Last weekend’s 78th Members’ Meeting presented us with our first opportunity to get acquainted with the Heigo Porsche, a very special Group IV 911 which we’re preparing to launch for sale in the coming weeks. And with spotlights ablaze, brake discs aglow, camera flashes strobing frantically and a plethora of history’s most famous rally cars slithering around Goodwood just yards from thousands of eager spectators, we were reminded of just how magical rallying can be!

Never heard of the Heigo Porsche? The rally-spec 911 SC 3.0 was the brainchild of Dieter Röscheisen, Porsche’s master technician and test-driver of four decades. Using a generous sponsorship package from the German roll-cage manufacturer Heigo, Röscheisen meticulously built the car together with a group of his Porsche colleagues in 1979 and set about an incredibly successful year of rallying in the German national championship.

Comprising a stellar selection of Group IV, Group B, Group A and WRC machinery, the two Rally Sprint stages at Goodwood took place under the cover of darkness on Saturday evening and as the sun rose early on Sunday morning. The 1.3-mile courses encompassed wide sections of the world-famous Goodwood circuit, including the final chicane, and the narrow service roads which run adjacent. Naturally, the organisers added two haybale-lined hairpins, which the competitors approached with the required gusto. Needless to say, the slip-angles were generous!

The Heigo Porsche had been away with our good friends at BGMsport for a major visual and mechanical overhaul, so the Members’ Meeting was our first opportunity to have a bit of a razz and share it with the world. The car looked magnificent parked up in esteemed company between a Lancia 037 Rally Evo 2 and a Ford Escort RS1800 MKII. We’ve just had the striking Heigo livery reapplied and the period-correct spotlights fitted, and the car looks the bee’s knees, if we do say so ourselves.

Max took the wheel at Goodwood, and while a combined 10 minutes of flat-out driving is hardly enough time to familiarise yourself with any car, especially on such a tight and technical course, he was really impressed with how the Heigo Porsche ran and handled.“This was my first drive of this Porsche in anger and what a car the Group IV 911 is,” he said after completing the final stage of the weekend. “Versatile isn’t the word – it’s so raw and direct yet feels so solid and safe at the same time – I can completely appreciate why this would be a perfect car for the Tour Auto or Modena Cento Ore.

“What a privilege to return this special Porsche to competitive action at an event as stellar as the Members’ Meeting – the reception has been fantastic and I can’t believe how much airtime the Heigo car got across Goodwood’s stream and media channels. I can’t wait to get back out in the car – hopefully with enough space to get into fifth gear!”

We’ve got so much more planned with the Heigo Porsche, including a reunion with Dieter Röscheisen himself. And of course, we’ll divulge much more about the car’s fascinating history, its link to the double World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl and its scale-model replica built by Porsche itself when we launch it for sale very soon. Of course, if you’d like more details about the car before we ‘go live’ with it, don’t hesitate to give us a call.Photos: Tom Shaxson for Girardo & Co.