Porsche 963 RSP Is a Wild Road-Going Endurance Racer

Porsche has stunned the motoring world with the reveal of an all-new road-going performance car. It has plenty in common with other road-going performance cars – headlights, indicators and a horn – yet it is unlike virtually anything currently available to buy.

That is because it is derived directly from a machine that has won multiple world endurance racing titles. Say hello to the wild, wicked and utterly superb Porsche 963 RSP.

Porsche 963 RSP: a road-going endurance racer

This is a version of Porsche’s WEC and IMSA challenger created to commemorate 50 years since Count Rossi drove the dominant Porsche 917 from Zuffenhausen to Paris. As with that car, modifications have been made to render it street legal. Sort of.

“How could we reimagine [the 917’s] story in today’s time?” asked Porsche North America boss Timo Resch. The response is plainly visible before you.

“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,” added Resch. “It uses beautiful materials of the best quality available, but is still every bit a race car underneath.”

That is an excellent starting point. The compact group responsible for this highly special project, including Porsche's Sonderwunsch department, quickly concluded it required a completely new 963 chassis rather than an existing example. It was then given several exceptionally subtle, crucial and doubtless mind-bogglingly complex alterations.

The 963’s ride height has been lifted from barely above the ground to a level better suited to public roads, while its adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers – remember, these were designed for sports prototypes – have been gaffer-taped in their softest setting.

Hybrid V8 power for petrol stations

One of the most challenging tasks followed: enabling the 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain to operate on regular unleaded petrol. Not racing fuel, but petrol from an ordinary filling-station pump. “Not a small undertaking,” explained Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid.

Remarkably, it remains in race specification, meaning the combination of the 918 Spyder-derived V8, electric motor and battery delivers a staggering 671bhp. Here, however, an ECU remap has been applied to make the power delivery more progressive. Top Gear has not yet forgotten either the sound of the naturally aspirated 918 Spyder V8 or that of the 963’s race-bred engine. This Will Be Loud.

Not when operating solely on electric power, admittedly, which the Porsche 963 RSP can do over short distances. Porsche has nevertheless ensured its fortunate new keeper will wish to cover considerably longer distances, as the cabin is naturally the car’s greatest departure from its racing counterpart.

You could practically make a home in it. Supple tan leather covers the completely bespoke interior, while the one-piece carbon-fibre driver’s seat receives extra padding and a fixed headrest. It is air-conditioned as well. Alcantara trims the headlining and pillars, the steering wheel is leather-covered, and, in a “light-hearted” detail, a removable 3D-printed cupholder accommodates… a Porsche mug.

A dedicated compartment beside the driver provides stowage for a helmet and the steering wheel, while closer inspection reveals “obvious references to the 917”. One is wonderfully nerdy and exceptionally cool: bespoke end plates for the ventilation system are formed to resemble the fan atop the 917’s flat-12 engine. Yes, Porsche. More of this please.

Martini Silver bodywork and 917 details

The most significant homage to the 917 is, in fact, the exterior finish. Porsche’s records confirm that this paint-to-sample shade is the same ‘Martini Silver’ used on Count Rossi’s 917. Unlike other 963s, which wear bespoke wraps, this example has been properly painted and topped with a three-layer lacquer.

Naturally, the bodywork also needed adapting. Most noticeable are the headlamps and rear lights, alongside fresh air vents, sealed blanking plates on the rear wing, an enamel Porsche emblem on the nose, genuine wet-weather road tyres fitted to 18in OZ Racing wheels and, naturally, number-plate mounting points. It also has indicators. And a horn.

That makes it ideal for its new owner: a certain… Roger Penske. Hence the ‘RSP’ designation. “I thought it was appropriate to get Roger Penske himself involved in this project and ask for his support,” said Resche. “I wasn’t quite sure if he was going to say ‘don’t get me distracted me from my race efforts’, or if he would say ‘oh that’s a good idea’.

“He said ‘that’s a very, very cool idea’. He liked it from the very beginning. He said if a car should be done it should be true to the 963. That the race car character shouldn’t be changed. From this early stage, we came to the conclusion that he would be the perfect customer for such a car,” he added.

The only customer, in fact. It was never designed to become a fully homologated, road-legal 963: it needs special dispensation to run in France during the Le Mans 24hr weekend, while Porsche has secured an EPA exemption in the US because “they understand it’s a one-of-one” and “how special it is”. That is the limit of it – this is not a fully road-registered car.

Nor is Porsche preparing to produce them in Cayenne-like numbers. “It’s very different to 1975,” a Porsche spokesperson told Top Gear. “It’s far more difficult to [homologate] now. It’s a huge, huge task, and would very much change the character of the 963.

“Roger was very keen to ensure the character of the car – that rawness – was retained as much as possible.” It is therefore a one-off.

Porsche’s director of LMDh factory racing, Urs Kuratle, nevertheless told TG: “Of course we will not build exactly the same one again because that’s the nature of the project. But… never say never. As Porsche, we like to sell cars first of all, and if there is an opportunity, a possibility to do it again at a later stage, why not.”

Resche added: “I think this is part of the Porsche DNA, it has always been a start point for things to evolve based on what we hear from the public, from the enthusiasts. So I would keep it open.”

Could there be an ambition for this Penske 963 to demolish every road-car lap record worldwide? “That’s a question for its owner!” Porsche told TG. “Competition is at the heart of the brand, and we’re a curious group. It’s not part of the agenda for the car, but who knows.

“Never say never.”