Modified Carrera GT Showcases Le Mans Racer That Could Have Been
If modern hypercar rules for Le Mans existed in 2005, this is the kind of Carrera GT you’d see screaming down the Mulsanne.
Porsche’s Carrera GT wasn’t built on accident. In fact, it did have a very intended purpose. It was built to compete at Le Mans, but for a category that ended up being stillborn. Many of our readers are familiar with the not-so-secret LMP2000 project.
Internally known as the 9R3, it aimed to bring Porsche back to Le Mans dominance. But it never came to be. As a result, Porsche didn’t waste their development efforts, and turned their creation into a road car. But what would it have accomplished as a proper racer? One Belgian enthusiast wanted to find out. So they created their own.
Converted from new, this “Carrera GT-R” was built by GPR Racing according to MotorAuthority. Incidentally, it looks similar to a GPR built Carrera GT posted on our forum way back in 2007. We can’t really identify if the two cars are related, but if two Carrera GTs were made by the same motorsport outfit, it would be interesting to see if they had any racing history to them. We know from Mechatronic that this particular example was outlawed by endurance world championship rules. It would have needed its power stunted by far to great of a margin.
As for the GT-R in question, it is purpose built and not just for show. Center lock wheels with enormous AP Racing calipers and rotors are a visual sign that this car needs to reign in speed. Moton remote reservoir coilover shocks are part of a cantilever suspension setup and would allow a driver to dial in the suspension to their liking. Inside, a full cage, plus data and telemetry from Motec are available for the driver to analyse after a session out on track. Make no mistake about it, this car genuinely could have been put into competition.
And now, this car could be yours. Offered by Mechatronic, this never-raced car is really ready to hit the local circuit. Not only would it give any supercar or hypercar a scare on the track, but it also serves as an interesting “what if” version of Porsche motorsports history. That it wears an iconic GT1 livery just adds to the appeal.
Photos: Motor Authority
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