Warming up against the screech of the unsilenced Cosworth DFVs, the first thing that strikes you about the engine is how quiet it is. Despite the mammoth tailpipes, the twin KKK turbochargers suck a lot of the raspy flat six sound out of the garage’s atmosphere.
That’s not to say this car lacks theatre. The unburnt 102-octane Sunoco fuel pops and bangs as it ignites in the exhaust, sending bursts of orange flame out the back. The whistling turbines can be heard before the barking 3.2-litre boxer breaks through the air. 15 years after television showed me one streaking down the Hunadières, this is my first live sighting of a Porsche 911 GT1.
15 years is a long time for a racing car to be idle. Thankfully, this 1997 GT1 Evo was rescued by Mark Sumpter, head of Porsche specialists Paragon. After a comprehensive rebuild, race tracks beckon once more. After a seven-year factory absence from top-line motorsport, Stuttgart returned to Le Mans in 1996. After attempting to make the 993 GT2 competitive against the McLaren F1 GTRs, Weissach saw an opening to exploit in the GT1 regulations. The result? An extreme version of the Porsche 911.