Porsche didn’t race at Le Mans since 2017but on Friday, Porsche introduced the car that will mark the brand’s return to hit road racing, the Porsche 963.
The 963 prototype race car was shown for the first time at Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 963 will not only compete in the LMDh (hypercar) class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, but also in the new GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Championship.
The hybrid powertrain starts with a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V-8 based on the Supercar 918 Spyder. Porsche says the engine’s DNA dates back to the RS Spyder race car that was driven between 2005 and 2008. It uses hybrid components from Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering and Xtrac, and it makes 680 hp.
To comply with LMDh regulations, the vehicle is based on the current WEC LMP2 chassis. Canada’s Multimatic, build Supercar Ford GTchassis developed.
Porsche racing car 963
Porsche racing car 963
Porsche racing car 963
The car’s design was influenced by 956 and 962 racers from the 1980s, but it also features a continuous light strip at the rear like Current 911.
Porsche Penske Motorsport will build four cars and ship them as racers at the factory, and customer cars will be available in the 963’s first competition year. The cars will come in white paint. , red and black of current Porsche race cars. Workshop drivers and experienced sports car drivers will work together to test drive cars in the WEC and IMSA series. The lineup will include Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Mathieu Jaminet, André Lotterer, Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor. Additional drivers will be added for endurance events, including Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The 963 has undergone 4,900 miles of testing, including at Porsche Motorsport headquarters in Weissach, Germany. However, Porsche Motorsport Vice President Thomas Laudenbach said more work needs to be done. Porsche Penske Motorsport plans to make its track debut in November during the WEC season finale in Bahrain, where the 963 will test in the non-competitive class. Porsche says the car will be launched this fall.
The first official race will take place next January at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the IMSA GTP class.
The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from June 23 to 26. For more details, see Our dedicated center.
