En route to the Ennstal-Classic with the Porsche 911 Speedster

We started the alpine driving season with a summit of Porsche Speedsters on the Gotthard Pass, and now we’re back in the mountains with the “fastest two-man tent” in the world. The aim of our road trip? The Ennstal-Classic 2019, in which such racing legends as Joachim “Striezel” Stuck and Mark Webber will get behind the wheel and prove their driving skills on some of the most beautiful alpine roads in Austria.

For us, the adventure began on arrival. To get in the mood for the traditional mountain rally, we borrowed from our friends in Zuffenhausen the new Porsche 911 Speedster that was built for the 70th anniversary of the sports car — one of just 1,948 made. And we have to admit, with its spartan top, ducktail carbon scoop, six-speed sport manual gearbox and magnificent four-litre naturally aspirated engine that can produce 510 horsepower, the Speedster is currently the most desirable 911 model (to us at least). And because the good people at Porsche know how much we care about the history of their brand, they immediately set us up with the Heritage Design Package. With its GT Silver Metallic paint, white front spoiler, individual production number and cognac-coloured leather interior, “our” Speedster instantly reminded us of the early years of Porsche’s great motorsport history. There’s no better way to bow to the racing engineers of the past.

So, on this sunny midsummer day, we roared through the German and Austrian country roads, refreshed by the wind and with sunglasses atop our noses, to warm up the tyres in preparation for the curves of the coming days. However, before we reached our destination in the Ennstal, we planned an important stopover in Zell am See — not only is this the location of the father of Porsche, Ferry Porsche’s, Schüttgut estate, but it’s also the headquarters of the Porsche Design studio. The designers, product developers, architects and brand strategists work here on the furniture, high-tech gadgets, hotel suites and luxury yachts of tomorrow.

We personally have always been fascinated by the watches from Porsche Design, and we were very excited to receive a timepiece suitable for our Porsche 911 Speedster: the Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Speedster Heritage Design. With its lightweight titanium case in GT Silver Metallic, matte black dial with white and green numerals and the cognac-coloured calfskin strap, it’s the perfect anniversary watch. Oh, and by the way, you can only order this timepiece together with your Porsche 911 Speedster.

And because our photographer Mathieu Bonnevie also needed to know what time it was over this fast weekend, Porsche Design gave him the timeless and elegant Porsche Design 1919 Datetimer Ennstal-Classic 2019 Special Edition. With its titanium case, minimalist dial and alligator leather strap, it’s arguably the most elegant way to keep an eye on the time during rally trials.

Now, of course, we would have liked to further trace the heritage of the Porsche family by taking a detour over the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, where Ferdinand Porsche once tested his prototypes and Wolfgang Porsche keeps his collection, but time is now pressing. We have to reach Schloss Pichlarn in the Ennstal tonight for the rally briefing before we officially head out on the Ennstal-Classic. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll jump from our modern Speedster directly into one of its most beautiful ancestors: the Porsche 356 Speedster 1600 S. Whilst Mark Webber, Formula One veteran and Porsche factory driver, will take the helm, we’ll be keeping an eye on our watch from the passenger seat.

Want to keep an eye on us during the Ennstal-Classic? Follow us on Instagram. You will also find a detailed report of the event in the Classic Driver Magazine on Monday.