Unraced Porsche LMP2000 makes public debut
The unraced Porsche LMP2000 designed to take on Audi at the Le Mans 24 Hours has made its public debut nearly 20 years after the project was axed.

Porsche's still-born open-top LMP900 class contender built for the 2000 season has gone on static display for the first time at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of the German manufacturer's 70th anniversary celebrations.
It has remained under wraps in a storage facility near Stuttgart after brief shakedown at Porsche's Weissach research and development facility at the end of 1999 until now.
The only photographs of the car were grainy spy shots from this test until Porsche released the first official images earlier this decade.
Development of the LMP2000, which was powered by a normally-aspirated 5.5-litre V10, started after Porsche decided to take a sabbatical from Le Mans following its 16th outright victory in 1998 with the 911 GT1-98.
The axe fell on the LMP2000 project at the end of 1999 before the first car had been completed, but Porsche's motorsport department was allowed to build up the car and run it Weissach for a single test.
The late Bob Wollek and Allan McNish, the two drivers to get behind the wheel, both commented favourably on the car after a handful of laps of Weissach.
The official reason for the cancellation of the programme, which was confirmed in December '99, was given as the necessity to divert resources into the the development of the Cayenne SUV.
Conspiracy theorists argued that Audi was able to put pressure on Porsche, which had yet to be incorporated into the Volkswagen Group, not to return to Le Mans because the Cayenne was also the basis of the Audi Q7 and the VW Touareg.
Audi went on to win Le Mans at its second attempt in 2000 and Porsche didn't build another car capable of challenging for overall victory until the 919 Hybrid arrived in 2014.

Previous article
Ginetta LMP1 a "solid building block" for Manor
Next article
WEC makes EoT changes to level LMP1 playing field

About this article
Series | WEC |
Author | Gary Watkins |
Unraced Porsche LMP2000 makes public debut
Trending
Daniel Serra at Ferrari Finali Mondiali
James Calado at Finali Mondiali
AF Corse 488 GTE Livery
Ferrari enters LMH from 2023
Peugeot in sportscars
How 'Brilliant' Bob Wollek lived up to his nickname
Sportscar racing lost one of it's greatest talents 20 years ago today when Bob Wollek was knocked from his bicycle prior to the Sebring 12 Hours. The enigmatic Frenchman never won the Le Mans 24 Hours, but many still remember today why 'Brilliant Bob' became a legend
How Ferrari's Hypercar project could bolster Leclerc's legacy
Ferrari's planned return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours has further heightened anticipation for the 2023 race. Few concrete details are currently known, but already it has a high-profile superstar angling for involvement, which would make a refreshing change
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
The ground-up refresh behind Toyota's new Le Mans challenger
Toyota's new GR010 contender for the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar era has little in common with the LMP1 TS050 that preceded it. But within the confines of the scaled back new rules, its latest challenger will be no less formidable a prospect
The tiny increments that decided the final LMP1-era WEC
The system of success handicaps devised by the FIA World Endurance Championship to level the LMP1 playing field in the category's swansong season ended up having a counterproductive effect, as COVID cancellations also played in the champions' favour.
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…
The eternal debate revived after the 2019/20 WEC season
It may have been missed amid the clamour over Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 title, but Britain had another world champion crowned last weekend. Mike Conway's WEC crown raises an old conundrum - does title glory make up for the pain of Le Mans defeat?