This mean machine is the first version of the 911 GT1 to be produced by Porsche, and was first raced in the 1996 GT1 category of the World Sports Car Championship. To be eligible to race, at least one roadgoing street legal version of the race car had to be made, and the all white car here is the result. Only one had to be built, so very few were made (I'm not sure of the exact number) and offered at a huge price to regular Porsche customers. The car resembles a 993 series 911, but that's about as far as the similarities go! For starters it is mid engined, as opposed to rear engined, and apart from the front and rear lights, every other body part appears to be unique to this car.
McLaren, their main rivals in 1996, thought Porsche were not playing in the spirit of the GT1 rules, even if they were following them to the letter. The 911 GT1 was really designed from the outset as a race car, unlike the McLaren F1 GTR which was adapted from the roadgoing version. Porsche only contested a few races in 1996, and the car proved competitive. It's first full season was to be in 1997, but the car sported a new look modeled on the new 996 series 911.
This model is made by UT Models (who have now been phased out by it's parent company Gateway Global, who also make AUTOart and Gate, and re-born as "AUTOart Contemporary", a lower priced AUTOart range) and has nice paint and a good level of interior detail. The tires and wheels are well made also. By undoing 2 screws the rear engine cover can be removed (the whole of the rear bodywork in fact) and the engine exposed. It is not that detailed (the engine) and lacks such details as plug wires and so on. The doors on this model do not close very well, I feel, and it always seems to me that they are slightly ajar. Overall though I like this model and it deserves 7/10 marks, a high average score!
