The origins of the Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion can be traced back to the mid-1990s when the FIA introduced the GT1 class for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In response to this new racing category, the German automaker decided to create a road-legal version of its 911 GT1 race car, thus giving birth to the Strassenversion (German for "street version"). A total of around 20 cars were assembled and one of those cars is exhibited at Porsche’s museum in Stuttgart.
We don’t know the exact history behind the hypercar that sits peacefully in the museum but it won’t be an exaggeration if we say it hasn’t been driven for years. We can only imagine the car feels abandoned to a certain extent, and knowing its origins, we also know it wants to be driven. That should easily explain why it recently escaped the museum and went on a joyride in the mountains.
We are talking about a new video that gives us strong Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed vibes. The 2:15-minute clip released by Porsche on YouTube shows the 911 GT1 Strassenversion dreaming, like it's a dog, and wishing it was in the hills having fun. One employee of the museum noticed the car’s unusual behavior and smiled.
The 911 GT1 Strassenversion is no ordinary Porsche. Underneath the engine cover lies a potent 3.2-liter, twin-turbocharged flat-six engine, capable of producing an impressive output of around 537 horsepower. This engine, coupled with a six-speed manual transmission, catapults the car from 0 to 60 mph in just over 3.5 seconds, which is pretty respectable even by today’s standards.
Contrary to the race-focused exterior, the interior of the 911 GT1 Strassenversion is surprisingly well-appointed for a sports car of its kind. Leather upholstery, air conditioning, and other creature comforts make this high-performance machine suitable for road use, ensuring that the driver and passenger experience a level of comfort that is not typically associated with race-inspired vehicles.
With just 20 units ever built, it’s nice to see one of the rarest and most capable Porsches of the 1990s in action. Sure, the footage from the mountain road could easily be just CGI but we prefer to be romantic and believe the Strassenversion was indeed taken for a joyride. Romantic like the 1990s themselves.
