Porsche has created a one-off sports car based on the 963 machine that races in the Le Mans 24 Hour race.
The 963 is a sports prototype racing car that has been competing in the US-based IMSA SportsCar Championship and Europe-based FIA World Endurance Championship since 2023. Porsche decided to create a street-legal example, the 963 RSP, named after the initials of Roger Searle Penske, owner of Porsche’s motorsport partner Team Penske.
It was influenced by a one-off, road-legal version of the Porsche 917 that was created 50 years ago after the 917 won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. In April 1975, a 917 modified for use on public roads was driven by its owner, Count Rossi, from the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany to Paris, France. The car remains in France, and on the road, to this day.
Like the 917 half a century ago, the new one-off 963 RSP features several upgrades to make it suitable for driving on public roads including a raised ride height and softened suspension.
Like the Count Rossi 917, the 963 RSP is finished in Martini Silver and features altered bodywork and a bespoke tan leather and Alcantara interior inspired by the trim choices made by Count Rossi 50 years ago.
The bodywork is modified to cover the wheel arches, Michelin wet weather tyres are fitted, and the car was given a hooter to be allowed to drive on the road and wear license plates under special permission from the French authorities. The 963 RSP was driven on public roads near Le Mans last week by Porsche driver Timo Bernhard alongside the Count Rossi 917.
Unlike the racing versions, which are wrapped in racing livery, the 963 RSP is the first of its kind to be painted; a unique challenge due to the nature of the carbon fibre and Kevlar bodywork, which is ultra-thin in places to save weight.
While the race car features very few comfort features, the 963 RSP has a single piece carbon seat trimmed in leather with soft cushioning. Like the race version, the seats are air conditioned.
The leg cushions in the footwell as well as the roof lining and pillars have been retrimmed in light Alcantara while the multifunction steering wheel is finished in leather. A detachable cup holder adds the final touch to the street-legal version.
Retained from the racing car is the hybrid powertrain pairing a 4.6l V8 engine with an electric motor, remapped to provide a smoother driving characteristic for road use versus race competition.
“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,” said Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Timo Resch, who conceived the idea.
“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.”
The 963 RSP will go on public display at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14-15 before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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