In the world of automotive oddities and sheer engineering bravado, the project by Lanzante Limited of taking a classic Porsche 911 Turbo (930) road car and inserting a genuine Formula 1 engine into it stands out as something almost mythic. The car in question known as the Porsche 930 TAG Turbo and its later variant the Porsche 930 TAG Championship uses the 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine originally built by Porsche AG (badged “TAG-Porsche”) and raced by McLaren in the mid-1980s. That alone gives it a pedigree few road cars can claim.
The TAG-Porsche engine powered McLaren’s cars to multiple Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships from 1984 to 1986, making it one of the most successful turbo engines of the era. What Lanzante did was take that history, those actual engine units, and merge them with an air-cooled 911 Turbo. Not a replica, not a superficial homage, but in many cases the actual race-engine in a road-legal chassis. As one headline put it: “This Rare Street Legal 911 Conceals A Genuine F1 Powerplant.”
What emerged is a rare trifecta: Porsche’s iconic road-car body; a real F1 powerplant with championship history; and a specialist build house bridging racing heritage and road-going exclusivity.
When did this project come about?
The story begins in the 1980s when Porsche, in partnership with TAG (the Swiss investment company) and McLaren, developed the 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6 for Formula 1 competition. That engine design, under the leadership of Porsche engineer Hans Mezger, went on to power McLaren (drivers like Niki Lauda and Alain Prost) to victory.
Years later, Lanzante secured permission (and indeed acquired 11 of the engines from McLaren’s F1 supply) for a bespoke road-car project. The first full reveal of the TAG Turbo version surfaced around 2018, built on the 930-generation 911 Turbo donor cars.
In 2024, Lanzante announced the TAG Championship variant: just three cars, each celebrating one of the McLaren-TAG driver championships (1984-86). These versions carried even more extreme specs: 625 bhp (or more) and rev limits up to 10,250 rpm in some cases, as well as a transformed weight down to about 920 kg.
So in essence: the racing engine dates from the 1980s; the road-car conversion began in the late 2010s; the upgraded series was revealed in the mid-2020s.
How exactly did Lanzante realise the build—and what makes it so special?
The technical and emotional appeal of the TAG Turbo lies in several layers: authentic F1 hardware, meticulous engineering, and rare exclusivity. Let’s unpack some of the key elements.
1. Real Formula 1 engines
Lanzante purchased 11 of the TAG-Porsche TTE P01 (or similar) engines that were originally used in McLaren F1 cars. These engines were rebuilt by Cosworth for road application new pistons, conrods, valves, titanium turbochargers, custom ECU tuning, improved cooling etc. While the original race engines could exceed 1000 bhp in qualifying trim and rev to huge rpm, for the road they were detuned (for example to around 503 bhp in early builds) and made reliable.
2. Porsche 930 donor and full rebuild
The donor car is the classic Porsche 911 Turbo (930) body-shape, beloved for its air-cooled character. But Lanzante did far more than shoe-horn an engine. The cars are stripped to bare shell, media blasted, jigs used for chassis verification. Carbon-fibre body panels (front wings, bonnet, roof, doors) replace parts to cut weight—often shedding around 120 lb from the donor body.
3. Bespoke drivetrain and performance
The original gearbox and powertrain are swapped for a reworked six-speed manual (usually derived from the later 993 generation 911) with bespoke gear ratios to handle the high revving V6. The upgraded TAG Championship versions also added coils, bigger brakes (carbon-ceramic), magnesium/alloy wheels, roll-cage, lightweight interior fittings, manual windows/mirrors etc.
4. Performance numbers and exclusivity
For the original TAG Turbo builds: about 503 bhp, top speed claimed near 200 mph, redline around 9,000 rpm. For the later TAG Championship builds: 625 bhp (or 617 depending on source) and rev limit of 10,250 rpm, weight down to 920 kg dry, top speed claimed similar or higher.
5. Racing history and provenance
Each engine carries its own history. One example from a listing: “Engine No. TTE P01 051… powered Alain Prost’s car at the 1986 German GP and 1987 Hungarian & Japanese GPs.” So the car you’re buying is more than a 911 with a specialist swap—it’s one with racing DNA.
6. Visual and emotional identity
Externally the cars largely maintain the 930 silhouette, but with subtle cues: large intercooler ducts, bespoke engine cover, unique finishes, custom wheels. Inside, you sometimes find F1-style elements: wires, gauges, smaller cabin, racing seats. The appeal is both aesthetic and engineering-driven.
7. Rarity
Only 11 of the TAG Turbo versions were built (first series) and only three of the TAG Championship series. That makes them ultra-limited, collector-grade vehicles.
Why does this project matter—and what are some implications?
From a broader perspective, this kind of build sits at the intersection of heritage, performance and rarity. There are a number of reasons why the TAG Turbo by Lanzante is significant:
- Heritage transfer – Most “F1-derived” cars use engines loosely based on racing units. Here the actual engine used in championship-winning McLaren F1 cars finds its way into a road-legal chassis. That rarity and direct link to motorsport adds enormous prestige.
- Engineering boldness – Fitting a high-revving 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6 originally designed for racing into a rear-engine road car is no trivial task. You need bespoke cooling, gearing, electronics, structural reinforcement. Lanzante’s work shows what specialist firms can do.
- Air-cooled Porsche mystique – The 930 generation 911 Turbo is already iconic. Gift it a genuine racing engine and you amplify desirability. It appeals to both Porsche purists and F1 aficionados.
- Investment/collector potential – With only a handful built, the TAG Turbo is likely to appreciate. Auction listings have predicted values in the multi-million-dollar range.
- Discussion about road-legality and useability – While it’s road-legal, driving a car with a V6 that revs to 10,000+ rpm or originally made 1,000+ hp in race trim is an entirely different experience than a normal 911. The engineering reliability, maintenance cost, and daily usability are all questions buyers must accept.
- Inspirational for specialist market – The project shows how specialist restomod houses can take heritage cars deeper: not just cosmetic upgrades but mechanical reinvention tied to authentic history.
Final thoughts
If you imagine taking a car that almost any petrol-head would recognise—the Porsche 911 Turbo—and then giving it the heart of a championship-winning Formula 1 car, you begin to appreciate what the TAG Turbo by Lanzante represents. It’s rare, technically audacious and drenched in motorsport heritage.
For collectors it is a multi-layered dream: the pedigree of the race engine, the iconic shape of the 930, the exclusivity of only 11 + 3 builds. For enthusiasts it poses a tantalizing question: what does a 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6 from the 1980s feel like when installed behind the rear axle of a 911? The answer is in the whispers of turbo spool, the revs climbing towards 10,000 rpm, the knowledge you’re piloting machinery born in the cauldron of Formula 1.
Whether you view it as the ultimate 911 restomod, an F1 museum piece on wheels, or a hyper-rare collector’s gem, the TAG Turbo story is one of bridging worlds the road and the racetrack in ways very few cars attempt. And in this case, the bridge is real and built from genuine parts of racing history.