Epic Porsche 963 RSP unveiled at Le Mans
50 years since the Count Rossi 917, Porsche takes a championship-winning racer to the street
The rumours were true, then - Porsche’s one-off, roadgoing 963 is for Roger Penske. And doesn’t it look spectacular? A project undertaken by Porsche’s Sonderwunsch division - including a new Atlanta branch, opened in 2023 - it has been revealed to the world on the public roads near Le Mans. As if that wasn’t cool enough, it was driven alongside the ‘Count Rossi’ 917, chassis number 30 that was driven from Zuffenhausen to Paris 50 years ago by its ‘enigmatic’ owner and provided inspiration for this build. Timo Bernhard was behind the wheel of the 963 RSP; he said the experience “will stay with me for a lifetime.”
Making a LMDh race car suitable for the public highway - the 963 is wearing ‘W’ manufacturer license plates ‘under special permission from the French authorities’, with some healthy ACO support - is not the work of a moment. This is the first 963 to be painted, for example, as normally these things are wrapped in sponsor liveries. They aren’t usually painted because the bodywork is carbon and kevlar, therefore really tricky to paint and extremely thin in places as well. That being said, as you can see, they more than got the job done, the Martini Silver homage to the Rossi 917 beautifully executed.
And while still very recognisably a Porsche 963, there are a few bodywork changes from race to road - beyond just the numberplates. So there are vents on the wings, unique to this car, where the track version has them open; the carbon blanking plates for the rear spoiler, mandatory on the racer, have been removed. Check out the enamel Porsche badge, too, as per a 917, and ‘1970s-era Michelin logos’ for the tyre sidewalls. Every single detail has been obsessed over, clearly.
The Count Rossi 917 had tan leather inside, so this RSP does as well. Porsche suggests it’s ‘more accommodating’ than the race car, which wouldn’t be hard to achieve, though the extra mile has been romped through - look, there’s a cup holder and everything. The single-piece carbon seat now has a cushion and a headrest (fancy) plus the lovely leather, and there’s Alcantara for the pillars and roof, which presumably would have been bare beforehand. The wheel is leather, and there’s a horn. Note as well the alloy plaque denoting chassis number, plus another trimmed panel for the quick-release wheel, headset, and laptop that’s required to start the 963. The 917 didn’t need one of those.
More impressive still is the fact that the hybrid powertrain has been retained without much change. There’s a nice Penske link here with the 963, as the 4.6-litre V8 that powers the new car has its origins in the RS Spyder engine of the '00s. Decked out in the DHL livery, Penske-run RS Spyders won every possible LMP2 championship in the American Le Mans Series for three consecutive seasons from 2006-2008. It also went on, in modified form, to power the 918 Spyder.
For this installation, Porsche says the hybrid arrangement ‘remains in standard race tune’, though with the motor generator unit tweaked to make it a tad more easygoing for road use. And get this - the RSP can run on pump gas. Excuse the Americanism, that’s the phrase they use, and so potentially even the low-octane ditchwater found at so many gas stations. Porsche quite modestly suggests it was a ‘significant undertaking for the team’ to get a twin-turbo, 8,000rpm race V8 to accept regular fuel. You get the feeling it was probably one of the biggest headaches of the project, but hopefully all worth it to see an actual 963 drive on the road.
While still using the Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve) dampers, this 963 has had them softened off to their most compliant and the ride height raised to its highest to give it some chance of dealing with street furniture. Or specially prepared streets, at least - this won’t be going out on a whim. The forged OZ wheels are running on rain-spec Michelin tyres, just in case.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning the 963 RSP finishing touches. Because no one-off Sonderwunsch car from Porsche is complete without some goodies, and especially not when it’s Roger Penske’s one-off Sonderwunsch Porsche. So the helmet gets Martini accents just like the labour-of-love paintwork, there’s a custom Snap-on toolset (in a Martini Silver chest) for starting and servicing, plus there’s a plaque. Always gotta have a plaque. But it would seem like there’s every intention of the 963 RSP being used where possible, even if it’s headed to the Porsche museum after its public showings this summer at Le Mans and Goodwood. Certainly it feels like something to see given the opportunity.
Penske said of the Porsche that bears his initials: “Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible. When we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or on the road.” We’ll take his word for that! As for the future of the 963, the RSP, and Sonderwunsch projects like it, Porsche is unequivocal: ‘While capable of being driven on the road under special circumstances… the 963 RSP is not a homologated addition to the Porsche model line-up and is intended to remain a very special one-off.’ So drink it all in now, or at Goodwood, or at the museum - it is the perfect excuse for a road trip, if nothing else…
Aston spends nearly a decade and untold millions on their "Le Mans car for the road", Porsche slap some lights and plates on an LMP1 car and make something way more desirable
The 963 is ace, but I'll take the old crock on the left please and thank you.
Also, as it's being driven on the road in France, can we assume it has a warning triangle, first aid kit, hi-vis jackets and breathalyser kit on board? Along with driver's licence, registration documents and proof of insurance?
Aston spends nearly a decade and untold millions on their "Le Mans car for the road", Porsche slap some lights and plates on an LMP1 car and make something way more desirable
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