Porsche 956 - The Ultimate Guide

A New Prototype Class

In August 1981, the FIA announced the introduction of a new sports car prototype class into the World Sportscar Championships beginning with the 1982 season. World championships were held for these “Group C” vehicles for a decade. The new regulations were mainly focused on fuel consumption so there was a lot of room for manufacturers to innovate and push limits.

The Porsche 956 was built by Porsche in 1982 to participate in the World Sport-Prototype Championship in this new Group C category. The Porsche 956 was a radical revolution compared to the previous Porsche 936 that won several competitions between 1976 and 1981. Several technical innovations such as advanced aerodynamic solutions and the aluminium monocoque chassis were all cutting edge.

A Technical Marvel

The 956 project started in the Summer of 1981 and the first prototype chassis was completed in Spring 1982. Porsche decided to use a flat-6, the same one that powered the 936 to victory at Le Mans. It was the Type-935 2.65 L turbocharged Flat-6 engine good for around 620 horsepower and included a new progressive injection system. Engineers also began using the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) for the first time in the 956. Another new addition is the development of the five-speed gearbox.

For the first time, Porsche formed a monocoque which was a departure from the previous tube chassis designs. The 956 used a sheet aluminum tub surrounded by a load bearing composite body. This construction method formed Porsche's most rigid chassis, and would meet the safety requirements byu the FIA which stated that the gas tank had to be surrounded by a rigid crash structure. It helped the car to meet the 800 kg weight minimum.

Porsche focused on building a race car that had supreme aerodynamics, including advanced ground effects. To balance the downforce created ground effects, a venturi in between the front wheels complemented the large downforce created by the rear wing and much larger rear venturi. The 956produced over three times as much downforce as the famous Porsche 917 and meant the 956 could reach record-breaking cornering speeds on the fastest racetracks while also allowing it to hit 218 mph+ top speeds on long straights.

That top speed and cornering depended on which wing was on a car since the Porsche 956 had two different rear wing designs. For most events, the cars were fitted with a larger, high downforce rear wing. For the Circuit de la Sarthe, where a top speed on the almost Mulsanne Straight was essential, the car was fitted with a much lower and smaller ‘low drag’ wing.

During its lifetime, the Porsche 956 underwent some changes, such as an improved chassis with better fuel efficiency for the 1984 season.That car was named 956B. In total, Porsche built 28 cars from 1982 to 1984.

The 956’s Racing Success

The Porsche 956 was dominant from day one. Porsche not only won all of the FIA World Sportscar Championship titles between 1982 and 1984, it collected both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships on each occasion. In addition, Stefan Bellof drove a 956 (chassis no. 007) around the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring in a record-breaking time of 6 minutes 11.13 seconds, which remained a record for 35 years.

The Porsche 956 made its competitive debut at the 6 hours of Silverstone in May 1982, the second round of the World Endurance Championship, where they finished second. After missing the following round at the Nürburgring to allow further development of a car, Porsche went after the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. It was a 1-2-3 victory for Porsche. That year Porsche secured both drivers’ title for Jacky Ickx and manufacturers’ title for Porsche. In 1983, Porsche 956 was a winning car in all seven races of the World Endurance Championship.

Since the Porsche 956 was a totally dominant car in the championship, the same situation happened at 1983 Le Mans 24-hour race. Porsche drivers occupied not only all podium spots but at the same time, Porsche 956 took the first eight places. In 1984, Porsche’s domination continued, with 10 wins in 11 races.

At the 1984 24 hours of Le Mans, Rothmans Porsche team boycotted the race due to a disagreement between Porsche and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) over the fuel regulations. Despite that, Porsche 956 clinched seven top positions with private teams. In 1985, Porsche was combining 956B and 962C cars, taking one more world’s title. Porsche won eight out of ten races. The season of 1986 was the last competitive year for this legendary car. The era of Porsche 962 already began and Porsche continued its domination in the world’s prototype racing.

When talking about the Porsche 956s racing success it is important to mention the privateer impact. After the 956s dominated the 1982 and 1983 seasons, it was offered to private teams. As Porsche was the only company selling prototype race cars, they were the car to buy and teams such as Joest, Kremer, John Fitzpatrick, Richard Lloyd, Brum Motorsports and Nova Engineering did just that. They added to the 956s success and in many cases developed the 956 further and won a lot of races.