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Porsche have announced their sponsorship of the fourth RennSport Reunion: an unmissable extravaganza of classic Porsche race cars, in a concentration unseen anywhere else on earth.

That’s the upside! The downside for us Europeans is that it’s on in North America. RennSport Renunion IV will be held at Laguna Seca on October 13th-15th this year, followed by the Porsche Race Car Classic on the 16th, at The Quail in Monterey. The press release says 14th to 16th: I’m currently treating it as “arrive in Monterey in the 13th”.

I know it’ll be expensive to get there, but we’ve already been doing our research on the best value for money accommodation in the area and booking it fast. Who knows what prices, exchange rates and flight costs will do later in the year? Flights are already silly money and the prices are going up all the time this Libya scenario goes on.

There are some deals available. While my midweek return flight on Virgin Atlantic cost me £610 compared to my last ticket which was £460, the hotels are priced better than ever. We’ve booked a nice hotel we have used before in Pacific Grove – a lovely part of the world – for three nights from 13th-16th, for less money than it cost two years ago.

Thing is, if you book and pay for flights and hotel now, it could be paid off the credit card by the time October comes around, and you’ll be able to relax while on tour! This part of the world is perfect for Porsche fun, and a group of three or four friends sharing car hire and hotels will be able to attend for less.

Why is it unmissable? Well apart from the fun of travelling with best buddies, it is a huge deal for Porsche fans. I really hope to see more than a few of you there – we’ll discuss that closer to the time. Leonard is also making noise about shipping a car over for it, not sure how our budget stacks up on that one but we’ll see how it goes! It’s a very exciting event, no doubt about that.

Here’s what the press release says:

Sponsored by Porsche cars North America, Rennsport Reunion IV brings together an unprecedented gathering of significant Porsche vintage and current race cars, as well those who have driven them to victory in the world’s most famous sports car races. The three-day program of on-track competition is complemented by a concours d’elegance, which is open to invited race participants, and special activities celebrating the decade-long, illustrious history of the legendary 911 race cars.

After the highly successful staging of three venues in the East, held every three years, with the first one held in Lime Rock in 2001, Rennsport Reunion IV will now be moving west, tapping a vast array of car aficionados and Porsche enthusiasts.

“While the Rennsport name has become a staple fixture for international collectors and racers over the past ten years, choosing the Monterey Peninsula will open up this one-of-a-kind gathering to the many Porsche fans in California and beyond who were previously unable to attend,” said Detlev von Platen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Cars North America. “Now they’ll have the opportunity to see, feel and hear from up close hundreds of famous Porsche race cars and dozens of their drivers from past and present during a truly memorable weekend dedicated to Porsche’s motorsport heritage.”

Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will assemble the wide variety of Porsche’s most historic racing models from the nimble 550 Spyder of the mid-Fifties through the mighty 917 and 956/962 of the Seventies and Eighties to the highly successful RS Spyder of the last decade. Special tribute will be paid to the numerous racing versions of the Porsche 911 and their countless victories on the dawn of what will become another milestone of this iconic sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

“This will truly be a rare gathering of significant Porsche race cars on the West Coast,” commented Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Porsche has a long racing tradition in Monterey and we look forward to celebrating its heritage in a befitting manner for everyone to enjoy.”

Complementing the Rennsport Reunion IV venue is the Porsche Race Car Classic, an exclusive concours held at nearby Quail Lodge in Carmel on Sunday, October 16. Steve Heinrichs, producer of the Porsche Race Car Classic, explained, “this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of vintage Porsche race cars solely from Porsche’s break-out era of 1950-1965 will raise critical funding to directly support lung cancer research. We’ll have Gmünds, Glöcklers, 550s, 718s, 804s, 904s, 356s, Abarths and more – in numbers and provenance never before seen.”