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Air-Cooled Endurance: Jeff Zwart’s Safari Rally Challenge

At 70 years old, Jeff Zwart is not a man with many unfinished chapters. Between directing award-winning commercials, redefining hillclimb heroics at Pikes Peak and curating the now-mythical Luftgekühlt gatherings, his life has long existed at the intersection of speed, aesthetics and endurance. When he isn’t flat-out in a Porsche, he’s back home on his Colorado ranch, posting serene images of snow-draped landscapes, air-cooled icons and his beloved Bernese Mountain Dogs.

And yet, even for Zwart, there remained one box unticked.

More than half a century after first reading about it as a teenager, the American Porsche racer has finally conquered what he describes as “probably the hardest event I’ve ever done”: the East African Safari Classic Rally. Not in a modern weapon, but in a competition-prepared classic Porsche 911—exactly the kind of car that helped ignite his passion all those years ago.

For someone with multiple marathon rallies to his name, that statement carries weight. This year’s Safari Classic stretched across nine days and 2,220 competitive kilometres of some of the most punishing terrain imaginable. Heat shimmered relentlessly, dust and mud alternated by the hour, water crossings tested both nerve and machinery, and wildlife ensured concentration never wavered for a second. It is rallying distilled to its rawest form—and that is precisely the appeal.

“I read about this race while I was in high school and I’d always hoped that I’d one day do it,” Zwart explains. “To be able to compete here in a car from the same era as my school days has made the whole experience feel even more special.”

Alongside co-driver Alex Gelsomino, Zwart finished an impressive 17th overall from a starting field of around 60 cars. Remarkably, more than half were classic 911s, underlining just how well Stuttgart’s air-cooled icon continues to thrive under extreme conditions. The overall victory went to British endurance racer Harry Hunt and co-driver Steve McPhee—also in a 911—further cementing the model’s legendary resilience.

The East African Safari Rally traces its origins back to 1953, created to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Traversing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, it quickly earned a reputation as motorsport’s ultimate endurance test. After evolving through multiple formats, the event was reborn in 2003 as the East African Safari Classic Rally, now run biennially for historic machinery. This year’s route carved through Diani, Voi and Amboseli, framed by the dramatic silhouette of Mount Kilimanjaro—beautiful, unforgiving and utterly relentless.

“In the 1970s this was considered the most difficult automotive event in the world, and I don’t think it’s got any easier,” Zwart says, smiling. His early F-series 911 was packed to the roof with spares and tools, a necessity rather than a precaution. “It was super rough and super fast, with lots of wild animals on the course. But the scenery was unparalleled, the people were incredible, and being in a classic 911 just feels like home. Every day the car surprised me with how well it handled things.”

That sense of meaning was amplified by the man in the right-hand seat. Gelsomino was the long-time co-driver of the late Ken Block, who contested the rally in 2022. For Zwart, their partnership carried emotional weight.

“I remember Ken telling me how incredible this rally was. He said, ‘Jeff, you’ve got to do it,’” he recalls. “So to be here with Alex as my co-driver feels like coming full circle. At times it’s been pretty emotional for both of us.”

The rally was far from trouble-free. Suspension damage on day three and a transmission issue late in the event forced the pair to crawl nearly 40 kilometres of a stage in first gear. Yet time loss was minimal, a testament to both mechanical sympathy and the extraordinary durability of the car. Zwart describes the 911 as having taken “an incredible beating” while still running flawlessly as it crossed the final finish line, moments before celebrations on the beach.

Exhausted but elated, Zwart is still processing what he calls “the adventure of a lifetime.”

“It was definitely the toughest event I’ve done,” he says, “but it challenged us in so many ways that I’m incredibly glad we went for it. That said—after all that heat and humidity—I’ll be very happy to be back in the snow.”

Even at 70, Jeff Zwart has proven that some dreams are worth waiting half a century to fulfil—especially when they end, fittingly, behind the wheel of an air-cooled 911.

Source: Porsche

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Das Treffen X: How Porsche’s Southeast Asian Heartbeat Found Its Perfect Tempo in Bangkok

By the time the gates opened at Impact Speed Park, it was clear this wasn’t just another enthusiast meet. Das Treffen—now celebrating its 10th edition—has grown into something far more significant: a cultural checkpoint for Porsche passion in Southeast Asia, and a reminder that the brand’s soul has never been confined to Weissach alone.

What started as a low-key gathering organized by Porsche devotee Sihabutr “Tenn” Xoomsai has matured into the region’s most anticipated Porsche event, drawing owners, collectors, and dreamers from across Asia. Ten editions in, Das Treffen feels less like a car show and more like a family reunion—one where air-cooled memories, hybrid futures, and racing DNA all speak the same language.

“Reaching ten editions of Das Treffen is something I never expected,” Xoomsai admits. “It’s the community that makes this event what it is.”

He’s right. But Porsche Thailand deserves credit for turning that community spirit into a carefully orchestrated experience.

A Porsche Playground, Bangkok Edition

Impact Speed Park was transformed into a series of themed zones, each highlighting a different facet of Porsche’s multifaceted identity. At the center sat the Porsche hospitality village—part lounge, part boutique, part playground. Visitors browsed exclusive Porsche Lifestyle merchandise, then strapped into advanced racing simulators to chase lap times on legendary circuits. Equal parts luxury and adrenaline, it was classic Porsche.

Just next door, the Motorsport zone delivered a history lesson that needed no explanation. The centerpiece was a Porsche 956, flown in directly from the Porsche Museum. Even standing still, the Group C legend radiated menace. This is the car that rewrote the rules of endurance racing, winning Le Mans outright four years in a row from 1982 to 1985 and redefining what aerodynamics could achieve at 240 mph on the Mulsanne.

Parked beside it was the modern counterpoint: the Porsche 963 LMDh. Fresh off an IMSA Championship title and a second-place overall finish at Le Mans in 2025, the 963 isn’t nostalgia—it’s proof that Porsche still knows exactly how to win when the lights go out and the clock starts ticking. Together, the two cars formed a rolling timeline of Porsche’s race-bred philosophy: different eras, same intent.

Every Porsche Story, One Event

Elsewhere, Das Treffen X unfolded like chapters in a book Porsche has been writing for more than seven decades.

Adventure was represented by a specially prepared Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupé, famous for its staggering 22,000-kilometer journey from Bangkok to Stuttgart. Crossing 17 countries in 61 days, the expedition wasn’t a stunt—it was a rolling validation of Porsche durability in the real world.

Performance needs little explanation. The 911 and 718 stood proudly as the benchmarks they’ve always been, reminders that balance, feedback, and mechanical honesty still matter in a world chasing numbers.

Urban looked forward, not back. Taycan and Macan models highlighted Porsche’s electrified future, blending daily usability with the unmistakable feel that separates a Porsche from a mere appliance.

And then there was Heritage—a curated space anchored by the 911 Spirit 70. With its retro colors, period-correct patterns, and unapologetic nostalgia, it celebrated the decade when Porsche wasn’t just a sports car maker, but a lifestyle statement.

Community Beyond the Cars

Das Treffen X wasn’t confined to the showground. Alongside the event, Porsche Asia Pacific hosted its first-ever regional Porsche Club Presidents’ Meeting in Bangkok. Leaders from across Asia gathered to exchange ideas, share standout initiatives from 2025, and strengthen the connective tissue of the global Porsche network.

The day culminated in true Porsche fashion—with people. More than 280 club members converged at Curvistan Bangkok for Porsche Club Night and the opening of a new exhibition curated by Stefan Bogner, fittingly titled Porsche Communities. Set in the heart of Thong Lo, Curvistan proved once again that Porsche understands modern enthusiasm isn’t just about cars—it’s about culture.

“Porsche communities are the heartbeat of our brand,” said Yannick Ott, Director of Marketing for Porsche Asia Pacific. It’s a sentiment that echoed throughout the weekend.

More Than a Milestone

Das Treffen X wasn’t about celebrating the past for its own sake. It was about continuity—how racing heritage informs electrification, how community fuels innovation, and how passion transcends borders.

Ten years on, Das Treffen has become more than an event. It’s proof that Porsche’s most powerful engine isn’t found under a rear decklid or beneath a carbon-fiber body—it’s the people who keep showing up, year after year, united by a crest that still means something.

And if this is what the first decade looks like, the next ten should be worth the wait.

Source: Porsche

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Porsche’s About-Face: The 718 Boxster and Cayman Are Getting Their Gas Back

By any measure, this is one of the most dramatic drivetrain reversals in Porsche’s modern history. Just months after shuttering production of the fourth-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman—and confidently lining up bespoke electric replacements—Porsche is now preparing to reengineer that very EV platform to accept petrol power once again. In Stuttgart, the future just did a clean heel-and-toe downshift.

According to senior sources inside Porsche’s Weissach engineering center, the company is working to adapt the upcoming PPE Sport architecture—originally conceived as an EV-only platform for the next Boxster and Cayman—to accommodate a mid-mounted internal-combustion engine. The move comes as global EV demand cools and Porsche recalibrates a strategy that, until recently, pointed decisively toward an electric-only sports-car future.

This isn’t a minor tweak or a half-step hybrid hedge. It’s a full-on engineering U-turn, motivated by production efficiency, economies of scale, and—perhaps most importantly—customer appetite. Porsche has already acknowledged the shifting landscape with a costly £6.65 billion write-down tied to its EV ambitions. Now, the 718’s return to gasoline power marks the clearest signal yet that Zuffenhausen is listening closely to the market.

Two 718 Futures, One Platform

To understand what’s happening, it’s important to separate Porsche’s short-term stopgaps from its longer-term plan. The company previously confirmed it would continue building “top” versions of the outgoing 718—widely expected to be RS and GT4 RS variants—even as the electric Boxster and Cayman arrive in 2026. Those cars will effectively sit above the EVs in the lineup, keeping combustion alive for hardcore enthusiasts.

But the newly revealed petrol-powered 718s are something else entirely. These will be fifth-generation models, built on the same PPE Sport platform as their electric siblings, and expected to arrive toward the end of the decade. In other words, Porsche isn’t just extending the life of the current cars—it’s attempting to unify electric and combustion sports cars on a single next-generation architecture.

That’s an extraordinarily ambitious goal, and one that presents serious technical hurdles.

The EV Problem: Structure, Structure, Structure

The PPE Sport platform was never designed to host an engine. Like most modern EV architectures, it relies on a stressed, load-bearing battery pack integrated into a flat floor. That battery doesn’t just store energy—it provides a significant portion of the car’s structural rigidity and enables an ultra-low center of gravity.

Remove it, and the entire bodyshell loses strength.

Porsche engineers’ solution, as described to Autocar, involves developing a new structural floor section that bolts into the platform’s existing hard points, effectively restoring rigidity where the battery would have been. From there, a redesigned rear bulkhead and subframe would support the engine and transmission.

Even then, packaging remains a nightmare. The PPE Sport platform has no central tunnel, no provision for a fuel tank, no routing for fuel lines, and nowhere to run an exhaust system. Engineers suggest the rear of the car may need to be completely reworked—an acknowledgment that this platform is being pushed well beyond its original intent.

Still, Porsche insists that this effort is non-negotiable. For the petrol 718s to make sense, they must achieve dynamic parity with the EV versions. That’s a tall order when the electric cars benefit from that low-mounted battery mass, but insiders say anything less would undermine the brand’s sports-car credibility.

Euro 7 Changes the Math

For years, Porsche believed the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six was living on borrowed time. Early drafts of the EU’s Euro 7 emissions regulations threatened to bury engines like it under oversized particulate filters and complex after-treatment systems, making them impractical for low-volume sports cars.

That calculation has now changed.

The final Euro 7 rules are less severe than initially proposed, and the EU’s post-2035 exemption for e-fuels has reopened the business case for new petrol-powered performance cars. As one senior Porsche engineer put it bluntly, “The electric Boxster and Cayman risked becoming a niche. Euro 7 changed the arithmetic.”

In other words, the regulatory headwinds eased just enough for Porsche to reconsider what it does best.

Flat-Six Revival?

Exactly which engine will power the reborn petrol 718s hasn’t been finalized, but the leading candidate is familiar—and beloved. Internal plans presented by outgoing CEO Oliver Blume point toward a further evolution of the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six introduced to the 718 lineup in 2020.

In its most aggressive current form, as fitted to the GT4 RS, that engine makes up to 493 horsepower. Whether future versions match that output—or tune it differently to coexist with electric siblings—remains to be seen. But the message is clear: Porsche isn’t ready to let the flat-six go quietly.

What This Really Means

Beyond the technical intrigue, Porsche’s 718 reversal says something larger about the industry’s trajectory. Like Fiat resurrecting the 500 Hybrid or Mercedes-Benz rethinking its EV-first commercial vehicles, Porsche is acknowledging that the road to electrification isn’t a straight line.

For enthusiasts, it’s a rare bit of good news in an era of uncertainty. The Boxster and Cayman—long celebrated for their balance, tactility, and mechanical intimacy—may yet continue to offer the visceral experience that defined them, even as electric versions push performance in new directions.

If Porsche pulls this off, it won’t just have saved the 718’s soul. It will have created one of the most flexible—and philosophically complex—sports-car platforms the company has ever built.

Source: Autocar