1997 Porsche 911 GT1

Coupe
Chassis number: 993-GT1-004

Porsche and Le Mans are about as synonymous as one would find. And when the FIA GT Championship really gained popularity during the mid-1990s, Porsche would determine to make its return to sportscar endurance racing in this category. The reason for this was rather simple: Porsche believed others were going at it the wrong way and this gave the factory an edge, it believed.

McLaren and Ferrari would be some of the first to compete in the GT1 category. Ferrari would use a racing version of its F40 while McLaren would use its F1. And while the McLaren F1 had not be initially built for endurance sportscar racing a modified version of the car would go on to score a number of victories including the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.

All of a sudden, Porsche's territory was being invaded. The factory had no new prototype. The prototypes being used were nothing really more than previous 962 designs just adapted to conform to the regulations. Porsche did have cars racing in the GT1 category but they were really nothing more than 993s adapted to the category.

And that is when it all clicked for the factory. Upon reading through the regulations once again it seemed abundantly clear most everyone in the GT1 category was approaching things from the wrong point-of-view, and this limited potential, at least in the minds of the engineers and designers at Porsche.

Most all of the prominent players in the GT1 category had been taking existing supercars and adapting them for use on the track. However, the regulations stipulated that to be eligible to compete in the GT1 category the factory must produce at least 25 for road use. Therefore, Porsche looked at the regulations differently. Instead of taking an existing production car and making it legal to race, the factory would build a car to race and adapt it to make it legal for the street.

This would seemingly open up the possibilities for the engineers and designers. Instead of the street being the focus, the factory would make the perfect circuit racing car that could then be de-tuned and adapted for the street. This would result in the 911 GT1.

Built and raced in 1996, the 911 GT1 driven by Hans Joachim Stuck, Thierry Boutsen and Bob Wollek would go on to win the GT1 category in its first attempt and would finish just a lap behind in the battle for the overall win. In fact, it would be a great debut for the factory effort as it would score a one-two in GT1 and would place 2nd and 3rd in the overall standings.

But for the Porsche factory team, a 2nd and 3rd place in the overall standings at Le Mans wasn't good enough. Only an outright overall win would suffice. Therefore, the designers and engineers would set about on developing what would become known as the 911 GT1 Evolution.

Neither the GT1 nor the GT1 Evolution really looked anything like the 911. The rear end was really a 962 and the nose of the car was certainly more akin to the 993, but the 911 look was still in there. And being the company's most notable model name it would be retained.

Approaching the car design from the basis of building a car specifically for the track first meant a great emphasis would be placed on handling and performance. This had led to the GT1 being designed and built with a mid-mounted water-cooled, twin-turbo flat-six engine. The boxer engine and the mid-mounting meant the car was very stable around the corners due to its low center of gravity and because of the engine weight being distributed toward the middle of the car. This engine positioning would also affect the overall aerodynamic design of the car, which, when combined with the 600 hp engine, meant the carbon-fiber Kevlar bodied could be ushered up to speeds nearer to 200 mph.

The Evolution would bear great similarity to the GT1 but with some important modifications and updates. The Evolution would enjoy improved aerodynamics over its predecessor. The new version of the car would also enjoy improved handling as a result of a wider front axle. Improved suspension would further enhance the stability of the car. And with a modified engine management system and improved aerodynamics the GT1 Evo would prove to be a little quicker in acceleration than its predecessor but still just about as fast given the car was still using the same 600 hp engine.

Compared to its predecessor, the improved acceleration of the GT1 Evo would make little difference. And, in fact, the first edition of the GT1 would prove much more successful than its updated successor. But in fairness to the GT1 Evo, it would have to fight off the McLaren F1 GTR and the new CLK-GTR from Mercedes-Benz.

But in spite of the fact the 911 GT1 Evo would go winless it would still have a moment in the sun at its race, the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Offered at the 2012 Amelia Island auction was chassis number 993-GT1-004. This car, offered via the vast Drendel Family collection, is the actual chassis that enjoyed a great moment in the sun leading the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. The number 25 factory car would be in the overall lead of the race for quite a while until, in the early morning hours, Bob Wollek unfortunately spun the car on damp curbs. The spin wouldn't have been so bad had the car not carried on to strike one of the walls surrounding the circuit. This would damage the car beyond repair. And, just like that, the leading car of Bob Wollek, Thierry Boutsen and Hans-Joachim Stuck was dramatically out of the race.

After its disappointing and bitter end in the 24 Hours of Le Mans the car would be repaired and raced extensively. However, the car would never contend for a victory at any time ever again during its career.

The car's best result would end up coming in its final factory-backed race. At Laguna Seca in 1997, chassis number 993-GT1-004 would go on to place 3rd overall and would bring an end to its competitive days with a podium result.

After its final race for the factory it would be retained for use by the factory for use in tire development testing but it would also be raced in the Canada GT Cup Challenge.

When its racing career finally came to an end, GT1-004 would end up as part of The Drendel Family collection. The car would be refinished in its original Modil 1/Warsteiner livery that adorned the car during its 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans attempt. Offered with an extensive collection of spare parts and equipment, the entire package was expected to earn between $900,000-$1,200,000 at auction. However, the car would end up selling for a total of $1,265,000.

Sources:

'Lot 49: 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution', (http://www.goodingco.com/car/1997-porsche-911-gt1-evolution). Gooding and Company. http://www.goodingco.com/car/1997-porsche-911-gt1-evolution. Retrieved 12 March 2012.

'History: Racing Cars: 1996 Porsche 911 GT1', (http://www.porsche.com/usa/eventsandracing/motorsport/philosophy/history/racingcars/1996-911gt1/). Porsche. http://www.porsche.com/usa/eventsandracing/motorsport/philosophy/history/racingcars/1996-911gt1/. Retrieved 12 March 2012.

'History: Racing Cars: 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution', (http://www.porsche.com/usa/eventsandracing/motorsport/philosophy/history/racingcars/1997-911gt1evo/). Porsche. http://www.porsche.com/usa/eventsandracing/motorsport/philosophy/history/racingcars/1997-911gt1evo/. Retrieved 12 March 2012.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Porsche 911 GT1', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 February 2012, 07:25 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porsche_911_GT1&oldid=478907707 accessed 12 March 2012

by Jeremy McMullen

With the return of internationals sports car racing in the mid-1990s, Porsche decided to develop an entry for the GT1 category, originally intended for manufacturers to showcase their 'Supercars.' Up until then, cars competing in the category were heavily modified versions of road going McLaren F1s and Ferrari F40s. But when the 911 GT1 was unveiled in 1966 it became obvious that Porsche had once again taken advantage of the rule book, extracting every advantage possible. What had been developed was not a race version of the 911, but what was effectively a purpose built sports prototype with a little 911 thrown in.

Despite being called a 911, the car had little in common with the 911 of the time. The front clip did come from the production 911, while the rear of the car was essentially a Porsche 962, including its water-cooled, twin-turbocharged and intercooled, four valves per cylinder flat-six engine, which put out about 630 horsepower.

The 911 GT1 and its successor, the 911 GT1 Evo, while achieving a modicum of success both in Europe and North America, never achieved its primary goal - an overall win at Le Mans. Porsche did take the overall victory at LeMans in 1966 and 97 with Joest Racing who was running the Porsche powered WSC-95 prototypes.

For the 1998 season Porsche developed an all-new car, the 911 GT1-98. New GT1 rules stipulated that cars could be built from scratch and homologated if a road going version was also made available for sale. The ante had also been raised by the addition of the Toyota GT-One and a new Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR.

The 911 GT1-98 featured bodywork which looked even more like a traditional sports prototype than the previous GT1s. During the 1998 FIA International GT season, the 911 GT1-98 struggled to match the pace of the Mercedes which had also been revamped and improved. The new rules also favored normal led aspirated engine powered cars and handicapped turbo engines.

At Le Mans, however, it was a different story. The BMW V12 LMs retired, as did the Mercedes CLK-LMs. The Toyota GT-One, which was the fastest of them all, suffered gearbox failure.

The 911 GT1-98, despite being down on power to both the Toyota and Mercedes, more than fulfilled Porsche's hopes by finishing one - two overall thanks to its reliability and consistency. This gave Porsche its record breaking 16th overall win at Le Mans, more than any other manufacturer in history.

by Porsche