Fans of the retro VW T1 and T2 Transporters, you’ll be quite happy with this one!
Back in the day, Porsche‘s racing team needed a vehicle to support them in carrying racing equipment, and sometimes even the crew, across the country to different races. Thus emerged the Renndienst vans — compact and utilitarian vans with blazing red livery to do exactly that. The first of its kind was based on the classic Volkswagen Transporter (T1), which debuted in the Mille Miglia race in 1954. Since then, an armada of T1 and T2 Transporters accompanied the team to most races until the 1970s.
Fast forward to 2023, Porsche is working on a modern iteration of these beloved Renndienst vans. And this time again, it’s a Volkswagen that gets the honor of getting a remake with its electric ID.Buzz. Indeed, Porsche Netherlands has built eight new Renndienst vans based on fresh VW ID.Buzz 1st Max models, as part of the brand’s 75th-year celebrations this year. They’ll be showcased in Dutch Porsche Centers to commemorate the diamond jubilee.
Since the ID.Buzz is more of a passenger vehicle than a cargo bus, the new Renndiensts now comes with more seats. Still, to get a picture-perfect recreation of the past, Porsche opted for the signature Burgundy Red shade with contrasting white Porsche logos and Renndienst graphics on the doors and rear side windows — the entire thing is quite well-put, to be honest.
And since we now live in an era where everything revolves around the electric revolution, Porsche Netherlands also photographed the electrified Renndienst with another EV — Porsche’s latest Taycan Sport Turismo — painted in the same shade. Of course, despite a decent 201 hp rear-mounted electric motor, the ID.Buzz is no match to what’s rocking under the electric wagon. Still, the electric duo looks pretty enthralling when shot side-by-side.
Interestingly, Porsche had already revealed the Vision Renndienst in 2020 as a part of its “Porsche Unseen” series featuring secret concept cars. Although it’s unlikely for the German carmaker to push any of them into production, it’s great to see that the ID.Buzz Renndienst van looks quite similar to the Vision concept — but in a way, it’s probably a good idea for Porsche to leave the microvan segment to VW, right?
Gallery: VW ID.Buzz Renndienst
