quitting LMP1
was greeted with little surprise, but much disappointment, amongst followers of the series. The German marque is going out with a bang though, coming from behind to win on its final outing and now unveiling three special edition road cars to commemorate its success.
The legends. And some 911s
These come in the form of the 911 British Legends Edition, honouring three of the drivers who've helped Porsche to the top step of the Le Mans podium over the years. To that end Richard Attwood, winner of Porsche's first Le Mans title in 1970; Derek Bell, five time winner, four of which came with Porsche; and Nick Tandy, who took his first win in 2015, each have a car modelled after their own.
Working with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, the drivers each had their say on the way the cars were optioned. Attwood's is Guards Red with 917-esque white stripes; Derek Bell's is a Rothman's style Sapphire Blue Metallic with 956-invoking white, gold and red decals; and the Tandy homage is Carrara White with black and grey stripes. All the cars also include a signed plaque and embossed centre console bearing the name of the driver.
When it comes to the mechanical elements of the car, the drivers were once more called on for input. Derek Bell, for example, believed that in keeping with his Le Mans cars the 911 BLE should use "the sportiest, best performing 911 chassis available." Which is why it's based on the... GTS. Oh.
See, just like a race car
Don't get us wrong, we like
the 911 GTS
as much as the next journalist, and the next journalist tends to like it a lot, but when going for a road-based homage to a race car, Porsche surely has more obvious models in its range. From there the British Legends Edition basically adds several expensive upgrades as standard - Sport Chrono package, four-wheel steering, PASM and Dynamic Chassis Control - and ticks a few curiously un-sporty boxes too, such as 18-way adjustable seats instead of buckets, backlit door sills and carbon fibre floor mats. It is available with a manual gearbox though, because heritage.
They'll all sell, of course. As Richard Attwood himself put it, "It's basically a GTS" - a very well specced one at that - and therefore one of the better cars Porsche makes. But it still can't help but feel like an opportunity to do something truly special has been somewhat missed. The cars are available to order now, with pricing starting at £122,376. Porsche perhaps going out with less of a bang and more of a 'cha-ching'...
here