If you’re willing to part with a little more than $1,000,000, you can help write an abandoned chapter in Porsche’s racing history.
The stillborn racing project that begat the Carrera GT, dubbed the 9R3 LMP900, brought along with it a whole host of tech that might’ve made it a standout. The crown jewel was its screaming V10—a motor which took a pneumatic valvetrain from an earlier attempt at an F1 motor. This engine also worked as a stressed member of the carbon shell in which it was placed. Though an LMP-specific regulation rendered this valvetrain superfluous; the restrictor-limited revs were kept beneath the point where pneumatics offered any benefit, that tractable V10 still made good power for its weight. It’s a pity that something this sonorous never made it to Le Mans.
Being a stillborn LMP project, the 5.7-liter engine was kept mostly stock for this GT-R application.
Why the project was shelved isn’t certain. Some say that it was agreed that Audi’s success was to remain free from any in-house competition. Others claimed that the Cayenne took precedence over a wild racing car that had no road-going version. Whatever the reason, the project was canned, but the engine was retained for usage in the Carrera GT a few years later.
As impressive as the road car was, some wanted to see it brought to its full potential—something closer to that of the prototype which spawned it. One Belgian enthusiast took a 2005 Carrera GT and commissioned GPR to turn it into a monster unlike any other Porsche in the world. On top of initial price of the car, the conversion cost more than 220,000 euros and it’s easy to see why.
This beauty gives a nod to the GT1 of the late nineties with its Mobil 1 livery.
The task at GPR was ambitious, and only motorsport pieces of the highest quality were used. Among other things, a set of Moton dampers, a Motec control unit, new, tailor-made wishbones and push rods, and massive AP Racing brakes made up the mod list.
Under those delicious BBS wheels reside a set of massive AP Racing brakes.
New pedals, a completely integrated air lift system according to motorsport standards and a special high-performance clutch were also fitted. In addition, there were the custom-made cage from Thiebaut, magnesium rims from BBS, an automatic fire extinguishing system, and a fuel system built to motorsport specifications. Why the attention to racing specs? This car’s owner aimed to put it to the test in the World Endurance Championship.
Though the beechwood shift knob has been replaced, the GT-R retains the factory six-speed.
Unfortunately the “Balance of Performance” rules made it impossible to run in WEC due to the car’s immense performance. Thus, the owner’s plans were dashed and the Carrera GT-R remained unused in his collection. Recently, he’s decided to part with this unique creation.
Though it might be challenging to find a series which would accept it, the Carrera GT-R would shake up a track day more than most retired Formula One cars could. True, there are cheaper racing cars out there, few come with the level of exclusivity and performance that this car does.
Anyone interested in this one-off machine can visit its listing here.
