- Lazante’s TAG Turbo, which is a modified Porsche 911, is getting more power
- The 930-generation Porsche 911 Turbo body hides an actual Formal 1 power unit
- The car will debut in July at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Lanzante will use the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed on next month to present a more powerful version of its TAG Turbo modified 911.
The TAG Turbo is an ultra-exclusive project that combines the 930-generation Porsche 911 Turbo body with an actual Formula 1 power unit, specifically the TAG-branded Porsche twin-turbocharged 1.5-liter V-6 used by the McLaren F1 team from 1983-1987.
The more powerful version of the car is known as the TAG Championship, its name signifying McLaren’s three back-to-back Drivers’ titles achieved by Niki Lauda in 1984 and Alain Prost in 1985 and 1986. Just three are planned, one for each title, and all three will feature engines that were used during one or more of the championship-winning years.
For the example debuting at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the engine was used during the 1984, ’85, and ’86 seasons, including powering Prost to two podium finishes in ’85. As a further nod to F1, the exterior will feature a paint job that matches the design of Prost’s helmet that season. The 18-inch wheels, a mix of magnesium and carbon fiber, are also styled to match the design used on Prost’s F1 car. The wheels are supplied by Dymag, the same company that supplied the F1 wheels.
Lanzante 930 Porsche 911 powered by Tag Turbo Formula 1 engine
While Lanzante’s earlier TAG Turbo is rated at a peak 503 hp, the new TAG Championship has had its output dialed up to 625 hp, which isn’t too far off the estimated 750 hp the car’s engine had during its F1 days. It now revs to 10,250 rpm, and spins the rear wheels via a modified version of the 6-speed manual found in the 993-generation Porsche 911. Lanzante quotes a top speed of 200 mph.
The engine today has to survive more than a single race, and as result it has been rebuilt by Cosworth, the expert engine builder that previously supplied F1 power units. Key upgrades include new internals, a new airbox, a new exhaust, and new turbochargers with titanium compressors.
Beyond the powertrain, Lanzante has also stiffened the car’s chassis, upgraded the brakes with carbon-ceramic units, and replaced many of the body panels with lighter carbon fiber. Much of the carbon fiber is left exposed, and in some cases replaces the original rubber elements found on the 930 911. The finished car weighs just 2,028 pounds, an impressive 948 pounds less than the donor car.
Lanzante, a British motorsports and engineering outfit famous for being the company that fielded the winning McLaren F1 GTR in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, didn’t originally come up with the idea of installing an F1 power unit in the back of 911. McLaren already did the task back in the 1980s with a single car. That one-off build was the inspiration behind Lanzante’s TAG Turbo and TAG Championship cars.
