Vaguely remember rumors about this project that Porsche had started in the late 90s, an LMP-1 Le Mans challenger featuring a disused V10 F-1 engine as a spy photo or two emerged but Porsche denied the project was in the works. Certainly, looking at this 9R3 now, it’s not as radically advanced as the longer wheel base BMW LMR-V12 or Audi R8R/R8 which came to dominate sports car racing from 1999 through the 2000s respectively, more like a development of the TWR Porsche WSC 95 (which was actually a Jaguar XJR-14 with the roof cut off). The images of the Porsche's rear suspension are interesting as both the BMWs and Audis featured a radically different compact suspension system in order to aide air flow to the rear of the cars which were built as low as possible, so low that some at the time were referring to them as “skateboards”. We don’t see that with the Porsche which appears to have a much more traditional suspension layout. Whatever the reason Porsche decided against entering the 9R3, had it been included in the mix at Le Mans, a time which many point to as a “golden era” for sports car racing, the potential of a BMW vs. Audi vs. Toyota vs. Porsche duel at Le Mans would have been very intriguing to say the least. Porsche's secret Le Mans car - Racecar Engineering BHW
