Did you know that Porsche, along with other European automakers, raced in NASCAR in the 1950s? Back then, the Germans fielded the 356 against Hudson Hornets, Ford V8s, Oldsmobile 88s, and other Americana. But what if the Zuffenhausen-based automaker had stuck around the banked oval for longer? Enter the Porsche 911 NASCAR, a digital race car that was dreamt up by an artist following the real-world muscle car shenanigans at last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
There were many takeaways from the 2023 Le Mans battle—the 100th edition—chief among which is the fact that this was arguably the most engaging in recent years. And one of the aspects that stood out was the first-ever NASCAR participation at Le Mans—if unusual race cars are your thing, you may wish to check out this “$500” Bentley in the 24 Hours of Le Mons.
I’m talking about Garage 56, a crew that has hosted countless unusual Le Mans machines over the years, fielding the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE GT4.R, an endurance-prepped iteration of the Camaro next-gen NASCAR racer.
The brute was heavier, but also more powerful than the GT3 cars it shared the track with, even beating their lap times. Of course, the Camaro made more of a demo run than anything else, with its promotional effort paving the way for further NASCAR developments. And while it wasn’t eligible for a victory, it did finish the race (39 out of 62), completing 285 laps (2,413.1 miles).
And while many people will remember the Garage 56 Camaro as the loudest car at the 2023 Le Mans, digital artist Abimelec Arellano (aka abimelecdesign) felt inspired by the Chevy and came up with this rendering of NASCAR Porsche 911!
The NASCAR Porsche 911 would’ve followed the IROC era
For his 3D effort, Abimelec chose a 1982 Porsche 911 and this was no accident. You see, back in the day, Porsche fielded the 911 in the IROC (International Race of Champions) series. This American idea saw the world’s top 12 drivers (sports car, oval track, and F1) battling each other using identical race cars. And while the 911 was the first, it was replaced by the Camaro in 1971, so this 911 would’ve carried the torch from that point onwards.
The G-Series 911 is “loosely based on the look of an ’80s NASCAR”, while also featuring parts official 911 race cars of the day, such as the 934 front bumper. And, as die-hard NASCAR fans will tell you, the Porsche borrows the livery of the Miller High Life Buick Regal.
While Porsche’s desire to enter F1 in 2026 has yet to materialize, I wouldn’t hold my breath for the Germans joining Chevy, Ford, and Toyota on the NASCAR grid. So this 3D fantasy may be the closest we get to a 911 dedicated to this intense form of motorsport.
