Das Treffen 2019 – Thailand’s biggest Porsche gathering
Das Treffen, simply translated from German to “The Meeting” has quickly grown to be one of the largest Porsche gatherings in South East Asia.
The brainchild of Sihabutr Xoomsai, known as Tenn to his friends (@tennster), has annually drawn Porsche nuts to Thailand’s capital since 2016 for an incredible meeting of some the rarest samples of German engineering in SEA.
The event, most recently held at Bangkok’s IMPACT Speedway, has seemingly sprung out of nowhere, but dig a little deeper and Tenn explains that this infatuation with the brand isn’t exactly anything new.
“I always had a thing for Porsche since I was a kid. The first Porsche I drove belonged to my father’s friend. He came over to our house one day in a brand new 964, tossed me the keys and asked me to get them something to drink. I never forgot that day – the sound, the smell and the kick in the back.”.
“The most important thing I learnt that day,” Tenn recalls, “is that the best way to enjoy Porsche is to share it. Since then that is what I tried to do – to share my passion with my friends and fellow enthusiasts.”
Tenn, the Executive Editor of GT Porsche Thailand, coupled with the assistance from Porsche Thailand, Porsche Club of Thailand and Renndrive, had little to no trouble at all spreading the message about his newly found event.
The response was nothing short of extraordinary with over 1,000 guests with Porsche in their veins showing their faces. Cut to the second year of the show and a whopping 300 cars made their way for even more Porsche enthusiasts to drool over. But it’s more than just a place to show off precious metal as Tenn explains.
“I have made a lot of life-long friends from all over the world through the brand, and it’s amazing how people from different parts of the world can speak the Porsche language”.
2019 was the biggest year yet, sporting everything from one-off Rauh-Welt Begriff’s, handcrafted by Akira Nakai himself, to pristine ultrarare Carrera GT’s and full-blown cup cars.
Even with a brand as niche as Porsche, the popularity of the 911 never fails to deliver in terms of variety.
This past year boasted a number of big-name Porsche fans making their way to the event with @tedgushue of @type7 doing the rounds as well as @magnuswalker rumoured to be making an appearance before plans became twisted and a cancellation forced.
I, typically, had just missed the event this year and was in the northern part of the country, having left Bangkok just days earlier, before finding the news of the meeting. But that’s what happens when a lack of preparation meets a confused Northern boy abroad for the first time outside of a school trip.
Needless to say, it’s one event that’s well and truly been placed on the post-COVID bucket list.
Like I needed an excuse to go back to Thailand anyway…
Photos: @curvesmagazin Words: @adam_mace for @neveridles
