, and unbreakable camaraderie and we are very thankful to be a part of it. We would like to extend a special thanks to Peachstate PCA President Andrew Douglas, Club Race Coordinator Bob Kuchenbecker, and all of our friends, family, and fans who joined us at Brasstown Bald for Rennfest 2021.