Earl Bamber has featured in an epic Porsche 911 turbo drag race, showing off some of the popular sportscar’s best iterations dating back to 1975.
Bamber was tasked with piloting the 2000 996-spec machine, though was predictably beaten by the more modern versions. The latest of which was 2020-spec 992 series driven by the first-ever Carrera Cup Champion Olaf Manthey.
Former F1 ace Mark Webber and Bathurst 12 Hour winner Matt Campbell also featured in the race. The former was put behind the wheel of the oldest 930 generation, which punched less than half the horsepower of the 2020 version.
Nevertheless, Webber still managed to drag the 930 from a standing start to 100km/hr in 5.4-seconds. Not a bad number for a 45-year-old car.
Manthey claimed top honours, showcasing the evolution of the 911 Turbo through the years. Bamber, meanwhile, finished middle of the pack.
And while the technology and drivability of each car gets progressively more modern, the basic design of the 911 Turbo remains fundamentally the same starting from 1975 and ending in 2020.
2020 saw Bamber wrap up his factory Porsche driver commitments, earning a Sebring 12 Hour class victory after a difficult start to the IMSA Sports Car Championship season.
Next year the Kiwi will race a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GT Daytona class under the new Team Hardpoint EBM outfit.
He will also transition into a new Customer Racing support role for the German manufacturer.