With the car retiring after the 2017 LMP WEC season, the Porsche team decided to throw it a truly memorable send-off. Freed from any restrictions brought upon by strict regulations in the class it competed in, Porsche threw out the rulebook and established a new benchmark. Amongst the notable parting gifts was a significant horsepower bump, increasing the turbo V4 to 720 horsepower from 500 horsepower. Additionally, the electric motor received a 10% boost, now generating 440 horsepower. In total this gave the 919 a remarkable 1160 horsepower.
Porsche Race Cars
Autosport 1000 km, Silverstone, 14 September 2008: In the fifth and final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season,...
The premise was disarmingly simple: a race bringing together the best drivers in motorsport, all competing in identical cars, in...
#21 Martini Porsche 917 LH (chassis #042) was driven by Gerard Larrousse and Vic Elford in the 1971 Le Mans...
The 959 took both first and second place in the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally. For 1986, the Dakar Porsches finally got all the upgrades from the 959 project, including the active four-wheel drive system offering four driving modes adjusted by the computers. This gave Porsche a 1-2 finish, with supporting 959 Dakar engineer Unger Kussmaul crossing the line at sixth. Once the champagne had dried up, Porsche deemed its Dakar program accomplished.
The successor to the 550 A made its debut in 1957 as the 718 RSK. Motorsport and technology were closely...
The Porsche 962 arrived on scene in 1984 as essentially a Porsche 956 for the IMSA/US market. A biturbo version was used in competition racing in Europe, while an IMSA version with a turbocharger featured in North America. The 962 C was based on the 956, with a 120 millimetre longer wheelbase and competed in LeMans. It differed from the IMSA version. The driver trio Stuck/Bell/Holbert was victorious at Le Mans in 1987. Porsche offered the 962 to privateers to race on their own and they were hugely successful.
Built with Japanese backing, Le Mans-winning driver Vern Schuppan created his very own street-legal Porsche 962. It wasn’t merely a...
Every year on a late winter weekend, the Porsche world turns its focus to Southern California. Crowds converge in Los...
You just picked up a nice sports car—like a Porsche 718 or Porsche 911—to bomb around town in. Your gearhead...
Porsche 935 chassis no. 009 00030, the Old Warhorse speeds up the hill at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed...
Four factory 906s received an air-cooled eight-cylinder boxer engine of the type 771, which was already used in the 904/8. The engine had a displacement of 2.2 liters with a compression of 10.2: 1 and vertical shafts that drove the two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank. The maximum output was 198 kW (270 hp) at 8600 rpm. All vehicles were equipped with a five-speed manual transmission of the type 906 and a ZF limited-slip differential . The gear ratios could be exchanged as required without removing the gear.
The 935/78 was the ultimate expression of the 911 factory race car before Porsche officially withdrew from motor sport. Raced under the Group 5 silhouette series, great liberties were taken with the design and the result was nicknamed ‘Moby Dick’ for its large size and huge overhangs. The 935/78 was built under Porsche's Chief Racing by Norbert Singer for high speeds at Le Mans. Due to the advanced shape of the car 227 mph or 366 km/h was possible.
Note: All images in this article have been provided by Hoonigan Racing and are either official renders or actual pictures...
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, the Porsche 911 GT1-98 with chassis number 003, in action at the 2018...
In 1967, Porsche brought a new kind of car to Le Mans. The 907 had a small flat-six and incredibly low bodywork, was aerodynamically optimized. Ford won Le Mans, but the 907 proved its worth. At the end of March, 1968, Porsche had four type 907 chassis ready, and brought them to the 24 Hours of Daytona. Fully developed, the 907 now used a 2195 cc aircooled, magnesium alloy flat-eight with Bosch fuel injection, good for 278 bhp at 8700 rpm. The 907LH (lang heck, or long tail) was slippery, stonking fast and wicked hard to drive. And it won.
1991 Koenig-Specials C62 One of the more notorious tuners is Koenig Specials. As the focus of the company has been...
The racing sportscar is prepared by Porsche following the Le Mans GT2 regulations for the over 1,150 kg weight classification. It features a 3.6-litre engine with two turbo-chargers (KKK 24 with 33.8 mm restrictors), which delivers around 450 hp at 5,750 rpm. Even this racing vehicle, with its suspension featuring a McPherson front axle and Porsche multi-link rear axle with LSA system, closely resembles its production relative. Utilizing a steel 993 Twin Turbo chassis with modifications for racing, scored numerous victories in a wide variety of racing venues.
The Porsche 962 (also known as the 962C in its Group C form) was built by Porsche as a replacement...
Although the longtail 917 was introduced first, it was meant only for the Le Mans. This meant, the short tail 917 K ("Kurz" in German for short) was raced first. The only engine available in 1969 was the 4.5-litre flat 12. The factory team enters one 917 K also for the Nürburgring 1000 km race, where it scores 8th. The factory team would not enter 917 K for racing anymore in the season, only private teams will.
Since 1951, Porsche has established an unrivaled dominance as overall champions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (19 wins),...
Watch as Bruce Canepa gets behind the wheel of a 1969 Porsche 917K with chassis number 917-015 around the famous...
This is the Peter Gregg car (chassis #930 770 0952) as shown at the Porsche Rennsport 2015. In early 1977,...
The 906 LH was capable of achieving 174 mph/280 km/h with its 2-litre engine (906 K: 165 mph/265 km/h). At high speed the long tail started to create lift (opposite to downforce), which made the car go fast on the straight, but was dangerous to drive. At Le Mans, the 906 LHs with their experimental bodies competed in the 2-litre prototype class.
Molly ready for the Peking to Paris rally in 2007 © David & Julie Harrison She was manufactured in 1958,...
In 1984 Porsche offered a full works-specification car known as the 956B. This provided the New-Man Joest Racing team with a winning formula and they dominated the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans with a resounding victory. One of the main differences between the customer 956 and the 956B was the Bosch Motronic engine management. This allowed more precise ignition and injection which in turn provided better economy and more power.
The new Porsche 911 RSR (2019) What better way to introduce a new race car model, than to do so...
Photo Courtesy: Chuck Andersen The 2022 IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring will be remembered for Earl Bamber’s late charge to...
Lined up in the pit lane before the 1994 Le Mans 24-Hours, is from the left: #36 962 Dauer Le...
The longer tail 908 Spyders were created only with the Flunder body - the body that's upper surface is almost flat between the axles - and not with the "normal" curvy Spyder body. Very few LH Flunders were created, both with 908/02 and 908/01 chassis numbers. 908 LH Flunder Spyder was first used at the 1969 Le Mans 24h race by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman, but they had to retire because of the gearbox failure. The only excellent result was 3rda at the 1970 Le Mans.
The Porsche 908/3 is undeniably a unique car. Specifically crafted by Porsche for competition on only two circuits during the...
Developed for endurance sports car racing, the 906 was a street-legal racing car that raced in the FIA’s Group 4...
The Porsche 906 was officially marketed as Carrera 6 and was a racing model. Like the 904, the Porsche 906...
Although Porsche concentrated primarily on development of its twelve cylinder 917 from the middle of 1969, the eight cylinder 908 was also developed further. This 908 received a completely new tubular frame based on that of the 909 Bergspyder and its three liter engine was moved forward by mounting the gearbox ahead of the differential to achieve more equal weight distribution.
By Miles Collier The Mighty Porsche Carrera 6 I’ve had my 1966 Porsche Carrera 6 (906-125) in restoration for the...
A spider body was fitted, and its inaugural appearance was at the Swiss Ollon-Villars hillclimb where it was met with disappointing results that were clearly to-do with poor testing and rushed development. The Ferrari's easily dominated the event and sent Porsche and their ''Ollon Villars Spyder' back to the drawing-board.
The 15th Targa California rally recently concluded with most drivers logging 1,000+ miles over the roads “less traveled” of California’s...
The 934, introduced for the 1976 racing season, utilized the production 930 as its foundation. It incorporated a front spoiler...
Porsche has started the 2024 motorsport year with a victory: Watched by 40,000 avid spectators in the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez,...
Broad Arrow Auctions, a Hagerty company, is thrilled to announce an exclusive Porsche-only auction in partnership with the first-ever Air|Water...
By 1969, Porsche develops the 917 Spyder with a view to competing in the extremely popular North American racing series, the Canadian American Challenge Cup (Can-Am). Three units featuring 4.5-litre twelve-cylinder naturally aspirated engines are constructed in Zuffenhausen, and Jo Siffert takes one to the US to compete in the Can-Am races, ultimately placing fourth overall. The car becomes known as the 917 PA Spyder, with “PA” standing for “Porsche + Audi” as they are the two sales organisations in the US at the time.
Side view of the ANDIAL 935-L ‘Moby Dick’ in the Riverside pit lane 1982 The ANDIAL 935-L ‘Moby Dick’ race...
The Porsche LMP2000 (also known as the Porsche 9R3) is a Le Mans Prototype racing car that was developed between 1998 and 2000, but never raced. One car was built, and it was designed around a modified version of Porsche's 3.5-litre V10 engine that was originally designed for Formula 1 in 1992. The project was canceled before the car was built, leading to various rumors about the reason for its demise.
Having just experienced the seventh Rennsport Reunion at Weathertech Raceway, Laguna Seca, it’s clear absolutely nothing would get in the...
Broad Arrow Auctions to offer Porsche rarity Chassis No. 9R6-705 is a Porsche RS Spyder, a sports racing prototype designed...
Engineering drawing of the Porsche Type 64 (16 September 1938). Note the provision for two spare wheels in the front...
The 917 Kurzheck Coupé (917K) first appeared in 1970 and contributed more to the Porsche 917 story than any other variant. It was a high-down force version that featured a cut-off tail for increased downforce. This reduced the cars top speed, as much as 30 mph. Le Mans winner 1970, Interserie winner 1970 and Manufacturers' World Championship for Porsche in 1970.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a video worth? Enjoy this throwback to 2023’s premier celebration...
Porsche’s Type 904, officially called the Carrera GTS because Porsche and Peugeot were in dispute over numeric designations with “0” in them, succeeded the RSK Type 718 as the last sports-racing iteration of the 356 series. Developed after Porsche left Formula One in 1962, the 904 (as it soon became popularly known) was also the last full-competition Porsche that could be readily driven on the street. This is the full story.
In 1965, the 904’s second and final production year, some examples received a version of the 911’s 2.0-liter flat-six. This version was dubbed the 904/6 and was focused on the factory works effort by Porsche. Six of these cars were so equipped and used a chassis number of 906-0xx. Porsche built a total of six similar 904/6 Works team cars with the following chassis number assignments: 906-001, 002, 005, 006, 011, and 012.
Group shot of (from L-R): Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car; 959 road car; 961 race car (1986) The Porsche 961...
ACO Museum, Le Mans 16 September 2020: As it was the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first win at Le Mans,...
1973 Vasek Polak Porsche 917/10-018 Cam-Am Spyder driven by Jody Scheckter Jody Scheckter was born in East London on the...
For the 1960 season the FIA made changes to the regulation regarding the windscreen and cockpit size. These rules changes together with a larger (1.6-litre) Type 547/3 engine, developing 160 horsepower (120 kW) and a new double wishbone rear suspension brought about the RS 60 model. The RS 60 brought Porsche victory at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring with a car driven by Hans Herrmann and Olivier Gendebien. 1960 also saw Porsche win the Targa Florio with Hans Herrmann being joined on the winner podium by Jo Bonnier and Graham Hill. z
The “shark fins” on the tail gave the Porsche 917 KH 1971 greater directional stability and reduced wind resistance by 11 percent. In 1971 a veritable armada of six Porsche 917s started at Le Mans. The car with start number 22 was special. The white race car with the characteristic Martini stripes had the new “shark fins” on the tail that Porsche had first used in pretraining in April. This 917 was also the first Porsche with a magnesium tubular frame to be used in a race.
1976 Porsche 935 The history of 935-001, the first Porsche 935 ever built, originates in a major revision to the...
The 2015 season Porsche released a new version of their 919 LMP1 prototype which was reshaped and significantly upgraded to the Premiere class which uses an 8 megajoule hybrid electric system. It follows the 2014 car which had competitive but lackluster year against Audi and Toyota. Combined with a 2 litre, twin turbo V4 gasoline engine is the 8 megajoule lithium-ion battery which powers the front electric engine for a total power output nearing 900 to 1000 bhp.
The 917/20 Turbo is a confusing car - its chassis number reads 917/30-001, but it is not the real 917/30. In its first race it was called as the 917/10 Turbo. Sharp eye can detect that it was not just the 917/10 Turbo, but an evolution of it. At the same time it was not the evolution of the 1971 Le Mans 917/20. Still, the car should not be called as the 917/30 to distinct it from the "real" 917/30 Can-Am racers and in 1974 it was decided to call it as the 917/20 Turbo.
Porsche 904/8 (chassis #008) photographed in the Porsche Museum, September 2020 F.A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche, the eldest son of Ferry and...
Following a development year with Penske Motorsports in ALMS, Porsche revealed the final version of their LMP2 contender for the 2007 season. Known as the 'EVO' model, it had a host of upgrades that made it suitable for customer-funded teams to successfully compete. This model dominated the P2 class at events like Le Mans and Sebring. It raced from 2007 till 2010 with strong results across the board.
Developed to follow in the steps of its Le Mans winning predecessors: The new 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid is upon...
In a year where Porsche is launching more cars than ever before, the largest gathering of car enthusiasts, art connoisseurs,...
Porsche’s 956 was a revolutionary force in endurance racing. Introduced in the early 1980s to compete in the new Group...
For the 1969 racing season an absolutely new Porsche 917 with 4.5-litre 12-cylinder engine was created. Ferdinand Piëch relied on the skilfulness of Hans Mezger, who was responsible for the overall construction of the vehicle and its engine. The aim was to create the fastest racing car ever. Short and long tail versions were developed, called as the 917 K ("Kurz" = short in German) and the 917 LH ("Langheck" = long tail). The first car was assembled in December 1968.
Have you seen a Porsche 917 in action outside of Le Mans? If not, you’re in for a treat as...
Words and photos by Dom Miliano Deeply devout people of all stripes live their lives hoping to, someday, visit the...
In 1977 Kremer sufficiently improved the 935 to begin series production of their own version. It was the third Kremer...
Porsche 935 JLP-4 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2014 JLP-4 was the final race car in the line of...
Spark Racing Technology is responsible for a big part of the Porsche 99X Electric. This is the racing car Porsche fielded in Formula E 2019 season. Maximum performance in qualifying mode? 335 horsepower and 174 mph. Zero to 100 kilometers per hour is doable in 2.8 seconds, and the minimum weight including the driver is rated at 900 kilograms of which the battery is responsible for 385 kilograms. In race and attack modes, the output is restricted to 272 and 320 PS, respectively. The useable battery capacity is 52 kWh while maximum recuperation is rated at 250 kW.
Porsche 550 (1953-1956) Introduction Porsche needed a race car to compete in the roadster class, and that’s just what the...
The story of the 718 coupé began in 1960 when a customer ordered a one-off design from Karosserie Wendler. The car was built on the Porsche 550 chassis. Front-end design came from the 718 Spyder. The roof and the rear end were unique creations by Wendler. For the Le Mans 24h race in June 1961, Porsche created two 718 RS 61 Coupés. They shared the side view silhouette of the Wendler coupé and the rear end of the 718 Spyder, but the front design was original to the car.
Using the 930 Turbo as a basis, Porsche built the 934 for Group 4 GT racing. It replaced the outgoing Carrera RSR while winning GT Championships in Europe and performing very well in America for Trans Am. Porsche built the 934 from a standard 930 bodyshell and production rear spoiler, but almost nothing else was left alone. The suspension was converted to solid mounts and nylon bushings with adjustable anti-roll bars.
The pinnacle for hillclimb racing was the mid-1960s and perhaps the most extreme machine of the era was the Porsche 909 Bergspyder. It took weight saving to the extreme. The 909 Bergspyder did not win a major event. It ended up being an awesome laboratory of ideas (not all worked). The 909 Bergspyder was based on the 910, but Piëch had tasked his team of engineers, including the legendary Peter Falk, to remove weight on every component.
A Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupé in 1963 outside the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The early version had a slatted air...
1993 Porsche 968 Turbo RS The story of the fabulous 968 Turbo RS, one of Porsche’s sweetest front-engined racers, might...
Despite being made for the small engine displacement classes, Porsche nearly won the 1960 Manufacturers Championship with the RS 60....
Definitive List of the Best Racing Cars Porsche Has Ever Raced Porsche Race Cars Porsche 917 Porsche 550 Spyder Porsche...
1966 Porsche 911 2.0-litre – GVB 911D – parked on track at Lodge Corner after practice for the Oulton Park...
In 1978, the works team fields two 911 SC at the East African Safari Rally. The name of game is to survive 5,000 kilometres of the toughest tracks in sweltering heat and torrential rain. The conditions take their toll: of the 72 starters, 13 reach the finish line. Martini Racing Porsche System Engineering signs on two specialists to drive: Sweden’s Björn Waldegård (Start No. 5) and Kenyan Vic Preston Jnr (Start No. 14).
According to Porsche, it retained the monocoque from 2016, but 60 to 70% of the 2017 car was new, with the largest alterations being to its aerodynamic demands. This included a major redesign of the front of the 919 Hybrid with wider arches for the front wheels to make it less aerodynamically sensitive from small bits of discarded rubber from the track surface. Porsche remained in the 8 MJ (2.2 kWh) MGU category for the 2017 season. The engine was modified to be lighter and more compact, and Porsche stated that it was its most-efficient ever.
The 1961 Porsche RS was one of the last Spyders made by Porsche that used the potent 4-cam engine. It was a successor to the 1960 RS60 which was a highly developed version of the original 550 RS Spyder. These diminutive racecars excelled on the tighter courses like the Targa Florio which was first won by Porsche in 1956. That victory marked the first time a sports car with a midship engine had won a major motor sports event.
Conseil de la Concurrence from Morocco recently published some documents that disclosed Porsche’s interest in acquiring a 50% stake in...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 20/21 June 1964: Porsche 904/8 of Edgar Barth/Herbert Linge before the start of the race The...
From the creators of Luftgekühlt comes the largest single-brand automotive experience to hit Southern California. It embarks on a fresh...
When I first started writing my book, “R to RSR: The Racing Porsche 911s” in 1987, whilst living in England,...
The 550A was based on Porsche’s first purpose-built racing car, the mid-engined RS 550 Spyder. Appearing at the end of 1956, the 550A differed from its predecessor by use of a full tube spaceframe with several rear supportive cross-members, rather than the heavier welded-up sheet steel internal structure of the 550. The rear swing axles of the 550 were replaced by a new low-pivot arrangement that made handling much more predictable.
The 993 Carrera RSR takes the 993 Carrera RS formula and makes it even more track-ready by adding a roll-cage and removing carpet, power windows, and a/c. There were just thirty Porsche 911 Cup 3.8 RSR (Type 993) race cars produced for the 1997 season. This model was the last of the breed of air-cooled, naturally-aspirated 911 race cars to come from the Weissach race department before the introduction of the Type 996 water-cooled cars. To find a 993 3.8 RSR that participated in some of the world’s toughest endurance races in period, and survived unscathed and unmolested, is quite rare.
The year 1974 will be remembered for many different reasons, depending on where you were living in the world at...
The 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even just the name evokes memories of classic races, unbelievable tragedy, and some of...
With the aerodynamic instability of the 917 in the 1969, two separate configurations were used in 1970. These were the...
Jägermeister Porsche 934 chassis #930 670 0167 The Jägermeister 934 is one of the most recognisable liveries in the world...
1981 Porsche Kremer 935 K4 – chassis #K4-01 In the mid-1970s, Porsche developed the 911 for racing, and in the...
Porsche’s Type 904 was officially called the Carrera GTS because Porsche and Peugeot were still in their bitter disagreement over...
Development of the 1979 Kremer-Porsche K3 Kremer Racing, headed up by the two brothers Erwin and Manfred, from Cologne, Germany,...
The Porsche 962 arrived on scene in 1984 as essentially a Porsche 956 for the IMSA/US market. IMSA mandated that the driver’s feet...
In 1977, Porsche returned to Le Mans with the 936/77. Its body was smaller, lower, shorter and further refined aerodynamically. The engine now featured two turbochargers and delivered 20 more horsepower. At one of the most dramatic races in history, Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood slayed the armada of four Renault works cars and two factory-supported “Mirage” with Renault motors. In the year 1981, the 936 celebrated a sensational comeback with another overall Le Mans victory.
The Porsche 961 was the racing version of the 959 supercar. While the 959 rallye car was also internally called 961,...
The fifth and the last of the 718/2 F2 cars, with chassis number 718/2-05 was an experimental formula racing car. It had the 718/2 chassis, but a different body. The car never got its own type number. It was a one-off car, continuous development project that later evolved into something that became the prototype for the 1961 Porsche 787 F1 car and then even for the 1962 Porsche 804 F1 car. 718/2-05, was first seen at the F2 race on Solitude race track near Stuttgart in July 1960.
The Porsche 914-6 GT was a race car built by Porsche, based on the 914 model with a 6-cylinder engine and GT package. The 914-6 GT was a race configured version of the 914-6. The factory offered the GT option, which was distinguishable by its box-like steel fender flares. It quickly became known as the 914-6 GT and was raced employing different engine configurations. This included the 'T' specification, which was a basic 911 engine. Another popular configuration was to use a converted Carrera 6 engine.
The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. In 1983, driven by Stefan Bellof, this car established a record that would stand for 35 years, lapping the famed 20.832 km (12.93 mi) Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:11.13 during qualifying for the 1000 km Sports Car race.