The decade of the 90’s is widely regarded as the golden era of GT1 racing. This amazing decade has given us some of the greatest racing cars in history as top European automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and McLaren competed for glory. Like other manufacturers Porsche also wanted a piece of the action, so he built a worthy competitor – the 911 GT1.
According to FIA homologation rules, Porsche had to build 25 street-legal examples of the 911 GT1. This is how the 911 GT1 road version came about. Every gearhead would agree that the 911 GT1 street version is among the greatest Porsche street cars of all time. Let’s examine ten facts about this iconic car.
10 A specially developed sports prototype
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Before 1996, manufacturers followed the same formula when building racing cars. They would take stock cars and make the necessary modifications to turn them into race cars. That changed with the 911 GT1.
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Instead of developing a racing version of a street model, Porsche effectively created a purpose-built sports prototype. The street-legal 911 GT1 road version almost resembled the race car, which is why it is considered a race car for the road.
9 Beautiful design
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When developing the 911 GT1, Porsche chose to combine the front half of the 911 chassis with 993 body and the rear half of the 962 chassis. The idea seemed crazy at first, but it turned out to be a huge success. The 911 GT1 is definitely one of the most beautiful supercars of the 90s.
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We love its 911-esque front end, low body and massive rear wing. The design is also functional. The shape of the car, the air scoop on the bonnet, air intakes throughout the body and the huge rear wing make the 911 GT1 aerodynamically more efficient than most sports cars of its time.
8th The first mid-engine Porsche 911
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Ever since the Porsche 911 debuted in the ’60s, every gear head has been in love with it. The 911 has always stuck to the same winning formula – timeless design, advanced engineering and a rear-engined configuration.
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With the 911 GT1, however, the company decided to do things a little differently. For the first time, a Porsche with the designation 911 had a mid-engine. While a rear-engined 911 can be loads of fun, especially cornering and cornering, Porsche felt it wouldn’t work on track due to handling issues.
7 A powerhouse
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Like other manufacturers, Porsche wanted to absolutely dominate GT1 racing with the 911 GT1. As such, they fitted it with the same engine as the legendary 962 Le Mans racer – a 3.2-litre, water-cooled, twin-turbocharged and intercooled flat engine producing 592 hp.
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The 911 GT1 road version also used the same engine. However, it was slightly detuned to comply with European emissions laws, resulting in an output of 536 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.
6 Extremely light
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Although the 911 GT1 had a lot of power, it still had to be light to beat the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and McLaren F1. After various weight-saving measures, the 911 GT1 street version weighs just 2,535 lbs, enabling it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 300 km/h.
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The 1998 version was even lighter. Being constructed entirely of carbon fiber, the 1998 911 GT1 street version weighs just 2,095 lbs.
5 A street legal racing car
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Sitting in the 911 GT1 street version, you can feel as if you are about to hit the track at the next race in Le Mans. The street version has most of the elements found in the racing version, including a twin-turbocharged 3.2-liter boxer engine, albeit slightly detuned.
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As you would expect from a Porsche, the 911 GT1 street version is quite practical. It has air conditioning, comfortable seats derived from the Porsche 964, and enough luggage space for a weekend getaway.
4 Surprisingly easy to drive
You don’t have to be a professional racing driver to enjoy a joyride with the 911 GT1 street version. Thanks to the engineering skills of Porsche, the car is easy to handle even at the limit.
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Fantastic gear changes, responsive steering that lets the driver know what the front end is doing and smooth power delivery from the turbos make the 911 GT1 street version look like a street racer.
3 A race master
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The 911 GT1 had a short but successful racing career. The race car’s debut was in the 1996 BPR Global Series, where it won all three races.
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The 911 GT1’s most famous victory was at Le Mans in 1998. The 911 GT1 might be slower than the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and Toyota GT-One, but its reliability and durability allowed Porsche to claim its record-breaking 16th overall victory at Le Mans.
2 A rare Porsche
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The 911 GT1 street version is a unicorn of a car. Seeing one of these cars is next to impossible unless you are lucky enough to be on the auction floor in the rare event that one of them is for sale.
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According to FIA homologation rules, Porsche had to build 25 street-legal examples of the 911 GT1. However, most people believe that Porsche only made 23 units – 2 street-legal prototypes in 1996, 20 units in 1997 and a single car in 1998.
1 Only multimillionaires can afford that
The 911 GT1 road version is a beautiful, powerful and incredibly rare Porsche with racing history. Of course it’s not cheap. At launch, the 911 GT1 street version cost just under $1 million.
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If you want one today, you’ll have to part with a lot more. In 2017, a road-going 911 GT1 sold for a whopping $5.6 million at a Gooding & Company auction, making it one of the most expensive German cars of all time.
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About the author
Martin Pete
(228 published articles)
Martin is a veteran content creator who has been writing about cars for over a decade and has been in love with them even longer. Growing up, Martin was surrounded by gearheads which instilled in him a deep love and understanding of cars from an early age. He loves learning and writing about all developments in the auto industry – especially in the field of electric vehicles. When he’s not writing about cars, he enjoys spending time with his wife, kids, and fur baby.
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