Recounting the 2023 Icons of Porsche Event

November 28, 2023

Contributor Juan Miguel Luis Beco reports on the largest car show in the Gulf Region, Icons of Porsche.

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Image: Porsche

The Gulf is well known for its excessive wealth, and associated spoils. Although, places such as Dubai do not enjoy the legacy of ‘the old world’, and that extends to the motoring arena as well. A prime example is Icons of Porsche, which, although relatively new, has quickly cemented itself as the largest car festival in the Middle East. Not bad considering it’s been going for just three years.

The event, held on 25-26 November 2023, once again took place in the Design District with the spectacular downtown Dubai skyline serving as a backdrop. The theme for this year was 75 years of Porsche Sportscars. Incidentally, the event is free to attend, though online registration is required to obtain a ticket. The annual showcase attracted 15 000 owners and fans in 2022. A whopping 27 000 fans registered to attend the 2023 event.

The array of cars on display was incredible. There were well in excess of 1 000 Porsches on show. And that was just inside the arena. There must’ve been double that number in the many car parks around the Dubai Slab exhibition space. As expected, proceedings were dominated by the ubiquitous 911. There were models from every generation wearing every conceivable badge from ‘regular’ Carreras all the way to flame-spitting GT2 RSs bearing Manthey Racing kits.

Image: Porsche

Even more impressive is that just about every car on the grounds, bar a few dozen or so examples, belonged to members of the public and not Porsche. There were a few classics on show, such as 356s and a few front-engined models, but 911s are definitely the flavour in that part of the world.

There were also some real unicorns to drool over. No fewer than a dozen Carrera GTs and 918 Spyders were on display. Porsche also brought along a 959 as well as some of its more recent creations. The Mission X concept headlined that list, which included the Vision 357, 718 Spyder RS, 911 Dakar, endurance racers as well the first public showing for the all-new Panamera.

There was also a brand new 911 Turbo on show that was built by the automaker’s Sonderwunsch personalisation program. This car was inspired by the very first 911 Turbo prototype that was commissioned for Louise Piëch, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, back in 1974. The 992 included several bespoke touches such as unique decals on the flanks, black alloys, a retro ‘turbo’ badge and tartan interior.

Image: Porsche

But Icons of Porsche is more than just a car show. It was conceived to bring together cars, music, art, culture and families. There was live music and DJs to entertain the masses, live art installations, tattoo artists, colouring-in on a real car, Lego building stations, virtual kite surfing and a wide variety of food stalls. The event opened its gates at 16:00 and continued late into the night.

The event was also the site of a new world record. Representatives of Guinness World Records officially certified the giant red 911, that towered above the show, as the world’s “Largest Inflatable Vehicle”. The “first-gen” 911 measured almost 20 metres in length, over six metres high and eight metres wide.

Icons of Porsche is a brilliant showcase for the brand but is also aimed at bringing together car enthusiasts in the region. Soon enough it will be a must-attend event for Porchephiles the world over.