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23894 view(s) Porsche committed themselves to a full blown re-thinking of the vehicle for the 1998 race, and eventually brought it back as the 911 GT1 Evolution featuring radical changes to the bodywork and a new sequential gearbox.
In 1998, in spite of improvements to the car, the privately entered Porsches proved to be no match for the works CLKs which also were improved. This was also due to the air-restrictor rules being regarded as unfavourable to the turbo engine. The Michelin tyres of the factory team and especially the Pirelli of Zakspeed were considered inferior to the Bridgestone of Mercedes, which also would dominate in F1 for many years.
At Le Mans, it was a different story. The new BMW V12 retired with wheel bearing trouble, and the Mercedes had oil pump troubles in the new V8 engines that replaced the former V12. The Toyota GT-One was very fast but also unreliable.
The revised "Evolution" model, despite being slow, fulfilled Porsche's slim hopes, taking both first and second place overall thanks to reliability, giving Porsche its record-breaking 16th overall win at Le Mans, more than any other manufacturer in history.
At Road Atlanta, the 911 GT1/98 of Yannick Dalmas made a spectacular backward flip, as did the BMW V12 at the same place in 2000, and most famously the Mercedes-Benz CLR at Le Mans in 1999.
For 1998, the GT! rules were drastically changed and road car requirements were all but scratched. At Le Mans the second generation GT1 cars were labeled for what they really were; prototypes.
Porsche jumped at the opportunity and the engineers threw all caution to the wind; they set out to develop the car that the first GT1 should have been. Lower and longer than its two predecessors, the 1998 evolution featured Porsche's very first full carbon fibre monocoque chassis. It was obviously lighter and stronger than the steel mix used in the previous versions, but also offered the opportunity to install a more advanced front suspension. The displacement of the six cylinder engine was increased very slightly and mated to a new sequential six speed gearbox. It was a major step forward, but the competition had not stopped working either and now Toyota had also entered GT racing.
In the FIA championship the restrictors again hampered the two Works Porsches, which were not able to keep up with the Mercedes Benz CLK-LMs. At Le Mans it was now really up to the GT1 car as the TWR WSC95 was starting to show its age; not surprising since its initial design dated back to the early 1990s. In qualifying, a single Toyota and both CLK-LMs were faster than the Porsches, but in the race things finally turned in the GT1s favour again. Even though small problems required lengthy pit stops, both cars managed to finish on top and only one lap apart. The sixteenth Porsche win at Le Mans was a fitting gift as the company celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
For 1999 a naturally aspirated V10-powered replacement was on the drawing board and one was most likely constructed before Porsche decided it was time to retire from racing and instead spend their resources on the development of the Cayenne Sports Utility Vehicle. That decision was a big blow for enthusiasts around the world, but the Cayenne's success has made Porsche one of the healthiest manufacturers of today. A modified version of the V10 engine was later used in the all-carbon Carrera GT supercar. From 1999 onwards, Porsches have dominated the GT3/N-GT/GT2 categories taking seven consecutive class wins at Le Mans. In 2006 the company returned to sports car racing with the RS Spyder with mixed results.
911 GT1 evo data:
Lenght: 4890 mm, Width: 1990 mm, Height: 1140 mm, Wheelbase : 2870 mm, Tyers: Michelin 19", Wheels: BBS 14"
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Models for Porsche 911 evo
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Manufacturer |
Model |
Scale |
Dimensions (LxWxH) |
Wheelbase |
Front spur |
Rear spur |
Scale Production |
LM98 Porsche AG
|
1/24 |
99.9x82.0x45.0 |
99.9 |
80.0 |
82.0 |
Slot & Modelcars |
LM98 Porsche AG |
1/24 |
99.9x82.0x45.0 |
99.9 |
80.0 |
82.0 |
Slot & Modelcars |
FIA GT 98 Jever
|
1/24 |
99.9x82.0x45.0 |
99.9 |
80.0 |
82.0 |
VMC/VRC |
LM98 Porsche AG
|
1/24 |
99.9x82.0x45.0 |
99.9 |
80.0 |
82.0 |
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