Porsche Penske to Run Apple Retro-Inspired Liveries at Laguna

Image: Porsche

Porsche Penske Motorsport will continue its partnership with Apple at this weekend’s StubHub Monterey SportsCar Championship, with its pair of factory Porsche 963s to sport elements of a famous Porsche livery from more than 45 years ago.

Revealed on Thursday, the colors of the tech giant’s rainbow logo, which debuted in 1977, adorns the two GTP cars, which harkens back to the Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935 K3, which competed in the 1980 IMSA GT season, and also at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with driver Bob Garretson.

It was Garretson, who met with Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, that were both fans of Porsche, which led to the sponsorship of the privateer Porsche 935 that year.

The retro design comes during the first-ever ‘IMSA Throwback’ weekend where teams have been encouraged to run heritage-inspired liveries.

The two-hour and 40-minute WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race marks the second consecutive race where the Penske Porsche 963s have carried Apple logos, after running the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with Apple Music branding.

The promotion coincides with Porsche’s 75th year in motorsport and Apple’s 50th anniversary.

“We’ve enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Porsche, going back to 1980 when a Porsche race car first carried the Apple logo,” said Apple VP of Music, Sports and Beats Oliver Schusser.

“That moment marked the beginning of a shared passion for innovation and creativity that continues to define our collaboration today.

“As Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary, we’re proud to once again partner with Porsche on a design that pays tribute to that original 1980 livery.”

Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach added: “What began with the debut of the Porsche 911 at the 1963 IAA Motor Show is mirrored by the Apple Computer: both are icons that stand for innovation and continuous development by experts in Zuffenhausen, Weissach and Cupertino.

“This is particularly true of Porsche Motorsport, where innovations have been created since 1951 under the highest competitive demands.”

The No. 7 Porsche entry of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer leads the GTP standings entering the weekend, with the sister No. 6 entry of Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre fourth in the title race after three rounds.

Image: Porsche

Image: Porsche

Image: Porsche

Image: Porsche

Photo: Porsche

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John