2018 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS British Legends Edition – Video

Porsche is the most successful marque in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with an unrivalled 19 wins in the French endurance race, and British drivers have played an important role in delivering these historical achievements. In celebration of this success, and in special honour of three Britons who helped deliver these victories, a special model with limited availability – the 911 Carrera 4 GTS ‘British Legends Edition’ – is launched today.

Designed by the drivers who each took historic wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the factory Porsche team – Richard Attwood (winner 1970), Derek Bell MBE (winner 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987), and Nick Tandy (winner 2015) – the car has been developed by Porsche Cars GB together with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur at the company headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

Derek Bell is Britain’s most successful race driver in the Le Mans 24 Hours, with a total of five wins overall and four triumphs with Porsche. His British Legends Edition celebrates his 1982 victory in the debut season for the iconic 956 racing car.

 

 

There is a 911 Carrera 4 GTS British Legends Edition unique to each driver, identified by the number of their winning Porsche racing car and its colour scheme incorporated into the livery.
A Union Jack symbol combined with the driver’s signature is a further motorsport-inspired leitmotif, and underlines how authentic each car is.

The drivers played an important role in the design and configuration of ‘their’ British Legends Edition, incorporating personal preferences and reminiscences of their own experiences racing with Porsche at Le Mans. For instance, Alcantara® interior trim creates a link to the focussed ambience of a racing car cockpit. And to offer a manual gearbox or the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch transmission was important, to allow each car to be specified according to driving style.

Using the design of the winning race cars as the starting point of each car, joint workshops between Porsche Cars GB and the drivers ensured their passion was built-in to each 911. The ideas were then taken forwards by the design team at Style Porsche in Weissach and the craftsmen at Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Stuttgart.

Each British Legends Edition is finished intricately by hand in the new Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur workshop. Special features such as the Satin finish black door mirrors, carbon floor mats with Alcantara edging and a steering column casing in Alcantara® make their first appearance on this 911.

1970 Le Mans winner, Richard Attwood
Porsche 917 #23 580 hp, flat-12 cylinder, 4.5-litre, 340 km/h top speed
‘Porsche Salzburg’ red and white livery
British Legends Edition Guards Red

1982 Le Mans winner, Derek Bell
Porsche 956 #1 680 hp, flat-six cylinder, twin-turbo, 2.8-litre, 350 km/h top speed
‘Rothmans’ blue, white, red and gold livery
British Legends Edition Sapphire Blue Metallic

2015 Le Mans winner, Nick Tandy
Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 #19 900 hp, V4, single turbo, 2.0-litre, 360 km/h top speed
‘DMG MORI’ white, black, grey livery
British Legends Edition Carrara White Metallic