According to the latest rumors, Porsche is to launch a new GT1 road sports car. The project is reminiscent of the legendary 911 GT1 from the 90s.
According to information from a US Porsche employee, the sports car manufacturer is about to release the new flagship. VIP customers of the brand have already paid a deposit for the probably strictly limited model. They were sworn to secrecy.
New mid-engine racer follows in the footsteps of GT1
The rumor goes back to the latest podcast episode from "Spike's Car Radio". The presenter Spike Feresten is known in the USA as a comedian and TV star. He was an author for Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman and is considered a passionate Porsche collector.
In his podcast he said: "Right now, if you want, you can put down a deposit for a Porsche GT1." The vehicle will be "announced in August" and it is a new mid-engined Porsche GT1 that will follow in the footsteps of the Carrera GT and the 918...."
But Feresten's friend Jerry Seinfeld, also a prominent Porsche -Collector, "don't know anything about it, and that makes me doubt the rumor," said Feresten. With the "Unseen" series, the Zuffenhaus-based company has shown that Porsche has repeatedly flirted with different motorsport concepts in the past. Among other things, it shows a 919 hybrid model (see slideshow), a 918 RS and other racing studies.
Meanwhile, when asked by auto-motor-und-sport.de, Porsche explained that "there are currently no plans for such a car" and that these are just rumours.
Porsche develops LMDh prototype for Le Mans
Review: In 1997, with the 911 GT1 , Porsche presented 24 homologation models of the racing car designed for the 24-hour race in Le Mans. This model is not actually a real 911, since a water-cooled mid-engine was installed instead of the air-cooled rear engine. This CFRP racer gets 554 hp from a double-charged 3.2 liter six-cylinder boxer. The 1998 version of the 911 GT1, however, remained a one-off that can be seen in the Porsche Museum.
The Porsche GT was built from 2003 to 2006 in a limited edition of 1,250 units. Originally 1,500 copies were targeted. Its 5.7-liter, 612-hp V8 was originally intended to power a Le Mans prototype, but the vehicle was never completed.
In 2013, Porsche launched the 918 Spyder , a mid-engine hybrid sports car. It was powered by a 608 hp 4.6-liter V8 coupled with a 95 kW electric motor on the front axle and a 115 kW counterpart on the rear. The total output was 887 hp. The model was limited to 918 vehicles. In 2011, the Zuffenhausen-based company presented the 918 RSR as a racing version concept study with 767 hp. However, it was never used in motorsport.
Future: Porsche confirmed its use in motorsport at the end of 2020. From 2023, races in worldwide endurance racing in the IMSA and the WEC are planned. There will also be a return to Le Mans. The LMDh prototype that Porsche is now building weighs around 1,000 kilos and has almost 700 hybrid hp. A V8 naturally aspirated engine is on the list of favourites. Development partner Audi is also launching an LMDh model.
Conclusion
Rumor has it that a mid-engine hypercar from Porsche will be presented in August, for which VIP customers can already pay. Not such a far-fetched rumor in connection with future motorsport commitments, but just a rumour.
Nevertheless, it would be nice to report on a mega Porsche à la 911 GT1, 918 Spyder or Carrera GT.
