The 1998 Porsche 911 GT1
Why It's Special:
When the FIA took control of the BPR Championship and turned it into the FIA GT Championship, manufacturers jumped at the chance to compete in a new and exciting series. The top class would be based on GT1 regulations, requiring 25 homologation cars to be built for public consumption. Never a company to shy away from a new challenge, Porsche went ‘all-in’ with the 911 GT1, making it one of the most aggressive Porsches ever designed.
Under the Hood:
The car became a kind of Frankenstein, from the cabin forward it was based on the bodyshell of a 993 series road car. Behind the firewall the drivetrain was based on the new 996 series, most notably featuring water-cooling for both the engine block and cylinder heads. Straight out of the box the 911 GT1 won its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and barely missed out on the overall victory.
For the next several years the GT1 racked up victories in sports car races around the world and in 1998 a revised version of the GT1 won Le Mans outright. Due to the racecar being heavily based on series production road cars the Strassenversion (road version) was basically a street legal Le Mans racecar. All 25 examples were built alongside the racecars at Porsche Motorsport headquarters in Weissach.
Major changes included: a raised ride height, slightly softer suspension, steel brake rotors instead of carbon, a revised interior, smaller fuel tank and a detuned engine to pass emissions. The twin-turbocharged and intercooled 3.2 liter Flat-6 delivered 600 horsepower in race trim and unrestricted could give 750 horsepower. The design was a direct evolution of the bullet-proof 962 engine, which was temporarily banned from competition due to its dominance. Needless to say cranking out 544 horsepower, at only 1.36 bar (20 psi) of boost, in the emissions friendly road car was a walk in the park.
Power is transmitted through a strengthened version of the 996 transaxle, featuring 6 speeds plus reverse and a limited-slip differential. Reigning in all that power is tackled by massive 380mm brakes, equipped with 8-piston calipers up front and 6-piston calipers out back. Light alloy single-lug BBS wheels shod with Michelin tires completed the package.
The Verdict:
The final road version weighed barely 200 lbs more than the racecar and as a result the performance was simply amazing. 0-60 mph was dealt with in 3.5 seconds and flat out you could hit 193 mph. Straight-line performance was only one aspect of the madness, as the racecar chassis and bodywork provided enough grip to rip your teeth out in long sweepers. Perhaps Road and Track summed it up best when stating “Admittedly, Porsche’s million-dollar road-going GT1s roll on the fringe of what’s sane to drive on public highways”.
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