Porsche 911 GT1 Racecar Driving on a Public Street is a Treat (photos)
There is something tremendously fascinating about seeing Porsche 911 GT1 racecar on a public street. Here's how this happened.
1. Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 is built for European GT1 class racing. In 1990s, Porsche raced them at the 24 hours of Le Mans, which is one of the toughest endurance car races in the world. Many a car and driver has been broken by the constant strain of 24 straight hours of racing.
2. Engine and Performance
It is no secret the Porsche 911 GT1 strictly belongs on the track. Power is thanks to its 3.2-liter twin-turbo flat-six hellion motor, which is rated at 592-horsepower, mounted mid-ship, unlike every other 911 ever made. If you are wondering how powerful this really is, this is an engine that competes on the track with cars like the McLaren F1 GTR and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.
3. The Road Version
For homologation reasons, Porsche also produced a street version of the 911 GT1, which was called Porsche 911 GT1 Evo StraBenversion. That version is barely street legal, and it shares the mid-mounted 3.2-liter twin-turbo flat six that develops 537-horsepower. Only 20 of these cars were made, and they were heavier than the Le Mans racer. The GT1 we are discussing in this topic is not one of those.
4. 75th Goodwood Member's Meeting
The Goodwood Member's Meeting is a vintage race event which recreates the original BARC Member's Meetings in the '50s and '60s and features a few days of racing, festivities, and entertainment. At the 75th event, the Porsche 911 GT1 that raced at the 1998 24 Hour of Daytona was driven to the event. However, before it could get there and cruise the surrounding streets, the legendary race car had to receive at least a few street modifications.
5. Street Mods
The owner of this car had the minimal amount of changes made to make it safe, and for the sake of following the law. First, the racing springs and dampers were replaced for a less demanding ride and a taller ride height. The racing slicks had to be replaced with treaded tires that are DOT approved. Finally, the fuel filler had to be modified to take fuel from regular fuel station pumps, and of course the boost had to be limited. Just like that, we got to see what a legendary race car would look like as a daily driver, well almost.
Check out the full video of the 911 GT1 on the street HERE.
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