Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion: Road to Track and Back | Porsche Club of America (2024)

Photos by Michael Alan Ross
Design Notes by Laura Burstein

This article originally appeared in the January 2024 Design Issue of Porsche Panorama

Let’s imagine that you had to list the ten most iconic Porsche road cars ever.

Odds are that the majority of the models would share one thing: hom*ologation. Most sanctioning bodies running classes based on production cars require that the car being raced also be available for sale as a road car. hom*ologation created the 1973 911 Carrera RS, 1975 911 Turbo, 1992 911 Carrera RS, and others. In 1995, when Porsche realized that the 911 GT2, as formidable as it was, was not going to be able to compete against the McLaren F1 GTR, Porsche brought something new: the 911 GT1.

Design Note: The GT1 is a blend of sorts between a production 911 and a purpose-built racing chassis. Early examples were made from 993-generation donor cars, but later models took many of their parts and design cues from the 996. —Laura Burstein

Herbert Ampferer, head of motorsports at the time, led the charge to design and develop the new model. He approached Norbert Singer, head of works sports and operations, about creating the new car to run in the GT1 class. Also enlisted was Horst Reitter, the engineer who helped design the monocoque for the 956. Reitter sketched the initial drawings of the proposed car, with emphasis on the front being from a 993-generation 911; a flat bottom, which was required by the rules; and a longer wheelbase. Armed with this sketch, Singer brought in Harm Lagaay, Porsche’s head of design. Lagaay appointed Tony Hatter, designer of the 993, to bring Reitter’s original sketch to reality. If you haven’t guessed it by now, yes, Porsche built the race car first and then figured out how to make a road car version. This was unusual, but time was of the essence, so the motorsports and the design departments had to work together as a team and not as adversaries. This was not always easy.

Cost consideration was a constant mantra when developing the GT1. This explains why the front end was from the 993. By doing this, Porsche would not have to crash test the car because it already had passed. Furthermore, by keeping it a left-hand-steering vehicle, the production line at Stuttgart could be used to produce the road version. The back end used a modified tube frame of a 962, which allowed the turbocharged flat-six engine to be mounted in the middle. Yes, this would be Porsche’s first mid-engine 911. The 3.2-liter flat six, with four valves per cylinder, was twin-turbocharged in parallel. The entire engine was water-cooled — not just the valve heads. The hood scoop sent cool air to the intercooler, a solution not used on production air-cooled Porsches. The transmission was a six-speed manual, and the body material was a mixture of carbon Kevlar and carbon fiber.

Design Note: The rear view of the GT1 is punctuated by its super-wide wing, which was integrated into the overall design of the bodywork, as opposed to being simply attached to the existing body. The result is a more harmonious, voluptuous statement that frames the car’s taillamps and dual exhaust. —LB

While Porsche was busy developing the GT1, its competitors were also hard at work with their own formidable creations. In addition to the McLaren F1 GTR, Mercedes-Benz had the CLK GTR, and even Panoz got into the game with its GTR-1. Road versions of these race cars were offered as well.

To understand the development of the GT1, it’s best to understand that each year of the GT1 had enough changes that new hom*ologation road cars were made. Internally, they are known as the GT1-96, 97, and 98. The GT1-97 is the series that had the majority of road cars built. Only two were built for the 96 model, approximately 20 for the 97, and one for the 98. The 96 is sometimes referred to as the 993 GT1 because it used 993-style headlights.

Design Note: Much of the GT1’s relatively spartan interior design carried over from the 993 and 964 generations of the 911. There were some differences, such as the three-spoke steering wheel. Leather-covered Recaro seats came from the 964 Speedster, while the instrument cluster features a water-temperature gauge instead of the production 911’s oil-level gauge. Ingress and egress were challenging because of the GT1’s chassis tubes. One was curved on the driver’s side to allow for easier entry on the road-going version. —LB

The race version didn’t differ much from the street version, which is probably why the GT1 does not rank as high as the Carrera GT or 918 Spyder for road trips or daily driving. Instead of using the TAGtronic fuel injection system found on the race car, the street car used Bosch Motronic. Power was slightly reduced to 536 horsepower with 443 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm. The fuel tank was also shrunk from the Le Mans-ready 26.4 gallons to 19.3. Instead of a single-disc, lightweight flywheel, the road car used a dual-mass flywheel. Curb weight was 2,535 pounds.

The interior was lifted directly from the 911, including the familiar five-gauge dashboard. Keen eyes will notice that in lieu of an oil-level gauge, GT1 owners received a water-temperature gauge. 964 Speedster owners would feel right at home in the one-piece Recaro sport seats that were covered in leather. Even the windshield was lifted directly from the 964 Speedster. The side windows were simple, horizontally sliding ones. The center console, however, was not available on any 964 or 993 unless ordered from the Sonderwunsch department. Climate controls and vents also were from the 993. The much-needed backup camera could be left on at all times, turned off, or set to come on only when in reverse. Considering that there is no rearview mirror, leaving it on at all times may be wise. The three-spoked steering wheel had no airbag, as it was not a requirement at the time. One of the side chassis tubes was curved to facilitate entry, which was another change from the race car.

Design Note: Stampings on this example of the GT1 indicate many of the car’s mechanicals were sourced from the 996-generation 911. The flip-up design of the rear engine cover gives easy access to many of the car’s components, including the suspension system. —LB

Luggage space was a requirement to meet hom*ologation. Don’t overpack, though, as there is only a small compartment behind the engine and on top of the gearbox that is a mere 5.3 cubic feet. There is, however, extra padding for the seats to increase driver and passenger comfort. Unlike the 18-way adjustable seats available today, seat adjustment was limited to fore/aft, height, and with some tools, tilt.

Opening the engine compartment can be done by one person, which is another difference between the road and race versions. If having this car at a show doesn’t automatically bring a crowd of people, then tilting back the clamshell that hides the engine will do the trick. To do this, a tool with a t-handle is inserted inside the door jambs, then a few counterclockwise turns unlocks the clamshell. You then walk behind the car and gently (but firmly) grab the wing and pull with force to pull back the clamshell.

How many road cars were made? As with many rare cars, exact numbers vary. It is known that only two road cars were made in the first run to meet hom*ologation rules. Next was the run of approximately 20 road cars, one of which you see in these photos. In the last year of the GT1, Porsche used a true monocoque, and the car became known as the GT1-98.

The GT1-98 is the best known of the series. It won Le Mans in 1998, and that famous photo of the two GT1s crossing the finish line would have to hold over Porsche enthusiasts for 17 years until the 919 won Le Mans in 2015.

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