Chassis Number: 962163
After utterly dominating international sports car and prototype racing throughout the latter 1970s with its Group 5 935 and Group 6 936 competition models, Porsche scored its third overall Le Mans victory with the 936 in 1981. Since upcoming FIA rule changes for 1982 rendered the 936 obsolete, Porsche engineers set to work designing its Group C successor, the 956, just two weeks after the company’s latest Le Mans triumph. Restricted only by certain key dimensions, cars of the new Group C class would quickly populate a number of important international racing series, including World Sportscar Championship events, the German Interserie, and North American IMSA competition during the 1980s and 1990s. As Porsche’s first all-new racer in over a decade, the twin-turbocharged 956 marked a departure from the 936, itself sharing much with Porsche’s late-1960s prototypes. While just 10 Works and 17 customer cars were built, the 956 proved brilliant almost immediately and scored four consecutive Le Mans 24 Hour victories (1983–86). Designed with a slightly longer wheelbase and repositioned pedal boxes, plus a built-in steel roll cage, the 956-derived 962 was outwardly similar to the 956. It was inspired by Porsche’s desire to compete in high-profile IMSA events in the company’s extremely important North American marketplace. Competing in IMSA GTP, the 962 utilized a completely air-cooled flat-6 engine with a single turbocharger, derived from the 934. A derivative of the IMSA GTP 962 was the 962C, introduced for the 1985 World Endurance Championship (WEC), using the twin-turbocharged engine specification similar to the 956. The 962C was a ferocious performer that dominated the 1985 WEC series in the hands of Derek Bell, Jacky Ickx and Hans Stuck.
