Porsche 911 Turbo Named Official Safety Car for WEC

The Porsche 911 Turbo will serve as the official safety car for the Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC) from now until 2020.

The German automaker has revealed the look for the safety and support cars, wearing a matte black finish with glossy red stripes. Sporting 540 horsepower and all-wheel drive, the Porsche 911 Turbo will be up to the task of serving as a safety car, especially since it sprints from zero-to-60 mph in three seconds flat.

For the most part, the safety car is just like the production vehicle, although a few modifications were necessary. Those changes include a light bar on the roof, a radio for contacting the race director, and changes to the brakes and suspension for use on the race track. It will ride on standard 20-inch wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, while inside the cabin there are full-shell racing seats and six-point harnesses for driver and passenger.

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Along with supplying the safety car for the FIA WEC until 2020, Porsche will also provide 11 intervention vehicles. A pair of 911 Turbo sports cars will travel as safety cars to all WEC events worldwide, while three 911 Turbos will head to Le Mans as permanent vehicles. Various other Porsche models will also be used for motor racing medics and track safety personnel.

“We’re delighted to have the chance to supply the safety cars and intervention vehicles for the Sports Car World Endurance Championship until 2020. As a sports car manufacturer, it was rather easy for us to find a suitable car,” said Alexander Stehlig, who is responsible for the safety car project on behalf of Porsche as the GT Motorsport program manager. “Basically, many of our production models fit the bill for this special task on the race circuit. Ultimately, however, we chose the Porsche 911 as the safety car. In total, 16 vehicles from different model lines will fulfill different functions in the WEC.”

this article first appeared on AutoGuide

The post Porsche 911 Turbo Named Official Safety Car for WEC appeared first on VWVortex.

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