On display or the first time in an exhibition
In June 2013, this Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 prototype rolled out onto the Porsche Development Center Weissach’s in-house racetrack for the first time. Now, nearly 12 years later, this car is celebrating its museum rollout at the PROTOTYP Automotive Museum in Hamburg!
The mission was clear: in 2014, Porsche wanted to participate as a works team with an LMP1 racer in the top class of endurance racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and return to Le Mans for the famous 24-hour race. Since this decision in 2011, the Stuttgart car manufacturer had made some moves. A workshop building and an administration building were built in Flacht in direct proximity to the development center in Weissach, and around 200 employees were stationed there, who were responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the LMP1.
According to the regulations, Porsche was required as a works team to compete with a hybrid vehicle. An extremely compact and highly charged 2-liter V4 combustion engine with direct injection was designed for this purpose. He received support from two energy recovery systems: a turbine with a generator in the exhaust air flow, as well as an electric machine on the front axle for energy recuperation during braking and support at the push of a button during acceleration. The energy was stored in a lithium-ion battery cooled with liquid.
The engineers still had a long way to go, but it was worth it. With the 919 Hybrid, Porsche won the overall victory at the 24-hour race in Le Mans in 2015, 2016, and 2017, continuing the brand’s success story. The Porsche 919 Hybrid’s record after these three years: six World Championship titles in the FIA WEC (three Driver’s and Manufacturer’s World Championship titles each), 17 race wins, including seven double victories, 19 pole positions, and 12 fastest laps in 33 races.
The car that started it all is now celebrating its rollout at the PROTOTYP Automotive Museum. The car, on loan from the Porsche Museum Stuttgart, will be exhibited outside of Stuttgart for the first time and can now be seen in the permanent exhibition of the museum in Hamburg’s HafenCity.