ATLANTA, Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 50th
Anniversary of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)
comes to a close at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Porsche Cars
North America (PCNA) will turn to an Atlanta neighbor to help celebrate and
commemorate the sports car racing series' Golden Anniversary. The
twin Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR race cars will carry a
familiar red and white livery in the 22nd Running of the Motul
Petit Le Mans that will immediately invoke fond memories of IMSA's
first heyday of the 1980s. The annual 10-hour endurance classic at
the Braselton, Georgia-area race
track – held October 9 – 12 – will
see the "works" Porsche race cars wear the hometown jersey… Coke Is
It!
![Porsche 911 RSR in Coca-Cola Livery Porsche 911 RSR in Coca-Cola Livery](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/997016/Porsche_911_RSR_Coca_Cola_038_r.jpg)
Bob Akin Motor Racing-prepared Porsche race cars carried
Coca-Cola themed liveries for seven years and the timeless
connection of these iconic brands lives and breathes again as
North America's premier sports car
racing series closes its fifth-decade of competition. Following the
German brand's tradition of honoring its successful programs of the
past, the livery for the factory Porsche 911 RSR GTLM class entries
at this year's IMSA finale centers on the legendary Coca-Cola 962
that took the Akin-led team to its most famous win at Sebring in
1986. Wearing the Coke "wave", also known as the "Dynamic Ribbon",
on the hood, flanks and rear bumper, the two factory entries will
look identical with the exception of their number plate and
windshield banner.
The Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR shared by 2015 overall Petit
Le Mans winners Patrick Pilet
(France) and Nick Tandy
(Great Britain) as well Frédéric
Makowiecki (France) will carry a white windshield banner on the No.
911. The No. 912 of Earl Bamber
(New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu
Jaminet (France) will have the black banner on their
windshield. Each car will have the familiar and era appropriate
"Coca-Cola" on the hood and "Coke Is It!" on the rear quarter
panel. Like the popular 962 of the time, both cars will feature
white BBS wheels.
Few brands are more recognizable than Coca-Cola and Porsche.
Internationally acknowledged as leaders in their respective
industries, each company enjoys an unparalleled visual and cultural
identity. With PCNA headquartered in Atlanta, and Coca-Cola's entire corporate
history spent in the Georgia
capital, it is a natural fit for the pair to come together again on
the 2.54-mile race course outside of Georgia's capital city.
The similarities of the two hallmark companies do not begin or
end in Atlanta. Each enjoys a
shape so uniquely tied to its brand they are internationally
trademarked and instantly recognizable. The silhouette of the 911
has carried true since 1963. Its dimensions may have changed, but
there is no mistaking the profile of the German brand's most famous
sports car. Coca-Cola's "contour" bottle enjoys the same
immediately identifiable traits as the Porsche. Designed and
developed in 1916, the Coke bottle shape remains forever linked to
the soft drink powerhouse. Today, both flowing shapes are visual
and tactile representations of their companies.
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta opened in 1970 in part due to the
financing of Arthur Montgomery, Jr.,
then president of the Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Always a
"Coke track", the recently replaced tower and media center facility
carried the familiar Coca-Cola branding high on its sides for
decades. Porsche moved its North American headquarters to the Peach
State in 1998 and opened its Experience Center adjacent to
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2015. Coca-Cola began
in 1886 and has grown from a small soda fountain in downtown
Atlanta to one of the world's most
recognizable brands in the ensuing 133 years.
Pedro Mota, Vice President of
Marketing for Porsche Cars North America. "Last fall, we kicked off
the IMSA 50th Anniversary celebration with the fan-favorite Mobil 1
livery at Petit Le Mans. We began the 2019 season by highlighting
still another longstanding and successful relationship with the
famous red, white and blue 'sweeps' of Brumos Racing and
Hurley Haywood. Now, as one last
tribute to honor IMSA on their Golden Anniversary, we are bringing
back yet another memorable livery… a local favorite: Coca-Cola. As
an added benefit, we get to fondly recall Bob Akin, the gentleman who first brought
Coca-Cola and Porsche together with the customer 935 and 962 race
cars he successfully campaigned."
Jim France, NASCAR Chairman/ IMSA
Chairman."I can't think of a better way for fans to celebrate the
final race of IMSA's 50th Anniversary season by seeing two of the
most iconic brands in the world – Porsche and Coca-Cola – bring
back an unforgettable livery. Bob
Akin was one of a kind, much like Porsche and Coca-Cola, and
to see this livery at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for this year's
Motul Petit Le Mans will certainly be exciting for
everyone."
About Porsche Cars North America, Inc. | One Porsche Drive,
Atlanta, GA 30354
USA
Established in 1984, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
(PCNA) is the exclusive U.S. importer of the Porsche 911, 718
Boxster and 718 Cayman; Macan and Cayenne; Panamera; and Taycan.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia,
since 1998, PCNA is also home to the first Porsche Experience
Center in North America featuring
a module-based 1.6 mile driver development track, business center,
and fine dining restaurant, 356. The company operates a second
Porsche Experience Center near Los
Angeles. That 53-acre complex features a driver development
track with eight educational modules totaling 4.1 miles, a business
center, and Restaurant 917. PCNA supports 191 independently
owned and operated Porsche dealerships in the U.S., including
supplying parts, service, marketing, and training. They, in turn,
work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience
that is in keeping with the Porsche brand's 70-year history of
leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety, and
efficiency. PCNA is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche
AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart,
Germany.
At the core of this success is Porsche's proud racing heritage
that boasts some 30,000-plus motorsport wins to date.
Follow us: twitter.com/porsche | facebook.com/porsche
Photos and video footage are available to accredited journalists
on the Porsche Press Database at http://press.porsche.com/
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SOURCE Porsche Cars North America, Inc.