TRACK DAY

Track Day

Spending some time with two Porsche legends at Japan’s most photogenic racetrack.

15 years and a design philosophy apart, yet both so definitively Porsche. This 2019 935 and 2004 Carrera GT come from opposing worlds in the Porsche universe; one an ‘ultra-modern’ track-only tribute to the iconic Moby Dick, the other a more restrained and tactile approach to early 2000’s supercar styling. Both cars, however, are a masterclass in timeless design and staples of their era.

Getting the chance to place these two poster cars side by side may just be a first, so what better place to make that happen than the Magarigawa Club in Japan. As we’re all aware by now, The Magarigawa Club is a revolving door of everything and anything rare and special on four wheels, but even a pairing like this deserved some after hours access to the world class circuit.

Side by side, similarities in design cues are immediately noticeable, most notably the sweeping rear quarter vent. Where these two really differ though, is everything we cannot see. Of course the Carrera GT is driven by its prominent 5.7L V10, the 2019 935 a less harmonious but more powerful, GT2 RS-derived twin turbo flat six.

Despite the differences all roads lead back to Le Mans, a race responsible for decades of timeless machines, ones that feel like dreams even when they’re right there, on the other side of the lens.