Photography courtesy Porsche
For those of us who dream of taking a full-fledged race car on the street, enter the Porsche 963 RSP. It uses the Porsche 963 race car that’s won some of the world’s biggest events as its base and with some modifications makes it roadworthy.
It’s not the first time Porsche has done something like this, though. Fifty years ago, in 1975, Count Teofilo Guiscardo Rossi di Montelera, Prince of Premuda, wanted Porsche to make a road-faring version of the race car that took the world by storm, the 917. That car earned the automaker its first overall victory at Le Mans.
The Porsche 963 RSP, named after and created for Roger S. Penske, applied that same methodology to its 963, a car that’s won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and hopes to win at Le Mans this year.
“This really started out as a ‘what if?’–a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that really resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,” said Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Timo Resch, who conceived of the original idea. “The 917 from the story was every inch a race car–albeit one driven on the road–and we took the same approach with the 963 RSP. It uses beautiful materials of the best quality available, but is still every bit a race car underneath.”
To start with the differences between it and the race car, the 963 RSP receives Martini Silver paint, not a wrap, on its carbon fiber and Kevlar bodywork. Porsche also modified the body to cover the wheel arches, with unique fender vents. Inside, a cushier tan leather and Alcantara interior, complete with a 3D-printed cup holder.
Porsche also raised the ride height, softened the dampers and reprogrammed the control unit so the headlights and taillights operate closer to a road car, including functional turn signals. The 963 RSP rides on Michelin wet weather compound tires. It also had to receive a horn in order to legally ride on public roads.
The hybrid V8 powertrain remains the same as the race car’s, but its MGU has been remapped for a smoother delivery of power more appropriate for road use. In addition, the car can now run on pump gas, too, thanks to remapping.
“We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972. The Porsche 917/30, in particular, was one of the greatest eras in Team Penske history with numerous wins and championships, along with the closed-course speed record set by Mark Donohue in 1975,” said Roger Penske, Chairman of the Penske Corporation. “With such a remarkable partnership continuing to this day, we felt it was time to create the most exciting car we could imagine. Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible. When we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or on the road.”
Penske driver and three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard drove the 963 RSP for its street debut near Le Mans that also included running side by side with the Count Rossi 917.
“That was an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime,” said Bernhard. “Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me–it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly–it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963–and felt super special and a lot more comfortable, especially as I was not needing all my safety gear.”
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