Question of the Week: 911 GT1, CLK GT-R or F1 GTR?

Don’t you just miss the Nineties? Car culture was thriving and unstoppable on the streets, and manufacturers were throwing the kitchen sink at finding success on the track.

The catalogue of cars that etched themselves into automotive folklore during the decade is pretty substantial, and three of the most elusive, rarified examples of this are the McLaren F1 GTR, Mercedes-Benz CLK GT-R and the Porsche 911 GT1. All of them even spawned road-going versions which are now switching hands for frighteningly large sums of money.

McLaren released the F1 GTR in 1995 and intended for its then-fastest car in the world to translate its raw pace onto closed tarmac. It did exactly that, most notably securing outright victory in Le Mans that same year, and continued to race for a whole decade thereafter. We’re particularly big fans of the Longtail version, so if you’ve got one lying around, mind handing us the keys for a Sunday afternoon jaunt?

Mercedes’ answer came by way of the CLK GTR, which was famously built in just over four months. That’s quicker than the time it takes most households to remove their Christmas decorations. Despite this, the CLK GTR went on to enjoy a stellar career, almost waltzing to the 1997 FIA GT Championship title. It doesn't look half mean either, does it? Kudos to the design department there.

And finally, we have the 911 GT1 - perhaps the single greatest rendition of Porsche’s longstanding model. In essence, it’s a mashup of various cars of the time, merging the front chassis of the 993 911 with the rear frame of the 962 Group C challenger. It also nicked the water-cooled flat-six from the latter, with the resulting 592bhp propelling the 911 GT1 to a winning debut at Brands Hatch in 1996, before winning at Le Mans two years later.

These three cars were in direct competition with one another throughout a magical period for endurance racing, and each has rightfully earned its status. But which would you want to own, and why? Tell us your choice in the comment section below, and expect the strongest answers to form the basis of Friday’s result post. This one should be very interesting…