LE MANS-WINNING PORSCHE TRANSFORMED AFTER BEING FOUND AS WRECK

LE MANS-WINNING PORSCHE TRANSFORMED AFTER BEING FOUND AS WRECK

A famous Porsche discovered as a wreck has been brought back to life following an “unparalleled” two year restoration by the German supercar manufacturer.

The Porsche 911 won its class in the 1972 Le Mans race – managing 285 laps of the gruelling French race track.

But it was later neglected and, a couple of years ago, a car collector came across it as a total wreck in an American junkyard.

Originally yellow, the 1971 car had been resprayed blue, had incorrect wheels, panels were missing and major parts were placed on the front seat.

Despite being unrecognisable, the historic Porsche 911 2.5 S/T was identified as the car driven at Le Mans and shipped back to Europe to the manufacturer’s headquarters in Stuttgart.

It was here that engineers and bodywork specialist spent two-and-a-half years restoring the Porsche to its former glory.

They spent a painstaking 1,000-plus hours reconstructing the body before painting it yellow and making it identical to the day Michael Keyser, Jurgen Barth and Sylvain Garant raced it around Le Mans.

Alexander Fabig, head of Porsche Classic at Porsche AG, said: “The 911 2.5 S/T was rediscovered a few years ago by a collector in the USA – and it was in a rally dilapidated condition.

“Our experts have done an excellent job at restoring the sports car to the highest standards.

“We are thrilled about the confidence this customer placed in us with this restoration job. This project is unparalleled and of great historical significance.”

The Porsche 911 2.5 S/T is powered by a 2.5-litre engine which is located at the rear of the sports car.

As it was a race car, Porsche never officially revealed performance figures and the manufacturer will not reveal the cost of the restoration or its current value.

However, it is likely the 911 – one of just 24 of this model built – would have around 250bhp and be capable of a top speed of more than 150mph.

The freshly-restored Porsche makes is debut this week at the Techno Classica show in Essen, Germany.

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