Porsche LMP1-98

The Porsche LMP1-98 was a motorsport prototype that Porsche Motorsport entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. It was a rebuild of the two WSC-95 chassis that Ross Brawn had built for Tom Walkinshaw and that Joest Racing had used to win Le Mans in 1996 and 1997. After the Donington win in 1997 Joest gave both cars back to Porsche, and chief racing engineer Norbert Singer fitted them with the drivetrain of the 911 GT1 and its more powerful 3.2 litre six-cylinder engine, lifted the nose, reshaped the sides and moved the engine cooling intakes to the flanks so that the airbox behind the cockpit could go. Joest Racing ran the cars in a race full of factory entries and both failed to finish, one with electronic trouble after 107 laps and one with irreparable suspension damage after an accident. A chassis ran again for Porsche at Petit Le Mans 1998 and finished second overall, twelve seconds behind a Ferrari 333SP.