Understated but sporting a very special.
The elusive TAG V6-powered 930 has become stuff of legend—more myth than reality. Hearsay about a small batch of these development mules have circled around the internet, with only a few grainy photos as evidence to their existence. For fans of Porsche and F1, this wedding of greats is something truly special to finally see in action—like spotting an elusive white whale.
Fans of ’80s Formula 1 will no doubt recognize the trademark throaty burble of the TAG TT1 P01. The 80-degree, 1.5-liter V6, force-fed by two KKK turbochargers and soaring to 12,600 rpm, made as much as 1,100 horsepower in qualifying trim. While not the most powerful as the contemporary Honda, Renault, and BMW engines, the Porsche-TAG engine was one of the most successful.
In an era dogged by unreliability, this motor was one of the more robust. Rather than peak power, Porsche chased reliability and a seamless chassis-engine integration. This foresight resulted in this motor three drivers’ championships, two constructors’ championships, and an astounding 25 wins from its 68 races.
Though justifiably conservative with the 930, it’s still extremely quick down the front straight.
It was also extremely light at just 320 pounds without turbos, intercoolers, or exhaust. When thrown in the rear of the 930, it brought the total to 2,425 pounds. This car was used as a development mule to get the most out of the motor at the time, though this example was detuned slightly. Rather than running full boost and revs, they dropped both for a total of 510 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. Remember, these motors — sometimes referred to as “grenades” — were boosted at 50+ psi in race trim, so some changes were needed for reliability’s sake.
Lanzante will be building 11 of these at the price of $1.45 million a pop. Even with the restrained run and poor camera work, it still looks like it’s worth every dollar. Time to start searching through the couch for any misplaced coins.