Porsche Penske Motorsport will contest this weekend’s IMSA SportsCar Championship event at Road America in two special retro liveries.
The #6 Porsche 963 LMDh shared by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor will carry the blue-and-yellow Sunoco colour scheme made famous by the Porsche 917/30 in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr will revive the bright yellow livery of the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 when they take to the track in the #7 Porsche 963.
It marks the fourth time Porsche Penske has run special designs on its LMDh prototypes this season, having previously unveiled traditional liveries at Sebring, Long Beach and Laguna Seca.
2026 is a landmark year for the two brands. Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary in motorsport, while Roger Penske’s eponymous team was founded 60 years ago.
With the Road America round extended to six hours from the usual two hours and 40 minutes, Porsche and Penske have chosen the event to pay tribute to two of the most successful cars in their shared history.
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor
Photo by: Porsche
“Road America has been the scene of special successes in the shared history of Porsche and Penske,” says Thomas Laudenbach, vice president of Porsche Motorsport.
“In 1973, the Porsche 917/30 dominated the scene. During qualifying, Mark Donohue became the first driver on this track to break the two-minute lap time barrier. Starting in 2006, the RS Spyder marked Porsche’s return to prototype racing across several championships.
“I personally remember the success of 2007: I was there when Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas drove to overall victory against the nominally more powerful LMP1 race cars.”
Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation, added: “Sportscar competition has been the foundation of Team Penske since the very beginning. As we continue to celebrate our team’s 60 years in motorsports alongside 75 years of Porsche Motorsport in 2026, we are excited to honour the heritage and legacy of both organisations.
“These two iconic car liveries pay tribute to championship-winning eras, legendary cars and the people who helped build our success. Team Penske’s partnership with Porsche is one of the most successful and enduring relationships in racing, and we are proud to celebrate our winning tradition together.”
The Porsche 917/30 was the final evolution of the iconic 917 and was launched in 1973 to compete in the now-defunct Can-Am Series. The car dominated the championship, with Team Penske driver Donohue going unbeaten in the final six out of eight races. The American also beat the field by three seconds in qualifying at Road America, making the 6.5km track a fitting venue to bring back the Sunoco livery.
#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Felipe Nasr
Photo by: Porsche
Meanwhile, Porsche and Penske’s RS Spyder made a huge mark in LMP2 racing in the late noughties, claiming the LMP2 title in the American Le Mans Series for three consecutive years as well as two class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
However, the car’s biggest achievement came in the 2008 Sebring 12 Hours, where Bernhard, Dumas and Emmanuel Collard beat the more powerful LMP1 prototypes to register the RS Spyder’s first overall win in the ALMS.
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