Rare Porsche for The Bend
Porsche 911 GT1 Evo will be star attraction at motoring celebrationAn ultra-rare road-going Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution will be a star attraction at The Bend Classic in September.
Recently purchased by a South Australian collector, the car is a unique example of the racing model that led Porsche’s charge at the Le Mans 24 Hour in the 1990s.
So what makes this car unique? While Porsche made 23 road-going 911 GT1s to satisfy homologation requirements, this is the only known example among the 18 built for endurance racing that has been converted to road use.
This car won the Canadian GT championship on three occasions, made regular starts in the Daytona 24-hour race in Florida and amassed 13 wins from 31 race starts prior to its conversion to road use.
It will share The Bend with another 70 or so vehicles over the September 5-6 weekend celebrating the pinnacle of motoring across the years.
Formula 1 machinery from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s will be joined by historic sports sedans, touring cars, sports cars from many eras and historic cars covering a century of motoring and motorsport.
Powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.2-litre 477kW flat-six engine, the GT1 Evo was able to reach more than 330km/h down the famous Mulsanne straight at Le Mans.
The ‘Evolution’ designation references significant mid-life appearance upgrades the GT1 received in 1997 to mirror the 996-series Porsche 911 road car.
“It is a coup for us to have secured this car to be demonstrated at The Bend Classic,” said The Bend Motorsport Park marketing manager, Michael Rossi.
“The car was only recently sold to a new owner here in Australia and they were eager for it to be on show to as many people as possible.
“The fact that it is the only known example in the world to have been converted from a race car to road use makes this truly one of a kind and we’re thrilled that it will be at The Bend classic for South Australian fans to see. “
The event will also include the official unveiling of an ultra-rare hypercar (there are only two in Australia) that has been under wraps in The Bend’s Welcome Centre for the past few months.
The official unveiling will occur on the Friday prior to The Bend Classic.
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