Lanzante has slotted a 1980s Porsche-TAG F1 engine into a 930 Turbo, and this is it

This isn’t an F1-engined 930 Turbo by Lanzante that pays yet more homage to the one-off F1-engined 930 Turbo by McLaren. This is an F1-engined 930 Turbo by Lanzante that celebrates McLaren’s three F1 world titles collected during its Eighties pomp.

Clear? Yeah, we know. How about this instead: Lanzante has filled three Porsche 930 Turbo bodyshells with actual Porsche-TAG Formula 1 engines raced by McLaren in the 1980s.

The same engines that helped both Alain Prost and Niki Lauda to race wins, no less. Which means 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6 screamers stuffed inside a classic Porsche bodyshell to produce something quite extraordinary.

This is the first of the three cars, and it’s called ‘Championship 85’, housing an F1-spec V6 that Prost deployed in his McLaren across the 1984, 1985 and 1986 F1 seasons. Scored a couple of podiums with it, too.

This Eighties powerplant has of course been given a thorough going over by a little known outfit called ‘Cosworth’. So-called ‘Cosworth’ – who brought you the Aston Martin Valkyrie and GMA T.50’s screaming V12s and are busy working on a V16 for the next Bugatti – have stripped the 1.5-litre sixer back, and fitted new pistons, conrods, valves, springs, cams, a new airbox, better cooling, and bolted a new exhaust onto the end of it for good measure.

Oh, and glued a “newly developed” pair of lightweight titanium turbos to the V6’s flanks. They save 8kg over the old units, apparently. They also help deliver a colossal amount of power: 625bhp, to be precise, inside a car that Lanzante says weighs just 920kg overall.

It screams to 10,250rpm now, and will push the 930 body right up to 200mph via a custom Porsche 993 six-speed gearbox (featuring bespoke ratios). As such, the shell has been stiffened, and lightweight F1-spec carbon fibre was used to build most of the body panels.

Yes, there are bigger, carbon ceramic brakes, and you’re absolutely right – there is a full F1-spec wiring loom inside with a new Cosworth ECU! Cool paintjob too. It mirrors Prost’s 1985 helmet design, resplendent in 18in Dymag magnesium and carbon wheels that again mirror the original McLaren Formula 1 car’s rims.

It’s suitably stripped back inside, with a pair of Recaros, a suede steering wheel and some harnesses your only companions. Well, that and the scream of an F1-spec V6 from the Eighties.

We’ll see the first of these three F1-engined 930 Turbo cars by Lanzante that pay homage to McLaren’s actual Eighties F1 car at Goodwood later this summer. Mark your calendars…