A year of celebration: How Porsche Motorsport marked 75 years of success

From Mexico to Berlin, from Elkhart Lake to the ExCel Centre, Porsche Motorsport put its most stylish foot forward this season with a series of beautiful paint schemes.

Across the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, retro liveries celebrated 75 years of Porsche Motorsport.

Both on-track and off, this historic milestone was marked by yet more success for the manufacturer, with two more Formula E titles added to its tally.

In the Porsche Museum, a special exhibition “Raceborn – 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport”, reflected on an important chapter of the company’s history.

The exhibition, on display until until January 17 2027, explores the subject through six different perspectives.

Revisit all this year’s special liveries here - which was your favourite?

January: Formula E Mexico

The first historic colour way came in Mexico City in January, kickstarting the 75th anniversary celebrations with a special Carrera Panamericana tribute livery.

Harking back to the iconic Mexican road race, the all-silver colour scheme ran for the second race of the Formula E season on January 10.

It paid tribute to the legendary 550 Spyder, with which Hans Herrmann won a class victory at the Carrera Panamericana in 1954.

The race was so impactful that a year after the last race was held, the Carrera name was given to a new four-cylinder engine used in the 356.

Since then, it has become synonymous with the 911, starting with the famed 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Today, Porsche uses the Carrera name for its base 911 models.

The Porsche Formula E Team delivered a strong points haul sporting the special livery, finishing sixth and ninth in round two of the 2026 campaign.

March: IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring

Porsche Penske Motorsport joined the party in March, with a GT1-inspired white, red and blue livery commemorating the 30th anniversary of Porsche’s partnership with Mobil 1 at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Paying tribute to the GT1’s success in the late 1990s, the colour scheme harked back to the car’s sensational win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998.

When it made its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 1996, the 911 GT1 hit a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight during practice, and finished second and third overall (first and second in the LMGT1 class).

But it was 1998 where it found its biggest success, with the GT1-98, driven by Allan McNish, Laurent Aïello and Stéphane Ortelli, soaring to a stellar victory, while another GT1-98 claimed the runner-up spot.

It was a 16th – and record-breaking – win for Porsche at the iconic race, and those colours went on to score another victory in 2026 at the Floridian 12-hour race.

A stunning 1-2 finish for the team marked its second win in as many races to kick off the 2026 season, and added another chapter in the history books for this special livery.

April: Formula E Berlin

In April, the Porsche Formula E Team brought the historic Pink Pig livery to its home race at the Berlin E-Prix.

The livery was inspired by the Porsche 917/20, which caused a sensation at the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans with its radical design and unique livery.

The 917/20 #23 car, driven by Reinhold Joest and Willi Kauhsen, qualified in seventh place. It proved to be highly competitive, and was running in third place by the halfway mark of the event.

Sadly, it didn’t make it to the chequered flag, having been forced to retire before the end due to brake failure. But it had captured everyone’s attention.

In 2018, the livery was back, reappearing on a Porsche 911 RSR competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Raced by the Porsche GT team, and piloted by drivers Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, the #92 car would ultimately have a far more successful outing than the car from which it took inspiration.

In an outstanding performance, car #92, the new Pink Pig, claimed victory in the GTE Pro category.

In 2026, it won again, with Nico Müller claiming his maiden Formula E win on home turf at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport.

April / May: IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach and Laguna Seca

For Long Beach and Laguna Seca, the team ran two very special Apple tribute liveries.

The first, at Long Beach, commemorated the collaboration between Porsche and Apple Music with a white, black, pink and red colour scheme.

For the street race, the #6 car featuring a white rear wing, rear view mirrors, windscreen and fin, while the #7 car had black detailing.

The partnership between Apple Music and Porsche dates back to 2019, when built-in Apple Music was introduced in the Porsche Taycan.

While carrying the special colours, the #6 car of Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor scored their third successive podium of the season.

The following round at Laguna Seca, the team ran an Apple Computer-inspired livery based on the Porsche 935 K3, which competed in major events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1980.

The one-off design celebrated two anniversaries at the same time: 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 50 years of Apple.

The two works Porsche 963 featured not only the “Apple Computer” lettering but also distinctive coloured stripes in green, yellow, two shades of red, as well as purple and blue.

The whole IMSA race weekend at Laguna Seca had a throwback feel, with other teams competing in retro liveries and a variety of fan events taking place both on and off the famed Californian circuit alongside the 160-minute race.

Both cars finished inside the points, in sixth and seventh place, while JDC-Miller MotorSports made history by taking the first win for a privateer team since the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship introduced its new regulations in 2023.

June: 24 Hours of Le Mans

Marking three-quarters of a century since the very first outing for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, both Manthey cars took to this year’s edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans sporting a silver livery.

The two Porsche 911 GT3 R competed in a historic livery, inspired by that worn by the 356 SL Coupé all those years ago.

On the first visit to the Circuit de la Sarthe for Porsche in 1951, Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche secured a class victory, kickstarting a legacy of excellence at the French endurance classic.

After making the 11-hour journey from Zuffenhausen to Le Mans by road, the Frenchmen took to the international racing stage.

As the chequered flag waved, Veuillet and Mouche had secured victory in their class and 20th place overall. They covered 2,840.65 kilometres at an average speed of 118.36 km/h.

That very same car was present for this year’s edition of the race - its 94th running - and was proudly on display in the Porsche Experience Centre.

Lovingly restored by Rod Emory and Cameron Healy, the long-lost iconic car returned to its spiritual home for the second time, having previously visited in 2023 for the 100th anniversary of Le Mans. Read more about its journey here.

August: IMSA Road America

At Road America, the team sported two iconic throwback liveries to mark the special anniversaries celebrated by both Porsche Motorsport and Team Penske, which held its 60th anniversary in 2026.

For the first time, the #6 and #7 cars featured different liveries.

The #6 ran the blue-and-yellow livery of the 1973 Porsche 917/30, in which Mark Donohue dominated the 200-mile Can-Am event.

This unstoppable machine won six out of that season’s eight races on his way to the title, and was one of the strongest racing cars of all time, with an advanced 12-cylinder, 1,100bhp engine.

To match the livery, Kévin Estre wore a special commemorative helmet, and said: “We all have many memories associated with the colours of the Porsche 917/30 from back then. That car was a real beast.

“I hope we’ll be just as successful. I have a special yellow helmet design. With it, I’m following in the footsteps of Mark Donohue. It’s an honour for me.”

The sister #7 car featured the yellow livery of the Porsche RS Spyder.

The Porsche RS Spyder was a force to be reckoned with in the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series from late 2005 through 2008.

By August 11, 2007, it had racked up 14 class victories. But then came the four-hour race at Road America.

In a huge upset, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas defeated the more powerful LMP1 prototypes to claim the car’s first ALMS overall victory.

Both cars again finished in the points, while JDC-Miller MotorSports team gave a stellar performance at IMSA’s Road America round, fighting back from two penalties to finish second.

August: Formula E London

To round off the season, the team ran one final livery: The race-winning iconic red, gold and blue stripes.

As GEN3 came to a close, the Porsche Formula E Team sported an iconic historic livery for the London season finale.

Inspired by the Group C Porsche 956 with its red, gold and blue stripes, the colours hark back to an era of innovation and dominance, where Porsche led the way both on the grid and in the workshop.

From the Nürburgring to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from the Paris-Dakar to Silverstone, cars bearing these iconic colours won wherever they went.

And it was taken to the top step once more, with Pascal Wehrlein winning the first of the weekend’s two races before claiming the championship on the Sunday.

Rarely has one livery represented so much success, in so many fields, and pioneered such innovation. A true Raceborn legend, it led the way on and off-track for many years to come.