Hedingham hosts 50 years of Porsche 911 Turbo celebration

Hedingham Castle, Essex, September 15

This September, Porsche Classics at the Castle returns to Essex for the ultimate celebration of all things luxury, high-performance and German. And this year the 911 Turbo turns 50.

Steeped in history, the Porsche air-cooled models reigned supreme up until the late 1990s, becoming faster and more powerful, before ceasing production in favour of water-cooled engines. This change brought about a new age for Porsche. Car dimensions stretched in length and breadth but the real revolution was in the back, with the new engine solving issues related to increasingly strict emissions regulations.

Among the scenery of Hedingham Castle, with its well-preserved Norman keep, visitors can see the regular feature ‘Totally Aircooled 1948-1998’, which welcomes all air-cooled models, from the 1948 Gmünd 356 – Porsche’s first production model – to the 993. And this year, water-cooled cars also get their moment.

Meanwhile, ‘50 Years of Turbo’ focuses on Porsche’s evolutionary journey from 1974 onwards – when the first-series 911 Turbo was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. Expect to see a strong showing of air-cooled exotica from the 930 onwards.

Elsewhere, the 911 GT3 celebrates its 25th anniversary – the organisers are hoping to display one of the first UK GT3s – plus there’s ‘Porsche in the Park’ where you’ll witness Teutonic performance cars in the grounds.

Whether you drive a transaxle, Taycan, Macan, Boxster, water-cooled 911 or all-electric modern runner, everyone is welcome at Porsche Classics at the Castle.

Tickets start at an early bird rate of £12.50 per person for Porsche Club GB members, or £17.50 for non-members. Children aged 16 and under go free. You can even bring your dog. There’s public parking too for those who don’t own a Porsche – yet. This is one of the largest events in the club’s calendar.

After all, what’s cooler than being cool? An air-cooled Porsche, naturally.

Formula 1 – Hungarian GP

Hungaroring, Hungary, 19-21 July
If you’re on a budget, this is the cheapest European race on the calendar to attend. Max Verstappen dominated over the 70 laps last time out, leaving Lando Norris in his wake, 33sec behind. But, it’s all to play for with McLaren on the rise.

WRC – Rally Finland

Jyväskylä, Finland, 1-4 August
If cars could fly – they’d go to Finland. Dubbed the Grand Prix of Rallying, this round is flat-out from start to finish as blind crests and jumps send cars (and drivers) airborne. The event has been won by a Finnish driver almost every year, but the last five years have shown a shake-up; Elfyn Evans soared to victory in 2021 and 2023.

World Superbike – portuguese round

Portimão, Portugal, August 10-11
Last year saw battles across three races between Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, before Spaniard Bautista pipped his Turkish rival throughout the weekend. The two are still tangling at the top of the standings in 2024.

BTCC – Knockhill 

Knockhill Circuit, Fife, August 10-11
This is one of the shortest circuits on the calendar, at just 1.3 miles. NAPA’s Ashley Sutton, who holds the BTCC lap record (2020), is a front-runner in the drivers’ standings so far and is chasing a fifth championship win.

Indy NXT – outfront showdown

Gateway, Madison, August 17
Indy NXT is in Illinois for the next instalment of the IndyCar developmental series. Look out for Andretti Global’s Brit driver Jamie Chadwick; her victory at Road America in June meant she was the first woman to win in IndyNXT. Twenty-year-old Louis Foster is also flying the flag for Britain – and getting results.

More events

July 19-21 Porsche Supercup – Hungaroring
July 20-21 Formula E – London ePrix
August 18 NASCAR Truck – Indianapolis