Formula 1 for the road
For a long time, there was a rumour that Porsche had actually once equipped a 930 Turbo with the 1.5-litre V6 turbo engine developed by Hans Mezger for Formula 1. To recap: in 1981, Ron Dennis approached Porsche to ask whether they would be interested in developing a new turbo engine for Formula One. Porsche initially said no, but Dennis signed Niki Lauda as a driver, had a lot of sponsorship money from Marlboro – and was then also able to persuade Mansour Ojjeh and his Techniques d’Avant Garde Group S.A. (TAG) to finance the development of the unit. Porsche could no longer say no. McLaren-TAG-Porsche won 12 of 16 races in 1984, Lauda became world champion, in 1985 there were another six victories, Prost became world champion, as did in 1986. In 1987, the best time was over, Prost still won three races, but according to notes by the greatest Porsche expert, Karl Ludvigsen, they were already considering installing the TAG turbo in a 911 in March 1987. And indeed, the car exists; it was a gift from Porsche to McLaren after the collaboration ended. In 2012, it was brought out of hiding for an internal McLaren event, but since then it has disappeared again.
Dean Lanzante, one of the most famous figures in British racing and hypercar business, also knew about this legendary 930 TAG-Turbo. Lanzante would have liked to have bought this one-off, but when that proved impossible, he thought about building a 911 like it himself. Miraculously, eleven engine blocks from the TAG-Porsche engine were still available, which Lanzante was able to purchase – step one was already complete. With the help of Cosworth, the 1.5-litre turbo was prepared so that it was roadworthy. It is said to have between 500 and 750 horsepower, and is 130 kilograms lighter than the original 3.3-litre boxer engine that it replaces. A manual 6-speed transmission is used to shift the gears. This whole story is installed in classic 930 Turbos, which of course still have to undergo an intensive course of treatment before they are deemed suitable. No, money is not discussed in this context.
We are showing AP87 here – each engine is named after its last race, in this case Alain Prost, 1987 (the Hungarian and Japanese Grands Prix; the exact designation of the engine is TTE P01 051). The basis is an 88 911 Turbo (chassis number WP0JB0936JS050399), which was found in the United States. Mint green was not a typical colour for these 930s, but that was the customer’s wish, along with the golden Ruf rims. Well, it seems he didn’t have much fun with his toy after all, as it is now for sale at Broad Arrow with just 300 miles on the clock. 2.2 million pounds would be required.
Other rare Porsche 911s can be found here, and some Singer here. And don’t forget to check out our archive.
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