Porsche brings an original LMP 2000 back to life

Back in 1999, the Porsche LMP 2000 project was underway. Originally designed to address Audi's Le Mans dominance, it was discontinued, even after completion of the car.

Thus, after only 78km of testing, the car lay in storage gathering dust, until a team from Porsche Heritage and Museum brought it back to life for its 25^th anniversary, making it ready to be driven again.

The Porsche team has stated that one of their biggest challenges was making the LMP 2000's gearbox work again

Behind the wheel of the restored LMP 2000 was Allan McNish, the last person to drive the race car in 1999. In addition, many who were part of the original project met again at the car's roll-out and had the opportunity to take the car for a few laps.

The LMP 2000's V10 is based on an earlier 3.5-litre Porsche Formula One engine originally developed in the early 1990s. For use at Le Mans, the creators modified the engine, which was originally designed for much shorter racing distances.

Former race engineer Norbert Singer and racing driver Allan McNish, among others, have provided insights into the roll-out and history of this project, of which Part One is available to watch now on YouTube, with Part Two to be released on 7 December 2024.