Exclusive: Mysterious 911 GT1-Inspired Beast Spotted At LAX - story Go to full screen story Fullscreen

Exclusive: Mysterious 911 GT1-Inspired Beast Spotted At LAX

We wonder if this Porsche-themed hypercar could be one of the big reveals at the upcoming Monterey Car Week

by Khris Bharath on August 9, 2024, 19:00

Monterey Car Week is almost upon us and Southern California is once again crawling with some automotive heavyweights and exotics. But an Instagram post by Comedian, Spike Feresten, sent me down a rabbit hole of mystery. Spotted on a transport trailer at the Los Angeles International Airport was a shape that undeniably screams: " 911 GT1 Strassenversion,” (street-version in German) that ultra-rare, race-bred unicorn from the 1990s. Born as a homologation special for the famed GT1 class, Porsche famously took on the McLaren F1 and Mercedes CLK GTR.

If you’re a Porschephile, the silhouette should be familiar to you - the widebody stance, the roof scoop, the vented hood - it all screams Porsche 911 GT1.However, there are a few things that seem a bit off to me. Look closely and you’ll spot that the iconic rear wing on this car has been replaced with a more subtle ducktail. The side vents are larger, squarer, and seem to have a sharper edge. Is this some kind of modern homage to the 90s legend? It’s certainly a possibility.

Another theory: Could this be the Le Mans-inspired 911 hypercar recently teased by the secretive RML Group? If that name doesn’t ring bells, RML (Ray Mallock Limited) has been a British motorsport powerhouse for the past four decades. Lately, they’ve been hinting at branching out beyond the track, and this aggressive Porsche could be the fruit of that labor.

However, just like the Strassenversion, this car doesn’t quite match RML’s known project. While the flat silver color does appear similar to what we saw in the teaser, RML’s P39 as it’s known internally, boasts a full-blown Le Mans-style wing, not the subtle ducktail seen here on this mystery car. On the teaser car, the front fascia and headlights are different, with LED daytime running lights housed in a more aggressive front bumper. Also, crucially, the P39 has wing mirrors and did not feature orange paint in the roof scoop as seen on the mystery car.

RML is also rumored to be developing a track-only version, the P40. Track cars don’t always need mirrors, do they? And wouldn’t they have a different aero package than a street-legal version? Maybe those teaser images of the P39 aren’t the final design. Perhaps, the mirrors get added later. Maybe there’s some clever camouflage hiding other details about this car. Whatever the case, the timing of this mystery car’s appearance in L.A. just days before Monterey is no coincidence. I’m placing my bets on a major reveal next week, and will be glued to my social media feeds to see what emerges from the shadows.

Khris Bharath

Khris Bharath

Khris is a Mechanical Engineer and a classic car aficionado, who adores his Jags, Alfas, and old-school American muscle cars. He keeps tabs on everything from super exotics like an old EB 110 to the latest from Lucid and geeks out on three-row family haulers. Formula One remains very close to his heart, and he diligently makes time to tune in for the Grand Prix on Sundays. Khris also loves his road trips and he prefers a stick shift over an auto. Read full bio