Porsche debuts new race car

By Russell Williamson

Porsche will debut its new 911 GT 1 at one of the most grueling motor-sport events in the world, the Le Mans 24 Hours in France.

The Le Mans race takes place on June 15 and June 16 and always attracts significant attention as rivals Ferrari, Porsche and BMW-McLaren F1 and others in the open World Sportscars compete for the title of champion.

The 911 GT 1 has been designed and built specifically as a race car with the greatest difference between it and the road- going 911 being engine placement.

In the GT 1, the engine is mid-mounted, as opposed to rear- mounted, to create a perfectly balanced axle-load distribution and increase the down-force at the rear axle.

Another departure from tradition is the use of a water cooled rather than air cooled engine to reduce the stress of a long distance race.

Supercharged by two turbo chargers, the six cylinder "boxer" engine has a maximum power output of 440kW at 7,200rpm and a peak torque of 650Nm at 5,500rpm.

Other differences are the double wishbone front and rear suspension and the use of all Kevlar outer body panels which have reduced the weight of the vehicle by about 1,000 kilograms.

However, despite the changes to the race car, the 911 GT 1 remains unmistakably a Porsche with the bodywork of this "Grand Tourismo" remaining faithful to the classic line of the original 911.