1-of-1 Porsche 963 RSP Breaks Cowl As A Tribute To Penske Forward Of Le Mans 2025

Porsche has as soon as once more redefined what it means to carry a race automotive to the street, and in case you’ve been following our earlier reporting, you’ll do not forget that we anticipated this: a modern-day homage to Roger Penske and the long-lasting street-driven Porsche 917 commissioned by Depend Rossi, 50 years in the past in 1975. In the present day, that imaginative and prescient involves life as a 1-of-1 Porsche 963 RSP, making its debut on public roads close to Le Mans, France, operating alongside the 917 that impressed it.

The 963 RSP, the place the ‘P’ refers to Roger S Penske, the billionaire Founder and Chairman of Penske Company, is a wild Sonderwunsch creation, born from the DNA of Porsche’s Le Mans-conquering 963 Hypercar. It shares the race-winning spine with the racecar, however wears a novel 917-inspired bodywork, exterior colour, and a bespoke cabin with classic 70s-style touches. On the wheel throughout its first public outing was none aside from three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard. 

“We have now loved a terrific relationship with Porsche relationship again to 1972. The Porsche 917/30, specifically, was one of many biggest eras in Workforce Penske’s historical past, with quite a few wins and championships. With such a outstanding partnership persevering with to this present day, we felt it was time to create essentially the most thrilling automotive we may think about. Identical to the 917, I needed this automotive to be genuine to its origin and have as few modifications to it as attainable. After we received into the venture, the variations within the two generations of race automobiles offered a fantastic problem. What emerged is a automotive that has misplaced none of its edge and is thrilling whether or not on the monitor or on the street.” – Roger S Penske – Founder and Chairman Penske Company

The origins of this particular automotive return to a trackside dialog at Highway Atlanta between Porsche’s Timo Resch, Thomas Laudenback, and Urs Kratel. What started as a “What if?” ultimately grew to become a full-fledged ardour venture that took form with the likes of Porsche AG, Porsche Penske Motorsport, and Porsche Automobiles North America collaborating on the venture. 

Exterior highlights embrace the Martini Silver paint, impressed by Depend Rossi’s authentic 917, the black-silver livery wraps that subtly reworked carbon-fiber/kevlar bodywork, enclosed fender vents, and a clear rear wing sans the blanking plates required from racing, with a classic enamel Porsche crest on the nostril.

As a result of this can be a monitor automotive for the street, the transformation on the inside is much more dramatic, with luxurious and on a regular basis creature comforts making their method into this in any other case sporty cockpit.  There’s a very good dose of tan leather-based and Alcantara, a cup holder (you learn that proper), a retrimmed steering wheel, a customized stowage panel for a Peltor headset, and a Laptop computer. Even Roger Penske’s customized helmet has an identical Martini Silver end. 

Mechanically, the Hybrid V8 stays true to its racing roots and relies on the 918 Spyder’s 4.6-liter engine that produces 680 horsepower, with modified hybrid management mapping calibrated for street use. The powertrain management unit was reprogrammed to permit smoother supply and run on pump gasoline, a vital tweak for non-track circumstances.

Different modifications embrace an elevated journey peak to its max setting, the Multimatic DSSV dampers dialed to the softest setting, and reprogrammed lights and switch alerts. Michelin rain-spec tires wrapped round 18-inch solid OZ wheels, a horn, and license plates imply that this automotive is road-legal in France, with the blessing of the French authorities and the Vehicle Membership de l’Ouest (ACO), which runs the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

The Porsche 963 RSP shall be displayed in the course of the upcoming Le Mans weekend earlier than heading to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and the Goodwood Pageant of Velocity in July. 

Porsche 963 RSP Specs

Supply: Porsche