Porsche LMP - Legacy

Legacy

Following the cancellation of the project, Porsche decided that they needed to show that they were still a competitive sports car company, and allowed for the construction of a concept car that would be competitive with the top supercars of the world. Although the car was being designed from scratch, elements of the LMP were borrowed for usage on the concept. Most notably, the 5.5 litre V10 and its racing transmission were used in the car, although power was restricted down to a more modest 558 horsepower. The car, known as the Porsche Carrera GT, debuted at the 2000 Geneva Auto Show.

This concept would later become a production car with the same name, varying little from the initial concept. The racing engine was further refined with the addition of VarioCam and an expansion to 5.7 litres, bumping power to 612 horsepower. The sequential racing transmission was abandoned for a more traditional six-speed. The production Carrera GT would be sold from 2004 to 2006.

Porsche would not return to prototype racing until 2005 with the debut of the RS Spyder, although the car competed in the smaller LMP2 class it still managed to take overall race victories over the LMP1 class in the American Le Mans Series, including the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2008.