Porsche once used Volkswagen vans to support to its race teams, and now the automaker is continuing that tradition with a re-branded version of VW ID.Buzz electric van.
An ID.Buzz wearing the classic Porsche Renndienst (German for "race service") livery will appear at eight dealerships in the Netherlands alongside a matching Taycan Sport Turismo starting this month as part of Porsche's 75th anniversary celebrations, according to the automaker's Netherlands media website (via Google Translate).
Volkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tribute
Volkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tribute
Volkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tribute
The original Porsche Renndienst vans were used to transport cars, parts, and crews to race tracks from the 1950s to the 1970s, starting with the 1954 Mille Miglia. This was a simpler time in motorsports, when cars could be brought to the track on open trailers, and these relatively small vans could serve as mobile tool sheds.
That means this electric Renndienst van is a tribute, not a tool. The sheer amount of equipment professional teams bring to races these days requires something bigger than an ID.Buzz, and it's doubtful Porsche would transport one of its 963 hybrid race cars on an open trailer.
Porsche Vision Renndienst (2018)
The Renndienst vans remain cult classics, though, inspiring Porsche to design a concept for a modern version. Also electric, the Porsche Vision Renndienst was completed in 2018, but wasn't revealed to the public until 2020, when Porsche revealed secret concepts it had previously kept under wraps.
Porsche showed another version of this concept in 2021, this time with a reconfigurable interior intended to be pair with self-driving tech. Instead of tools and spare parts, the interior was stuffed with six seats, including a solo seat for the driver that could spin around to face the second and third rows when the vehicle was in autonomous mode.
