Club vrooms past 70th milestone

A Porsche Taycan - the newest and EV Porsche on display at the event in Kuala Lumpur.

SPORTS car fans gathered at a gala dinner to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Porsche Club Worldwide.

Porsche Club Malaysia (PCM), the sole club officially licensed by Porsche AG, marked the anniversary at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.

Over 450 guests including Pahang princess Tengku Puteri Seri Lela Manja Tengku Datuk Seri Hajjah Nong Fatimah Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Sime Darby Auto Performance (Porsche Malaysia) CEO Christopher Hunter, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia CEO and managing director Abrar Anwar, in addition to Porsche Club members from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, turned up at the club’s largest Asia-Pacific gathering.

(From left) Hunter, Lim, Tengku Puteri Seri Lela Manja and Sime Darby Auto Performance (Porsche Malaysia) COO Christiaan Knaap at the gala dinner. – Photos by CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

A rare edition 700-horsepower racer Porsche 935 – the only unit in Malaysia out of the 77 worldwide – Porsche classics 356 and 944, Porsche Taycan and Porsche Cayenne CKD built in Kedah, Kulim, were on display to wow the aficionados upon arrival.

A series of events was organised internationally to commemorate the milestone event recently.

PCM paid homage to the first Porsche Club formed in Germany, in 1952, with a 1950s Hollywood-glamour theme for the gala dinner.

Among the activities of the evening were live voting for best-dressed guests, a lucky draw with prizes worth RM90,000, a jewellery fashion show, singing and dance performances.

An electric vehicle (EV) chapter was launched at the event. The all-electric Porsche Taycan is Malaysia’s leading sports car model in the EV segment.

PCM president Datuk Derrick Lim said there would be more EV-centric activities tailored for this segment.

PCM, in partnership with Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) (Porsche Malaysia), also launched the PCM trial membership whereby new SDAP customers (EV and non-EV) can be part of Porsche Club’s official community through a three-month trial membership for the club which hosts over 50 annual activities.

Funds for Free Food Society were also raised through members and guests’ contributions during the gala dinner.