Porsche 911 TAG Turbo by Lanzante

Work continued throughout 1982 and 1983 with Porsche first testing the engine at Weissach in a Porsche 956. While 1983 brought a few unsuccessful “test” races toward the end of the Grand Prix season, it was becoming clear that McLaren and TAG had purchased themselves a masterpiece. The TAG-Porsche powered McLaren MP4/2s triumphed at 12 of the 16 Grands Prix in 1984, taking the Constructors‘ Championship, and Lauda the Drivers‘ Championship. 1985 brought a further six wins, a second consecutive Constructors‘ Championship and Prost his first Drivers‘ Championship with five wins. Prost won the Drivers‘ title again in 1986 with Porsche’s 1.5-liter TTE (TAG Turbo Engines) V6 now producing 910 horsepower in race trim and 990 for qualifying. For 1987, Prost partnered with Stefan Johansson, and while the season wasn’t as successful in the past, the Frenchman still managed three wins. With Ayrton Senna and Honda arriving as a pair in 1988, Porsche’s relationship with McLaren came to a close. Yet, this was not the end to the TTE engine that proved to be the most successful Formula One engine since the Cosworth DFV.

After concluding that it was unwise for Porsche to offer the engine to other Grand Prix teams for 1988, TAG and Porsche sought other uses for their race-winning V6. As early as 1984, it was envisioned to power a small high-performance helicopter. TAG thought it might be a good fit for a yet-to-be designed sports car. It was said by many that no suitable road car was found to test the TAG Turbo, yet Porsche’s R&D Department continued to their bench tests and continuous experimentation in turbocharging the smaller displacement engine. Interestingly, Karl Ludvigsen’s Excellence Was Expected notes that at least “by March 1987 work was under way on installing the TAG V6 in a 930 Turbo Porsche.” Furthermore, it notes that the “unique car is in the McLaren International collection…” Aside from a surprise appearance at the 2012 McLaren Employee Motorshow, an open house of sorts at the McLaren Technology Centre for employees and their families, this special car remained under wraps—yet its existence was an open secret among those in the know. What was gifted to McLaren by Porsche at the conclusion of their partnership appeared to be a lightly modified Grand Prix White 911 Turbo with RUF five-spoke Speedline wheels and a RUF front valance. Yet this valance hid two large radiators, and out back, two massive intercoolers were fit underneath a relatively stock looking Turbo tail with a subtle ram-air scoop at the trailing edge. Over the years many of those aware of the car’s existence had made direct overtures to McLaren to acquire the car, not least of which was Dean Lanzante, yet the answer was always to decline.

Just like Ron Dennis decades earlier, Lanzante was persistent and with his deep connections at McLaren, he persuaded the company to provide a 1.5-liter TAG Turbo intending to produce a second Formula One-powered Porsche Type 930. With the economies of (small) scale proving irresistible, Lanzante and his team embarked on constructing 11 TAG-powered 930s—a car for each pilot in each year a McLaren MP4 was powered by a Porsche TTE engine.

Lanzante Limited has never been known for half measures, and while the reengineered high-revving Porsche Formula One engine is certainly the focal point, the entire donor 911 Turbo is thoroughly reworked. Each of the 11 cars is reflective of the wishes of its first owner and, according to Lanzante, is “fully optioned as standard.” Each donor car undergoes a complete disassembly, leaving only a bare metal shell, which is meticulously checked on a jig for accuracy. The unibody is media blasted, inspected, and paired with new bespoke body panels molded in contemporary Formula One-grade carbon fiber. Lightweight components including the bonnet, front bumper, splitter, rear bumper, aggressively angled rear wing, and alloy door skins, reduce the original 930’s body weight by nearly 120 pounds.

The standard fuel tank is replaced with an 80-liter motorsport-grade unit housed in a carbon fiber casing. The wheels are 17-inch single-piece alloys from RUF (nine inches wide at the front, ten inches at the rear), replicating the design from the original prototype. The 911 Turbo’s torsion bar suspension is upgraded to a custom coil-overs, and its brakes are replaced with bespoke lightweight carbon-ceramic discs, shedding an impressive 32-pounds of unsprung weight while retaining the original 930 calipers.

The car’s interior features numerous improvements with respect for the original design. Enhancements include a lightweight climate control system, a leather-covered carbon fiber center console with a repositioned short-throw gear lever, and dual USB charging points. Bespoke gauges, including a TAG TURBO tachometer with higher RPM and boost readings take pride of place on the dashboard, alongside a water temperature gauge—an instrument typically unheard of in a G-Body 911. A Porsche Classic Communication Management (PCCM) head unit adds satellite navigation. Buyers can choose between original heated, electrically adjustable seats or lightweight fixed carbon fiber Recaro Pole Position-style seats in any trim material provided it makes use of original Porsche materials.

The engine is extensively re-engineered with help from Cosworth featuring new pistons, connecting rods, valves, valve springs, modern turbochargers, an updated cooling system, oil heat exchangers, and an Inconel exhaust with titanium tailpipes. The engine itself is an incredible 286 pounds lighter than the 3.3-liter air-cooled flat six it replaces. A Cosworth ECU and a bespoke Raychem motorsport-grade wiring loom manage the engine. The engine is paired with a six-speed H-pattern manual transmission featuring bespoke gear ratios for a 200-mph top speed via a twin-plate hydraulic carbon clutch. Lanzante’s TAG Turbo concept made its debut at Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI in 2018 sending an unexpected shockwave throughout the Porsche community already accustomed to high-quality custom 911 builds.

Envisioned and later finalized in July 2020, this fantastic Lanzante 911 TAG Turbo, one of just 11 made, is dubbed “AP87” on account of its 1.5-liter TTE engine serial number 051 having powered Alain Prost during the 1986 German Grand Prix and the 1987 Hungarian and Japanese Grands Prix. The donor left-hand-drive 1988 911 Turbo was sourced from the United States and sent to Lanzante to be custom finished in Mintgrün (Mint Green) over a Black leather interior with Blue/Green tartan cloth seat inserts, and Dark Blue deviated stitching. The body received a painted matte black Porsche side stripe with the entire body covered with full paint protection film (PPF) along with Matte Black RUF wheels. A pair of contemporary LED headlights was selected that dramatically improve nighttime visibility. Since completion, the car has been fitted with Gold RUF wheels, yet it retains the original Matte Black set as well should the new owner wish to revert to the original specification.

Offered with less than 300 miles since completion along with copies of its build specification, purchase paperwork, and delivery documentation, this special hand-built, Formula One-powered Porsche includes many additional delivery items from Lanzante. These include its laptop for Cosworth and PDM control modules, car cover, charger, bespoke watch and build-specific owner’s manual. Once an impossible dream for both Ron Dennis and later Dean Lanzante, the TAG Turbo Porsche engine not only delivered pole positions, wins, and championships for McLaren International but twin-turbocharged thrills for thousands of Formula One fans worldwide. Those same thrills are now available to a new member of select group of ten other individuals who will experience the rush of Formula One TAG Turbo power while behind the wheel of an exceptional Lanzante-modified Porsche Type 930.