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Celebrating 50 Years of the 911 Turbo at Petro Surf

"Germans need events like this. The English have Goodwood, in Italy there’s The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d’Este held on Lake Como, and in St. Moritz, there’s THE ICE. We don't have anything like that here in Germany" Aloisa Ruf explains to me a few weeks after our trip, as we work together on another project. We are discussing Petro Surf, an event held at the end of June on the German island of Sylt, which brings together two worlds: classic air-cooled Porsches and surfing.



I love marathons. Not the running kind, when I can’t get from one side of the city to the other, but the driving kind. When the worst I get is a slight backache. In winter, I took the 911 Dakar RED58 Special from Warsaw to Zell am See. Now it’s time for the summer chapter of that story. The catch? The Polish 911 Dakar, built in tribute to Sobiesław Zasada and which caused a sensation at the FAT Ice Race organized by Ferdi Porsche, was auctioned off. So, I had to choose another car, one that would best fit Petro Surf, the unique event held on the German island of Sylt.


Watch the video from our trip to the F.A.T. ICE Race - WATCH IT HERE


This event combines two of the coolest worlds imaginable—literally—classic air-cooled Porsches and surfing the cold waves of the North Sea. During this time, the island transforms into a paradise for Porsche enthusiasts, with personalized classic Porsches emerging from every street. Some have surfboards on their roofs, others inflatable flamingos, and most of the owners are sporting Vans shoes. So, what should I choose for such an occasion?



My options are the 911 Targa 4S in classic Gentian Blue and the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet in juicy Guards Red. I can’t decide. The Targa’s body directly references models from the 1960s: a removable roof, a fixed roll bar over the passengers’ heads covered in brushed aluminum, and a one-piece, round rear window. This car, with its functional styling elements, most closely resembles the first models named after the Sicilian Targa Florio race, and it would be the easiest to blend in with the crowd.


Celebrating 50 Years of the 911 Turbo


But there are also reasons to choose the red 911… This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Turbo model. The 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 5.5 seconds in 1974 earned the Zuffenhausen produced car the title of the fastest production car in the world and cult status. So I’m also very tempted by the Turbo S model, which today, with 200 more horsepower than the Targa, accelerates to 100 km/h in an impressive 2.7 seconds. But isn’t a girl in a red convertible at a Porsche summer event too much of a cliché? That thought fades quickly when I imagine the journey on the unrestricted German autobahns. Besides, I’m heading to a surfer’s island, where building a motoring community is what matters most, not to Italy where pineapple on pizza, cheese on seafood, and white coffee in the afternoon would expose me to sings of social ostracism.



After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to take… both 911s. I just need a second driver, which is a great excuse to create a women’s road trip. I ask my friend Olesia, who is just as passionate about cars as I am, if she can join me. An idea, which she accepts enthusiastically, and we set off on a 12-hour drive from Warsaw to Sylt. To capture as many memories as possible from this adventure we bring along photographer Maciek Skrzyński and cameraman Michał Guzik as passengers.


For the drive over, I choose the Porsche 911 Turbo S. During a downpour that accompanied us for half of the journey, I mostly drove in WET mode. I’m immediately surprised by how this all-wheel-drive car bites into the asphalt in such conditions, and with the front spoiler completely retracted, it gains a safe stability. This is quite surprising for a 650-horsepower beast with 800Nm of torque available from just 2500 rpm. Just when I thought I’d have to drive no faster than 120 km/h the entire way, the rain stops and the sun comes out… I switch to NORMAL mode and I discover how comfortably I can travel even in such a sporty car. When the asphalt dries, and I switch to SPORT and SPORT PLUS modes and feel the Turbo S transform into a missile. Its instant throttle response induces euphoria.



Under these conditions, the rest of the journey passed quickly, and before we knew it, we were approaching Rømø, the Danish island neighboring Sylt. We opened the roofs and drove along the narrow causeway connecting it to the mainland. The final stretch before our destination. The moment that rewards all the hardships of the trip—waking up at 4 a.m. and the slightly aching back—despite the comfortable seats that support the lower back well in the Turbo S.


The sand madness at Lakolk Beach


The surrounding water, the pleasant breeze, and the sun high above the horizon, despite the late hour, made us think that nothing better could happen to us today. That is, until we drove onto the giant Lakolk Beach, where the famous Kite and Motor Festivals are held every year, with vintage cars racing a quarter mile. Captivated by the sight of the open, sandy space, we took full advantage of the area as God intended, by turning off the PSM system fully off. We drove until sunset, which on Rømø at this time of year happens only after 10 p.m. Consequently… we were looking for a car wash to remove the traces of our fun until 1 a.m. Specifically, in a spirit of camaraderie but not quite gender equality, the boys had done all the searching.




The sand madness isn’t a part of the festival’s schedule, but most crews start their day here. That’s why we arranged to meet up with other girls who came to Petro Surf on the sandy beach of Rømø. Among them: Sophie Küppers, a graphic designer who works mainly in the automotive industry, and her Porsche 924S and Bettina Berends in her air-cooled Porsche 911s with an original blue interior. 


Petro Surf Girsl


The official start of the weekend takes place that day at the race track. Just before the race, I manage to talk to the only woman competing in it, Porsche collector Katja Kleffmann, and shortly after, I meet Shawny Sander, who restored her 911 G-model herself. I also run into Klaudia Elwart, who, along with the Hel Riders team, came to present the Polish Porsche 928 Surfari project.





After the track, it’s time for my favorite moment. Several dozen air-cooled Porsches and a few Transaxle models drive onto a huge ferry to cross from Rømø to Sylt. A true “Ferry Porsche.” Onboard, participants enjoy an official dinner, which, as every year, is emotionally inaugurated by Ken Hake. Ken, who hails from Sylt, has surfed all the world’s oceans, but it’s on his home island that every year he organizes a festival that combes his two greatest loves. Thanks to him, the next day, dozens of classic Porsches gather in the parking lot of Samoa Bar by one of the island’s beaches. And while some participants stay with the cars to admire the specially brought in racing cars in Martini and Jägermeister liveries, others head to the sea, where a surfing competition takes place.


"That’s the hardest question anyone’s asked me today," Ken responds when we talk about whether he could choose between Porsche and his love for surfing. His face shows genuine confusion mixed with fear, as if someone really made him choose. I understand him well, after all, I didn’t know which 911 to choose for this journey and ended up with two. I leave him with that question, and after the whole day at the event, I happily watch as he pulls a surfboard out of his car and heads onto the water for a moment of meditation.

"Germans needs events like this. The English have Goodwood, in Italy there’s the Villa d’Este Concours of Elegance by Lake Como, and in St. Moritz, there’s THE ICE. We don't have anything like that here in Germany" Aloisa Ruf explains to me a few weeks after our trip, as we work together on another project. Although she hasn’t been to Petro Surf yet, she accurately explains its appeal when I wonder aloud what sets Petro Surf apart from other Cars & Coffee type meetings.




From my perspective, the distinguishing features include one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, where the event unofficially begins, a ferry filled to the brim with classic Porsches, the island of Sylt, which is not only 50% covered by protected areas, making the beauty of its nature unparalleled, but also has architecture reminiscent of Tolkien’s Shire (and indeed, when we take off our Vans, we walk barefoot here), and… Ken’s energy, which spreads to everyone who comes to Petro Surf with the intention of leisurely spending the weekend. Crazy to think that they were all brought here by fast, sports cars…


Watch the film from our trip on the official Porsche Polska channel - WATCH IT HERE


Photos: Maciej Skrzyński

 




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