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- Porsche has unveiled the 963 RSP, a one-off street-legal version of the 917 racing car that dominated motorsports across eras.
- The hypercar was built to mark 50 years since Count Rossi drove the Porsche 917 from Zuffenhausen to Paris.
- It comes with a hybrid V8 powertrain with roots to the 918 Spyder, alongside a 917-inspired paint job.
- The Porsche 963 RSP was built for Roger Penske and could well be the most expensive Porsche ever made.
Porsche is not playing around. This week, the fabled German automaker sent a stern message to the global high-performance market, unveiling a thinly disguised road-legal version of its extreme 963 hybrid Le Mans race car. Built for billionaire racing team owner Roger Penske, this is a one-of-a-kind ride is, aside from being the ultimate flex in the ALDI parking lot, inspired by the equally bonkers and iconic 917.
“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,” Porsche Cars North America president and CEO Timo Resch said. “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.”
A racecar, indeed. The ultra-unique 963 RSP model was reportedly developed as a sort of skunkworks project, with the ethos to stay as close to the original car as possible. Unbelievably, the hybrid V8 powertrain, which comes with a lithium-ion battery, continues to remain in race tune in the 963 RSP.
The 4.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 dishes up 680 hp and originated in the RS Spyder race program operated by Penske. As Porsche fanatics may remember, that same engine, in an enlarged form, was used in the 918 hypercar; however, where the 918 Spyder used the engine in naturally aspirated form, the 963 pairs it with two turbochargers provided by the Dutch manufacturer Van der Lee. Hence, the acceleration is violent and has nearly the same intensity as that of the race car. Crazy.
With so much additional acceleration power, Porsche has understandably remapped the ECU for a (relatively) smoother power delivery, while also modifying the control unit to use headlights and indicators. Of course, if you want to drive a racing car on the road, the ride height must be increased, and the same has been done here with the adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers.
These handy additions are generally reserved for racing prototypes and in this setting, have been tuned to their softest setting. According to Porsche, this creates a more compliant ride, one that will leave your spine intact next time you go on the morning coffee run. Make no mistake, this is not a Panamera but a true hardcore machine, and the driving experience has been kept as uncorrupted as possible.
The same goes for the design, which looks stunning, especially when clad in this ‘Martini Silver’ hue, which matches the 917, and it is not a wrap. To add a contrast effect, some of the components have been painted in satin black with a 3D printed ‘963 RSP’ logo being applied to the rear of the car.
The 963 RSP does have some changes over the 963, including fender vents and carbon fibre blanking plates that sit within the rear wing. To further bring it closer to the 917, the Porsche logo is enamel and not a graphic, along with 1970s-era Michelin logos for the tire walls with 18-inch tyres. Compared to the 963, the road car is far more luxurious on the inside and comes with a lovely tan interior, while the single-piece carbon seat comes trimmed in leather, no less. There is even a detachable 3D-printed cup holder, which means it is quite a practical Porsche, although luggage space is questionable.
“We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972. The Porsche 917/30 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,” Roger Penske, chairman of the Penske Corporation said.
“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.”
Porsche has not revealed just how much the 963 RSP costs, but for a one-off like this, you can expect the price tag to mirror the 917. In all likelihood, the Porsche 963 RSP price could run into millions, making it one of the most expensive Porsches ever built. We’re just glad such a ludicrous thing exists.
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