Rumours have swirled for a little while now, thanks to a video teaser, that Porsche is creating a road-legal version of its 963 sportscar racer. Now, just a couple of weeks from Le Mans, Porsche has published another few seconds on YouTube that make clear a very special 963 is coming.
It’s called the 963 RSP - see the badge at the end - described by Porsche as ‘a one-of-one vehicle crafted with precision, purpose and detail at every touchpoint.’ So that’s exactly what we see in the video, Porsche Classic employees carefully polishing, stitching, cutting and crafting.
It’s about as far away from the hustle and bustle of motorsport as it’s possible to be. Racing cars don’t get leather, polished badges or suede, either - this is something very different to the regular 963. Put simply, it looks an awful lot like Porsche is preparing a version of its hugely successful Le Mans Daytona Hybrid for road use. Or use away from the white heat of competition, at least. Which would be awesome.
It evokes the glory days of GT1 to some extent, where in a few cases - think Toyota GT-One, most famously - just a couple of cars were made that could ostensibly be used on the road for homologation purposes. Back in the ‘90s, Porsche made 21 911 GT1 Strassenversions to homologate the 1998 race car. There’s no such requirement this time around, though it’s hard not to look through the back catalogue when Porsche is apparently doing something so audacious.
As for the name, it’s been suggested that ‘RSP’ might stand for Roger Searle Penske, the legendary American racer and owner of Team Penske, which has been running the factory-entered Porsche 963s in WEC and IMSA. Achieving some incredible success in the process, too, including four championship wins across the two competitions in 2024. There was a Drivers’ Championship for a Penske 963 in the World Endurance Championship, the Kévin Estre/André Lotterer/Laurens Vanthoor car taking five podiums in eight events. The IMSA showing for the Penske Porsches was even more impressive, securing the Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams titles.
If there’s a man that’s earned a one-off Porsche, then, it’s probably Mr Penske. From partnering up in CanAm 50 years ago to race the wild 917/30 to the beautiful DHL Porsche Penske Racing RS Spyders of the ‘00s, it’s hard to imagine Porsche sportscar racing without his involvement. A one-off 963 RSP sounds like a fitting way to celebrate Penske’s incredible legacy. Expect more over Le Mans weekend.
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