Porsche may have pulled out of the World Endurance Championship, but the brand has figured out a way to keep itself at the front of the field during the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans—and for the foreseeable future. Not to be outdone by the Mercedes-AMG GT R Formula One Safety Car, Porsche has revealed a special matte black 911 Turbo that will serve as Safety Car during the 2018/2019 World Endurance Championship Super Season.
Naturally, only a few race-specific modifications were needed: full-shell racing seats with six-point harnesses, a monitor to display track signals, a radio to contact the race director, a signal light system on the roof, and flashing LED lights at the front and rear. Its matte-black design with glossy red stripes emulates the company’s factory-backed 911 RSRs competing in the GT-Pro class. Equipped with theSportChrono Package, the stock 3.8-litre turbocharged flat-six kicks out 540 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque, which catapults the Turbo to a top speed of almost 200 mph. It rides on Michelin PilotSportCup 2tyreson factory 20-inch rims.
“We’re delighted to have the chance to supply the safety cars and intervention vehicles for the Sports Car World Endurance Championship until 2020. As a sports car manufacturer, it was rather easy for us to find a suitable car. Ultimately, however, we chose the Porsche 911 as the safety car. In total, 16 vehicles from different model lines willfulfildifferent functions in the WEC,” explained Alexander Stehlig, who is responsible for the safety car project. Two Porsche 911 Turbos will travel as safety cars to all WEC rounds, while three more 911 Turbos will head to Le Mans to live permanently. Furthermore, various Porsche models are provided for motor racing medics and track safety personnel.
