Broad Arrow Auctions, a Hagerty (NYSE: HGTY) firm, is thrilled to supply an thrilling group of over 155 collectible automobiles at its Monterey Public sale this 14-15 August on the Monterey Jet Middle. Highlights embrace this 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Rennversion estimated at $8,500,000 – $10,500,000.
In sport it’s well-known that high rivals elevate one another’s performances to new heights. The Nineties introduced us Agassi v. Sampras, Holyfield v. Tyson, and in endurance motorsport McLaren v. Porsche. Within the run-up to this epic rivalry, Porsche had it principally their very own method. When Porsche started to enter the highest prototype lessons within the early Seventies, Ferrari deserted sports activities racing fully and whereas different producers had spurts of success, they had been short-lived. In truth, such was the dominance of Porsche’s Group C 956/962s within the Nineteen Eighties and early Nineties that Norbert Singer and Porsche’s Weissach engineers almost prompted the whole collapse of a number of worldwide race collection. From the ashes of those endurance racing championships rose the BPR World GT Collection in 1994.
BPR guidelines required manufacturing sportscars which had been modified into racing automobiles, initially attracting a slew of privateer entries operating 911-based Turbo S and RSRs, Venturi LMs, Ferrari F40s, and even Callaway Corvettes, creating knowledgeable but club-like environment. The favored new collection’ debut yr was the spark for Gordon Murray and McLaren to become involved with their F1, ultimately, with a lot prodding, producing 9 F1 GTRs for 1995. Whereas Porsche had been busy with their new GT2 and GT2 Evo the F1s took the primary six races on the trot, 10 of the 12, and the BPR season championship. For good measure they received the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans as properly. Porsche started the season believing that they had an ace up their sleeve in different race collection with the TWR-Porsche WSC95 open-cockpit Spyder, but this was successfully banned by IMSA earlier than turning a wheel at Daytona and Sebring. Porsche’s clients, used to operating on the entrance and successful, made positive that Weissach bought the message. Herbert Ampferer, Porsche’s Competitors Director knew change was wanted; “Hardly a soul felt we might go on like this for an additional yr.” In the summertime of 1995 Porsche elected to create a mid-engined GT1 class automobile primarily based on the 993-generation 911. Ampferer stated, “there have been no doubts that we must always design the GT1… It was harder in engineering phrases, however we’ve managed it, and we consider now we have a automobile which can beat the McLarens.”
What his group had designed and engineered was not like something that Porsche had created earlier than. The Porsche 911’s heart monocoque part was retained, together with the metal flooring, bulkhead, dashboard, and entrance trunk part with the 911’s inventory suspension mounting factors. Upon challenge approval it was deemed that the brand new automobile “should be identifiable as a 911” and because of cohesive styling from Tony Hatter – additionally the designer of 993-generation street automobiles – it appeared very 911-like, albeit longer, wider, and decrease with its raked Speedster windshield. The wheelbase elevated 230 mm to accommodate the mid-engine design with chassis engineer Horst Reitter given relative freedom to design a five-link rear suspension with huge decrease wishbones. The brand new GT1/96 was fitted with a direct improvement of the nearly new engine that powered Dauer Porsche 962 LM GT to Le Mans victory in 1994, now utterly water-cooled. This Sort M96/80 engine was 3.2-liters in displacement and twin-turbocharged, that includes four-valve heads, and chain-driven camshafts, producing 600 horsepower fed via a six-speed gearbox to the rear wheels.
Weissach race division staff hunkered down for the winter to arrange not solely a racing prototype however the homologated Strassenversion (street model) as properly, which obtained sort approval on the 24 April 1996. After all, preparation of the manufacturing unit group’s two-car entry at Le Mans was the true intention and to that impact Porsche spent all spring testing the GT1/96, racking up hundreds of shake down miles. Briefly, Porsche’s 1996 24 of Le Mans was a victorious affair following 1995’s utter disappointment. The manufacturing unit’s GT1s completed first and second general within the GT1 class with the Joest-Porsche WSC95 taking general honors – a whole Porsche podium sweep. After ending the BPR season successful all three races they entered, Porsche started producing buyer GT1s for the privateers that so yearned to affix the Porsche manufacturing unit group in defeating the armada of McLaren F1s in 1997. After an inspection and FIA approval of the primary buyer GT1/96s on 18 February 1997, Porsche Motorsport organized a two-day handover of the primary buyer GT1s at Mugello Circuit in mid-March. Amongst these groups on-hand was Leverkusen, Germany-based Roock Racing.
Order and buy paperwork on file between Porsche Motorsport and Bernd Schiller/ CCEL Columbus representing Roock Racing provide a glimpse of the ordering course of. A Rennfahrzeug-Bestellung (Racing Car Order) was drafted on 17 December 1996 reveals that Roock Racing dedicated to buying a 911 GT1 Rennversion constructed to 1997 BPR specs in Glacier White for DM 1,759,000 or roughly $1,075,000 on the time. A letter from Porsche to Schiller stays on file requesting last fee after a DM 500,000 deposit with supply slated for five March 1997. The Porsche Motorsport Assortment Certificates exhibits an amended supply date of 10 March 1997, and now full, it information the manufacturing quantity (993 108), chassis quantity (WP0ZZZ99ZVS396106), and engine and transmission serial numbers.
Roock wasted no time constructing a group across the automobile. The group enlisted common Roock 911 GT2 driver Ralf Kelleners and newcomer Yannick Dalmas. Dalmas not solely supplied expertise driving the manufacturing unit’s personal 911 GT1/96 all through the 1996 season however was additionally a part of the successful McLaren F1 group on the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. All through the course of the primary half of the season (now referred to as the FIA GT Championship), quantity 108 wore begin quantity 16 and a silver and blue livery with sponsorship from Nikko and VOX. The Roock GT1 completed the primary race of the season, a four-hour affair at Hockenheim in a powerful fifth place, quickest of the 5 privateer 911 GT1s after an FIA mandated 10-mm consumption restrictor was fitted robbing all GT1s of 60 horsepower. After a efficiently dealt with Le Mans Prequalifying session held on 4 Might with Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli on the wheel, the automobile recorded a DNF because of an off within the heavy rain-shortened 4 Hours of Silverstone. Quantity 108 bounced again rapidly on the 3 Hours of Helsinki, a brand new occasion on the race calendar. At this occasion the FIA lastly allowed the GT1 groups to take away their air restrictors and across the tight, bumpy avenue circuit and, because of this, Ralf Kelleners and 1998 Le Mans winner Stéphane Ortelli completed on the rostrum in 2nd place – Porsche’s greatest outcome up to now that season!
After Helsinki all eyes turned in the direction of the world’s most vital endurance race, the sixty fifth operating of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Solely the perfect wanted to use for Le Mans in 1997 as 19 groups had been eradicated throughout Might’s prequalifying, and of the 52 that progressed via, solely 48 might be positioned on the grid. For the race Kelleners had been drafted into the manufacturing unit squad’s GT1 Evo, and Allan McNish and former F1 star Karl Wendlinger had been chosen to create the three-driver group together with Ortelli. After qualifying eleventh, the Roock group had excessive hopes for his or her GT1 entry, nonetheless on the eighth lap quantity 108 suffered an unlucky DNF with three-times Le Mans-winner McNish on the wheel because of a entrance shock absorber failure. After Le Mans, Roock would promote 108 to the U.S.-based Rohr Racing group.
Upon acquisition by Jochen Rohr’s eponymous group, 993 GT1 108 turned the primary 911 GT1 to race within the U.S. The West Chester, Ohio-based racing outfit was in ascendance via the mid-Nineties with championships in SCCA World Problem and IMSA, all with Porsche race automobiles. The 911 GT1 arrived on the proper time for Rohr who had contested the primary half of the season with Englishman Andy Pilgrim of their 911 GT2 Evo. What adopted over the ultimate races of the IMSA GT Championship was nothing wanting astonishing. Now completed within the unmistakable yellow Rohr livery (aided by some extra coloration courtesy of Rohr’s daughter) quantity 108 captured two pole positions and 4 victories in a row at Mosport, Las Vegas, Pikes Peak Worldwide, and Sebring. With McNish reunited with Le Mans entry and Andy Pilgrim graduating from GT2 the pair, together with Dorsey Schroeder, the Rohr Racing GT1 captured the GTS-1 class championship commemorated by Rohr Racing on a shocking championship poster.
In 1998 the automobile was offered to Reiser Callas Rennsport. With Reiser behind the wheel it contested the latter half of the Canada GT Problem Cup season starting with spherical 7 of 11. Over the season’s last 5 races, Reiser, teamed with Tony Callas as Reiser Callas Rennsport, completed fifth twice as their greatest outcomes. It’s famous that whereas Reiser entered a 1999 GT Problem Cup race he didn’t attend and that by January 2001 the automobile was now within the palms of Larry Schumacher and Schumacher Racing. That yr Schumacher, Martin Snow, and Gunnar Jeanette piloted quantity 108 over 4 Grand-Am races as begin quantity 99 in a white and blue livery. A greatest end of second general and first in GTS class at Lime Rock was a brilliant spot for Schumacher Racing, and with a ninth place end on the 350-mile race at Mid-Ohio in 2001, the end result of its aggressive racing profession. It should be stated that after quite a few races fielded by succesful racing groups, quantity 108 was by no means severely broken or dismantled because it adopted a brand new path towards changing into a cherished and extremely collectible racing Porsche.
It’s believed that the automobile was bought instantly from Schumacher Racing by Matt Drendel of Hickory, North Carolina. On the time, Drendel was within the means of buying the best turbocharged Porsche racing automobiles for a extremely curated assortment. At its peak it included a 1973 917/30 004, 1976 935 001, 1974 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo, a McLaren MP4/2 TAG Turbo System One automobile, and naturally 993 GT1 108 amongst others. Whereas with Drendel, photograph proof on file exhibits that the automobile had been returned to Rohr yellow however with out the colourful racing graphics and sponsor logos simply because it was for a short while in 1997. Earlier than his premature passing in 2010, it’s believed the automobile was offered via Kerry Morse, the extremely educated Porsche race automobile aficionado who assisted Drendel in changing 108 with a factory-run 911 GT1 Evo. In 2012, the consignor acquired 993 108, simply its second personal proprietor because it left Porsche’s Weissach workshops in 1997.
Whereas underneath the care of the consignor, the automobile as soon as once more obtained its unmistakable Rohr Racing livery with graphical touches, sponsor logos, and IMSA begin quantity 01. It made appearances at Porsche Rennsport Reunion V and VI at Laguna Seca in these colours and in the present day seems simply as McNish and Pilgram raced it within the second half of the 1997 IMSA season, essentially the most profitable interval of its race profession. In Might of 2016 Jochen Rohr, Andy Pilgrim, and Tony Callas had been reunited with quantity 108 at a PCA TechEd session the place the three swapped tales about their time spent racing within the GT1 positioned in entrance a captive crowd. Most just lately, quantity 993 108 has been underneath the care of Joey Seely at E-Movement Engineering. The GT1 has not been sitting idle as a static show piece; in truth, it’s a common customer to Auto Membership Speedway and frequently exercised at the same time as its standing as a collectible Porsche stays at an all-time excessive.
The 993-generation 911 GT1 marks an inflection level between automobiles that may be run by a educated privateer and the later mid-2000s LMP2 class RS Spyder that requires additional assets and assist. Supplied for public sale for the primary time, this distinctive 911 GT1 – by no means upgraded to 996-style Evo specification – is equipped with a complete digital historical past file of buy documentation, historic race images, information, a spare rear wing component, and 4 spare BBS wheels. Moreover, the automobile is eligible for historic racing occasions akin to Le Mans Basic, HSR’s Basic 12 Hour at Sebring and Basic Daytona 24 Hour together with Porsche Rennsport Reunion 8 and all method of prestigious concours occasions. Properly-maintained and provided from a world-class Porsche assortment, unusual is the chance to amass a particular race-winning 993 GT1, particularly one in a well-known livery raced in interval by the perfect.
To view extra thrilling automobiles on provide at Broad Arrows Monterey Jet Middle Public sale, please go to their web site at broadarrowauctions.com and you should definitely register to bid for this thrilling occasion.
