Porsche Finally Let Us See and Hear Its Secret Le Mans Racer Hit the Track

Porsche is more open about its canceled past projects than many of its peers and rivals. It shed light on some of the supercars that could have taken the torch from the 918 Spyder, and it recently dusted off the V10-powered LMP 2000 prototype it built for the 24 Hours of Le Mans about a quarter-century ago but never raced. Rather than simply posting a few pictures and calling it a good job well done, it got the car running and put it through its paces.

And, holy hell, what a car! Developed to compete in the LMP900 category, it’s a carbon fiber-bodied single-seater powered by a naturally aspirated V10 rated at over 600 horsepower. The engine’s story is arguably as interesting as the car’s: it’s related to the 3.5-liter V10 that Porsche built for the Footworks Arrows Formula 1 team, though it displaces over 5.0 liters, and it spawned the Carrera GT’s 5.7-liter V10.

Two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard explains that only two pilots were given the opportunity to drive the LMP 2000 during the development process: Allan McNish and Bob Wollek. Wollek died in a cycling accident in 2001, but McNish returned to the Weissach track in Germany to drive the prototype for the first time since 1999. Porsche also tracked down some of the mechanics who worked on the car all those years ago.

“It was like I was 25 again. It’s fantastic to drive it again, and it’s fantastic to hear it again,” McNish said after a few hot laps. He’s got a point: the V10 sounds amazing, especially at full throttle. I’d argue the LMP 2000 sounds better than the current crop of Le Mans prototypes. It also seems to have the kind of acceleration and handling that would have given it a real chance of winning Le Mans in 2000 had it raced as planned, but it was canned before it could compete. Porsche reportedly wanted to focus on launching the Cayenne, which was a major project that required a substantial amount of money to finish, and some sources claim executives were worried about creating competition for Audi’s Le Mans program.

What’s next for the LMP 2000 now that it runs and drives? We don’t know, but Porsche says there’s more to come.

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