2/10/20 45/100 Porsche 911 GT1 1996

Now for a different kind of Porsche, this 911 GT1 based on a street version of the GT1 race car used in the GT1 race class.   All versions of this model go for a clean look with only 911 GT1 on the doors and for 2000 it goes for a flashy yellow color.  The car was an unusual move for Porsche, which decided to create a completely new race car instead of using one of its existing models so despite the 911 look it is completely different underneath with a tubular frame and a twin-turbo, water-cooled flat-six in a mid-engine position.  The body was stretch and widened for better aerodynamics aided by a rear wing that is plastic on this model, and Matchbox did a great job with the details on this model with every line, scoop, grill, and even taillight bar visible on this model.  It does seem claustrophobic as it lacks any rear windows and the interior is bare bones compared to a stock 911 despite using some switchgear.  As a new 911 arrived in 1998 a new front-end was added to the 1997 race cars and a completely new race car arrived in 1998 and became so successful that it won the 1998 24 hours of Le Mans.  In 1999 Porsche withdrew from GT1 as Mercedes became dominant and faster, though eventually the whole class would be dropped and moved down to GT2 class.  Even more interesting is the fact that there were no civilian versions of this 911 GT1 shown here; instead, most of the civilian versions were made based off the 1998 GT1 model.  Also Matchbox did not get much use after a few years of releases, which is a shame for such a unique race car that, ironically, lacked any racing decal versions!

Specifications:

· Engine: 3.2L DOHC twin-turbo flat-six, 592 hp.

· Transmission: 7-speed sequential manual

· 0-60 mph: 3.8 sec. est.

· Real vehicle price: #1,000,000 est. 1996

Rating:  4.2 out of 5 stars