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The Porsche 911 GT1 at Le Mans 1998 - the victory that counted

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Created on August 13, 2025

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Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung Matthias Kern)

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Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

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Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - In the twilight of Le Mans, the number 25 Porsche of Jörg Müller, Uwe Alzen and Bob Wollek looked out towards the setting sun. They were to finish second

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The 911 GT1 98 also had to comply with all legal requirements for lights and reflectors, as this diagram shows

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - Thanks to the new GT1 rules, Porsche's designers were no longer tied to series production technology, but were able to focus the shape entirely on motorsport

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The final design of the 911 GT1 98 was not only elegant, but also extremely streamlined, as the wind tunnel model promised.jpg

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - Horst Reitter's chassis design for the 911 GT1 98 was based on carbon up to the firewall, followed by the crankcase of the 3.2-liter engine with supporting tubes

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The 3.2-liter engine of the GT1 98 was considered a reliable constant - here under the turbocharger pipes. Its output was 550 hp at 7200 rpm

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - After completing chassis 001, the team took a break. Designer Tony Hatter is on the far left

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - Chassis 001 of the 911 GT1 98 was built purely as a test vehicle for a wide variety of racetracks in order to uncover weaknesses

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - Chassis 001 of the 911 GT1 98 was built purely as a test vehicle for a wide variety of racetracks in order to uncover weaknesses.

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The first and only road-legal 911 GT1 98 was concealed in the workshop. The new regulations required its production

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - In the circle of real Porsche racing cars, the road-going GT1 98 presented the then controversial headlights and position lights of the series

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The doors of the 911 GT1 98 swung upwards and forwards, giving access to the interior

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - On the Le Mans circuit, starting number 26 had orange markings, while number 25 had yellow. At the start, they were in fourth and fifth place

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The top view reveals the sophisticated contours of the 911 GT1 98 and the air scoops behind the cabin, which provide rear brake cooling

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - At the rear, the 1998 Porsches showed impressive exhaust flames in the body gaps at Le Mans

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - a quick pit stop quickly brought number 26 (Aiello/McNish/Ortelli) back into the race

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The rear view at the pit exit of the second-placed car with the number 25 provided the photographer with an impressive picture

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - A highlight even without seat upholstery: the interior of the road-legal GT1 98 - a feast of carbon fiber

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - With the gearshift on the right, the rest of the 911 GT1 98 cockpit was an imposing wall of switches, warning lights and circuit breakers

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The Porsche 911 GT1 98 saved the day for the Porsche team in 1998 with its victory at Le Mans, driven by Aiello, McNish and Ortelli. It is one of the highlights of the exhibition at the Porsche Museum

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The Porsche 911 GT1 98 saved the day for the Porsche team in 1998 with its victory at Le Mans, driven by Aiello, McNish and Ortelli. It is one of the highlights of the exhibition at the Porsche Museum

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The Porsche 911 GT1 98 saved the day for the Porsche team in 1998 with its victory at Le Mans, driven by Aiello, McNish and Ortelli. It is one of the highlights of the exhibition at the Porsche Museum

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The Porsche 911 GT1 98 saved the day for the Porsche team in 1998 with its victory at Le Mans, driven by Aiello, McNish and Ortelli. It is one of the highlights of the exhibition at the Porsche Museum

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - The Porsche 911 GT1 98 saved the day for the Porsche team in 1998 with its victory at Le Mans, driven by Aiello, McNish and Ortelli. It is one of the highlights of the exhibition at the Porsche Museum

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Porsche GT1 (1998) - In the special exhibition "Porsche at Le Mans" (March 2014 at the Porsche Museum), the 911 GT1 98 led the field with dignity - as it deserved after its performance in 1998

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Porsche GT1 (1998) – Dank der neuen GT1-Regeln waren Porsches Designer nicht länger an Serientechnik gebunden, sondern konnten die Form ganz auf den Motorsport ausrichten

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Das endgültige Design des 911 GT1 98 war nicht nur elegant, sondern auch extrem windschnittig, wie das Windkanalmodell versprach.jpg

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Horst Reitter setzte bei seinem Chassis-Entwurf für den 911 GT1 98 auf Carbon bis zur Feuerschutzwand, dahinter folgte das Kurbelgehäuse des 3,2-Liter-Motors mit tragenden Rohren

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Der 3,2-Liter-Motor des GT1 98 galt als zuverlässige Konstante – hier unter den Turbolader-Rohren. Seine Leistung lag bei 550 PS bei 7200/min

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Nach Fertigstellung von Chassis 001 gönnte sich das Team eine Pause. Designer Tony Hatter steht ganz links

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Chassis 001 des 911 GT1 98 wurde als reines Testfahrzeug für unterschiedlichste Rennstrecken gebaut, um Schwächen aufzudecken

Summary

While Mercedes-Benz was gaining ground in the GT1 class at the end of the 1990s, Porsche was struggling on the racetrack. But when it came to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of Porsche's automobile construction, the GT1/98 had exactly what was needed.

This article contains the following chapters

Great ambitions
The starting signal
The launch
Victory at Le Mans 1998
Honor to whom honor is due

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

While Mercedes-Benz was gaining ground in the GT1 class at the end of the 1990s, Porsche was struggling on the race track. But when it came to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of Porsche automobile construction, the GT1/98 had exactly the characteristics needed to triumph Already on the drive home from Le Mans 1997, Porsche's racing boss Norbert Singer and engineer Herbert Ampferer began to forge a plan for the 1998 season. It would be a crucial year for Porsche's revived racing program, which was under fire from Mercedes-Benz. Le Mans 1997 had been a disaster: One works GT1/97 had burned out completely, the other retired with a broken driveshaft. Reparation was urgently needed after this debacle - especially as plans for the company's 50th anniversary in 1998 were already underway in Zuffenhausen. A special contribution was expected from the motorsport team.

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Images of this article

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Dank der neuen GT1-Regeln waren Porsches Designer nicht länger an Serientechnik gebunden, sondern konnten die Form ganz auf den Motorsport ausrichten

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Das endgültige Design des 911 GT1 98 war nicht nur elegant, sondern auch extrem windschnittig, wie das Windkanalmodell versprach.jpg

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Horst Reitter setzte bei seinem Chassis-Entwurf für den 911 GT1 98 auf Carbon bis zur Feuerschutzwand, dahinter folgte das Kurbelgehäuse des 3,2-Liter-Motors mit tragenden Rohren

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Der 3,2-Liter-Motor des GT1 98 galt als zuverlässige Konstante – hier unter den Turbolader-Rohren. Seine Leistung lag bei 550 PS bei 7200/min

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Nach Fertigstellung von Chassis 001 gönnte sich das Team eine Pause. Designer Tony Hatter steht ganz links

Porsche GT1 (1998) – Chassis 001 des 911 GT1 98 wurde als reines Testfahrzeug für unterschiedlichste Rennstrecken gebaut, um Schwächen aufzudecken

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