New Porsche LMP1 breaks cover
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Autosport report
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108045+ picture
http://cdn.images.autosport.com/editorial/1371033456.jpgIt look strikingly similar to Audi (as did Toyota to Peugeot). What is your opinion?
Looks good. They all look pretty similar these days, so it’s not really surprising. I’d say the front end treatment is actually more similar to the old Lola-Aston than the current Audi. Looks like it’s going to be a bit more of a compact, streamlined design, but obviously this will be way early in the aero development cycle so I’m sure it’ll start to look a little more highly developed before it hits the track in anger.
Of course, the biggest question is what colour they’ll paint it…
It certainly looks better than that LMP2 RS Spyder from a couple of years back. And the current LMP1 Toyota.
Of course, the biggest question is what colour they’ll paint it…
If I don’t see at least one car in the Martini livery, I’ll be massively disappointed, whatever the alternative is…
Press release:
Successful rollout for new Porsche LMP1 sports prototype
Stuttgart. The new Porsche LMP1 sports prototype, which will compete in the sports car World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2014, successfully completed its first rollout today on the Porsche test track in Weissach. Before the eyes of the entire Board of Porsche AG, Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard took his new ‘wheels’ through its initial function check.The LMP1 racer turned its first laps on the circuit several weeks earlier than originally planned. “We are well on schedule,” says Fritz Enzinger, Head of LMP1. “Our newly formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible. This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency. This makes the competition amongst engineers more interesting and presents us with completely new challenges.”
Since the decision in mid-2011 to return with the LMP1 racer to top motorsport as a works effort, the Motorsport Centre at Weissach has grown significantly. A workshop and an administration building were built and accommodate around 200 employees who are responsible for the design, assembly and deployment of the LMP1 car. From the 2014 season, the racer will be fielded by a Weissach-based works squad.
“I was involved in the development of the new car right from the outset,” says Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard. “I’m very proud that I was the one to take our baby through its first paces today. Already now the car feels great. I look forward to testing the vehicle in the coming weeks and months with my friend and colleague Romain Dumas.” Bernhard (32) and Dumas (35) are the first two regular drivers in the LMP1 project and will carry out the majority of testing on various international circuits.
“During the development of our new LMP1 vehicle, we faced the same challenge as in the series production development of our road legal cars,” says Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG. “Our aim was to achieve the best possible efficiency without compromising performance.”
Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG, particularly emphasises the benefits customers will enjoy from the development of the high-tech race car. “The engineers were able to start with a blank sheet of paper in the design of the new LMP1 car that was out here today on the Weissach race track for the first time. Hence, they were able to apply many new technologies within the framework of the regulations that will also benefit the customers of our road legal automobiles in the future. After all, there’s a race car in every Porsche.”
To be honest, I was hoping they would go for a obvious reference to their road car designs, like the GT1 did.
http://www.madwhips.com/upload/images/1998_le_mans_winning_porsche_gt1_1-568-426.jpg
But it does look like the Audi, but at the same time, the bodywork around the headlights looks more rounded. Interesting to see they haven’t released any pictures showing the side, rear or top of the car, though, so there must be something interesting going on there.
The Mark Webber thing is just a rumour, based largely on the assumption that he’s likely to quit F1 at the end of this year and would seek to go into sportscar racing. Which is not to say it’s wrong, just that it’s all a lot of assumption at the moment. It’d be good to see, I think.
Awesome! Great just to see a new factory LMP1 running for the first time, but it is much more special that it is a historic marque like Porsche.
Lots of respect to Volkswagen AG for letting two of their brands compete for at least one year in Le Mans!
I can’t wait for Porsche to get racing with this! The contest in the top class is a little bit one-sided right now, just a civil war between the Audi cars. Does anyone know how many cars Porsche will enter?
Also, when will it make its debut? The project is apparently ahead of schedule, so what are the chances of them entering a car for one of the 6 hour races later in the year?
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