Porsche runs Apple livery at Laguna Seca

Porsche is doing catnip-for-racing-nerds stuff this weekend. Both factory Porsche 963s at Laguna Seca are ditching their usual look for an Apple Computer throwback livery tied to a famous 1980 Porsche 935 K3. That sounds cosmetic — and it is, mostly — but it lands at exactly the right moment: IMSA’s Monterey throwback weekend, Porsche’s 75th year in motorsport, and Apple’s 50th birthday all collide on May 3. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why are people making a big deal about paint? Because this isn’t just “retro colors.” Porsche says the wrap is directly inspired by the Apple-sponsored 935 K3 that raced in the 1980 season, including major events like Le Mans, and both Penske-run 963s will wear it for the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. In endurance racing, liveries become part of the mythology — fans remember the car by the colors almost as much as the result. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### What’s the old car behind it? The reference point is the Porsche 935 K3 run by Kremer Racing, one of the wildest evolutions of Porsche’s turbocharged 935 era. The Apple version is especially sticky in motorsport memory because it came from that late-70s, early-80s period when sponsorship graphics were bold, simple, and instantly recognizable from a distance — basically perfect for nostalgia culture in 2026. That’s why this one reads so clearly even on a modern prototype. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why Apple, specifically? The timing is the trick. Porsche is using the livery to celebrate two anniversaries at once — 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 50 years since Apple’s founding in 1976. So this is less a random vintage callback and more a neatly engineered crossover between old-school sports-car racing and Silicon Valley iconography, right before a race weekend in Northern California. (newsroom([newsroom.porsche.com)Laguna Seca? Because IMSA intentionally turned Monterey into a throwback weekend. Other teams are bringing heritage schemes too, so Porsche isn’t doing this in isolation — it’s part of a broader event theme. Laguna Seca also fits the vibe better than almost any U.S. circuit: historic track, huge sports-car audience, and a California setting that makes the Apple connection feel less random and more local. (imsa.com) ### Does this matter beyond aesthetics? A little, yes. Motorsport teams use one-off liveries to turn a normal race into a brand moment, and Porsche has real sporting momentum to attach that moment to. The 963 has been a serial winner under LMDh rules, and Porsche came into Laguna Seca with strong championship positioning after a third straight Daytona win and another 1-2 at Sebring earlier this season. A heritage livery hits harder when the current car is actually fast. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Is Porsche good here? Very. IMSA’s own weekend preview framed Monterey around Porsche’s win streak at the track, which gives this whole thing an extra edge — it’s not just a museum piece doing cosplay. Porsche is showing up in costume while trying to keep control of the GTP fight. That makes the livery feel less like a poster and more like a statement. (imsa.com)gh to mean something, timely enough to justify it, and attached to a car that can still win. If you’re an old endurance-racing fan, it revives a cult favorite. If you’re a newer fan, it’s an easy on-ramp into why racing history sticks — sometimes a paint scheme can carry 46 years of memory in one glance. (newsroom.porsche.com)