Attention Porsche lovers, collectors and enthusiasts with deep pockets; RM Sotheby’s is auctioning an ultra rare one-off road legal Porsche 911 GT1 Evo in Monaco next month and it could be yours. The road legal race car recently underwent a comprehensive restoration process in the UK and is ready to serve its new owner.
This 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution has a rich history in the racing world that includes the Daytona 24 hours and several other GT championships. The car was used to compete professionally starting from August 1999 at the Mosport CASCAR where it took first place, until May 2003 when it was smoking up rubber on the track one more time. The last recorded victory of this 911 GT1 Evo was in May 2002 at the Mosport BEMC.
Besides its rich racing heritage, the way this German track tool came to life has an interesting story to it. When international sports car racing experienced a resurgence in the 1990s, Porsche decided to jump back into the fray. Realizing its 911 GT2 Evos could not compete effectively in the BPR Global GT1 Championship, Porsche built a new mid-engined car on a composite and steel-tube chassis. The 911 GT1 was born, a racing prototype that ultimately could be detuned and used on open streets.
Much of the 993’s front end was incorporated into the GT1’s design, although the GT1 was fitted with double-wishbone racing suspension. At the time, the rear of the 911 GT1 was all new including double wishbones and push-rod shocks. The racing car’s body is for the most part constructed out of carbon fiber, with the floorpan and bulkheads made out of honeycomb aluminum and composite construction.
Powering this brutal track car is a flat-six racing engine with water cooled cylinders and heads. The GT1 borrows a pair of large KKK turbochargers from the GT2 to pressurize the intake system. This refined power plant was at the top of the game back in the day and produces well over 600 hp.
With all the efforts going into constructing a lightweight racing body, the ultimate goal was to match McLaren’s F1 GTR in terms of curb weight, a mere 1,000 kilograms. Porsche engineers however figured that there would be an advantage to having a slightly heavier car, so the GT1’s final weight was set at 1,050 kilograms. By having a slightly raised weight limit of 1,050 kilograms, Porsche had the ability to fit the GT1 with larger air-intakes which would allow the flat-six to generate even more horsepower.
Addressing the rarity of this car, only 41 Porsche 911 GT1’s were produced. 18 of those were destined to be race cars, while the remaining 23 were designed to be driven on normal streets. Being one of the rarest Porsche racing cars, it is also much rarer than its nemesis, the McLaren F1, of which 107 were produced.
Despite being thoroughly used in the past, the retired race car is now in excellent shape thanks to UK based Lanzante Motorsports that restored the Porsche in 2014-2015 at a cost of more than 300,000 GBP. Since its restoration, the 911 GT1 has not been run for more than two hours. The car made a brief appearance at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside the Porsche Le Mans-winning type 919 hybrid.
This three-time Canadian GT Championship winner has been privately owned and changed hands only two times throughout its history. It will be the first 911 GT1 to be ever featured in a public auction and is expected to go under the hammer for an anticipated amount of €2.7 – €3 million. Auction house RM Sothebys will be auctioning the Porsche 911 GT1 on the 14th of May in Monaco, for more details; please visit their website.
