McLaren drivers claimed no fewer than five Formula One World Drivers’ Championships during the 1980s. The pairing of Niki Lauda and Alain Prost reigned supreme in the middle of the decade before Ayrton Senna joined from Lotus, taking the crown in his first season with his new team. Much of that success could be pinpointed to the adoption of the TAG-Porsche engine, as deployed towards the end of 1983. The following year, the first full campaign with the TAG-Porsche “TTE P01” motor propelling the MP4/2 chassis, Lauda and Prost romped to a dominant 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ standings, while McLaren was also well clear of competition for the Constructors’ title.

The 1.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 unit was designed by Hans Mezger of Porsche, who had been part of the team that designed the six-cylinder “boxer” engine for the 911’s earliest form in 1963. Mezger later designed the powerplant for the 917 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971, affording Porsche the race-earned experience and insight it would apply to its road cars as the 911 Turbo became available from 1974—again, by Mezger’s hand. The “TTE P01” engine instantly transformed McLaren, with the MP4/2 winning 12 of 16 Grands Prix in 1984.

Porsche’s role as an engine constructor for McLaren came to an end at the conclusion of the 1987 season. The installation of Honda as powertrain provider for 1988 coincided with the arrival of Senna’s pairing with Prost. After careful consideration, Porsche chose not to offer its TAG engine to other teams—but did allegedly ponder its application elsewhere, including in a roadgoing 930-generation 911 Turbo. To celebrate the end of their partnership, it is rumored that Porsche gifted McLaren a modified 911 in Grand Prix White, of course equipped with the Formula One-specification V-6. The telltale signs were two large radiators fitted behind the otherwise unassuming front grille and hefty intercoolers tucked under the signature rear spoiler.

Though decades had passed since this fabled collaboration, Dean Lanzante and his eponymous Lanzante concern—famed for its achievements in motorsport, in particular with McLaren—went to great effort to repeat the construction of the legendary Formula One-engined Porsche 911. Lanzante made 11 examples of the 930 “TAG Turbo,” built to custom order, with the history of selected powertrains traced back to particular races. The Lanzante car is sent on a crash diet, with its body some 120 pounds lighter than the regular 930. The donor 911s are disassembled down to a bare metal shell and rebuilt with bespoke body panels made from contemporary Formula One-grade carbon fiber. The rebuilt car saves further bulk with a lightweight bonnet, front and rear bumper, rear wing, and alloy door skins.

The TAG-Porsche engine installed by Lanzante in the 911 weighs an incredible 286 pounds fewer than the 3.3-liter air-cooled flat-six from the standard car, and it is paired with a six-speed manual H-pattern gearbox. Extensively reengineered with input from Cosworth, the engine is rebuilt with new pistons, connecting rods, valves, valve springs, turbochargers, upgraded cooling, oil heat exchangers, and exhaust system with titanium tailpipes.

The engine, numbered “TTE P01 051,” in the example offered here powered Alain Prost’s car at the 1986 German Grand Prix and 1987 Hungarian and Japanese Grands Prix. The French ace’s best result with this engine was 3rd place at the Hungaroring. Accordingly, the car is nicknamed “AP87,” after being built up from a 1988 model year 930 Turbo donor car that had been delivered new to the United States. Since being completed by Lanzante, finished in Mintgrün over a black leather interior with blue/green tartan cloth seat inserts, the Porsche has been equipped with a set of gold RUF wheels. It was briefly registered and enjoyed in the United Kingdom. This TAG Turbo returned to Lanzante in March 2025 for a service and routine upgrades, including a revised ECU and software (invoice available to view on file).

Significantly different from almost every other 911 that has come before it—save for the handful of other 930s that have been subject to this special custom conversion by Lanzante—this Formula One-engined Porsche offers its next owner the opportunity to experience TAG-Turbo thrills from behind the wheel of an instantly recognizable and iconic car.