Thursday 17th January 2013

Spotted: Porsche 959 prototype

Not any old 959 but a development prototype that somehow escaped the factory crusher

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What was once a technological tour-de-force, is now a mechanical and electrical liability. Those words could have been written specifically for the Porsche 959. In fact, they just were.

Who needs level ride height?

I was probably one of the few kids from that era who daubed his bedroom walls with posters of 959s and not F40s, and this is largely because whereas the F40 was tangible – lots of power, little weight – the Porsche appeared to have arrived from a different Galaxy. Hollow wheels with tyre pressure monitoring, anyone? My family was busy upgrading to FM radio and in-car cassette players.

The technology that defined the 959 – the complicated 4WD system, the adjustable dampers, the water-cooled heads – is sadly now the key reason why values of this rare, fascinating machine languish below cars of inferior quality and significance. The Veyron truly is the new 959, because both cost a fortune to keep in a roadworthy condition.

Seats aren't quite right either...

So what is a development 959 worth? Lord only knows, but to me it isn’t as valuable as one of the production cars. The narrative behind this machine is clearly fascinating, and you wouldn’t have to trawl many Stuttgart pubs to meet the chaps who worked on it back in the 80s.

I’m always pretty suspicious of anything like this that somehow finds its way out of the Porsche factory gates and into private hands. The company is loathe to release these machines, so I’d want to research how it came to be in the United States.

It’s a piece of history though. One with some rear ride height issues and a set of seats with strangely small bolsters. But for the collector more interested in the story behind the car than the driving experience, it might be a dream purchase.

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PORSCHE 959
Engine: 2,849cc flat-six turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Power (hp): 451@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@5,000rpm
MPG: 21.2mpg (combined)
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1986
Recorded mileage: not given
Price new: not available
Yours for: TBC

See the original advert here; car is due on sale on Saturday.

[SimonSaid]

I shared your childhood fascination with the 959, Chris. And not just because of the awesome rabbit-frightening radio controlled one I had - it just felt (feels) completely out-there and left-field. The same spirit of proudly vanguard electronics seen in cars like the Merc S-Class and Citroen DS, but in something epically fast that looked suitably sci-fi at the time. Also remember thinking how great it was that it had little back seats so that if dad swapped the family Astra GTE for one, I'd still have somewhere to sit... sigh...

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Your dad had an Astra GTE? Man one of my mates dads had one of them & he smoked rothmans-what a dude.

Anyway, I remember buying the tamiya 1:24 kit of the 959, then I had a moment & painted & decaled it as a modern day batmobile, fk knows what I was thinking but I guess it was so futuristic I figured it would be something batman would drive.

These things were never homologated for America originally were they?

[LotusOmega375D]

I loved them more than F40s too.

The original "Gruppe B" prototype publicity shots prior to production showed a silver car with aerodynamic disk wheels (a bit like the XJ220).

Anyway here's gratuitous photo of one that used to sit in the Daventry rally car museum.



Here's the sort of thing I mean.



Funny how a Passenger Door Mirror (PDM) still seemed to be an optional extra even on the top-of-the-range, money-no-object super Porsche! No 1980s Porsche classified ad was complete without a "PDM".

Edited by LotusOmega375D on Wednesday 16th January 17:43

Edited by LotusOmega375D on Wednesday 16th January 17:44

[Dusty964]

As a huge Porsche fan, that does little for me. The 961 was the best development of the car.

[IsItACatInAHat]

They had a 959 (belonging to a certain famous guy around these parts) in the local Seattle Porsche dealership over the summer when I popped in to look at the new Boxster. Absolutely stunning, they had flew over a tech from Porsche AG to restore it, as a lot of the suspension had perished due to not being used.

Still, as much of a Porsche fan as I am, I think I'd rather go F40. I know it's heresy and against everything the 959 stands for, but I always thought it looked like a shonky 911, that rear spoiler just looks bizarre.

[Blukoo]

Dibs!

haha

[Gridl0k]

Bill Gates' 959 has quite the story behind it - essentially, it took him 13 years to get a law passed so he could drive it..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_959#.22Gates_...

[Gridl0k]

Gridl0k said:

Bill Gates' 959 has quite the story behind it - essentially, it took him 13 years to get a law passed so he could drive it..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_959#.22Gates_...

It occurs to me this makes this article's provenance as a true demonstrator, hmm, suspect?

[vrooom]

I wonder what would happen if 959 got in start of group B era...

[sycmatt]

I agree with you Chris. Somethings just don't add up with this example. If the car is a genuine item, surely the present owner would have never let the suspension go to wrack and ruin???

[FisiP1]

Forget level ride height, we want rake.

[nottyash]

I couldnt resist taking this one parked up locally last week.

[LotusOmega375D]

nottyash said:

I couldnt resist taking this one parked up locally last week.

I remember seeing that one on the Ecurie Ecosse tour of Scotland in about 1989. It was just so quick and accomplished in tricky conditions. I'm glad it's alive and well nearly a quarter of a century later.

[J4CKO]

Wonder how a 959 would do against a GTR ?

[Grovsie26]

J4CKO said:

Wonder how a 959 would do against a GTR ?

Very badly lol.

It's such an ugly car. The proportions are all wrong. The F40 looks soooooo much better.

[Contigo]

nottyash said:

I couldnt resist taking this one parked up locally last week.

But come on to look at it's a bit on the fugly side! I appreciate the engineering and everything else but it's not a looker at all.

[J4CKO]

Grovsie26 said:

J4CKO said:

Wonder how a 959 would do against a GTR ?

Very badly lol.

It's such an ugly car. The proportions are all wrong. The F40 looks soooooo much better.

Was not talking looks wise, I cant be objective about the 959, it is burnt into my brain to love it.

Was more on about performance.

[Dusty964]

J4CKO said:

Was not talking looks wise, I cant be objective about the 959, it is burnt into my brain to love it.

Was more on about performance.

For what it offered in terms of performance and technology it remains a landmark car. As a competition device it was bloody useful too. Alas, it will always be compared to the f40, despite operating to a completely different brief, but in context, if compared to the average car on the roads at the time, it was like a bloody spaceship!

[Grovsie26]

J4CKO said:

Was not talking looks wise, I cant be objective about the 959, it is burnt into my brain to love it.

Was more on about performance.

I wasn't talking about looks compared to a GTR. GTR is pretty ugly to. Id imagine a GTR would rinse it on circuit. 20 years in it, power/torque, brakes, tyres, suspension, etc.

[Chrisw26]

LotusOmega375D said:

I remember seeing that one on the Ecurie Ecosse tour of Scotland in about 1989. It was just so quick and accomplished in tricky conditions. I'm glad it's alive and well nearly a quarter of a century later.

Yep May 1989 - it snowed of course. I think the owner brought it because something was wrong with his 288GTO.