The Porsche 959 Story
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Porsche 959
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The 959 Story / The Details / Model Guides / Data & Research / Pictures & Videos / News & Updates
Certain cars in history force the competition to pull their socks up and embrace the future. The Porsche 959 not only remains one of the most interesting supercars ever built, but it also fits the definition of cars that moved the game so far forward that everybody stood up and took notice.
Featuring a 2.85-litre turbocharged rear-mounted flat-six engine based on the flat-six out of a 911, which put 450hp at 6500rpm to all four wheels, the 959 was the peak of supercar performance in its day. Features like anti-lock brakes were a fairly recent innovation at the time, but the 959’s technological innovation didn’t stop there. Eight hydraulic dampers - four at each corner - meant the 959 did without anti-roll bars. Electronic ride height and damping adjustments were made by the car’s on-board computer, allowing the car to automatically lift or lower itself depending on the conditions and speed.
The 959 was the first production car to be fitted with an electronic tyre pressure monitoring system, which worked on some of the world’s first run-flat tyres - Bridgestone RE71 Denlocs. Those tyres were fitted onto the world’s first production-car magnesium wheels, with hollow spokes. The 959 also featured a front diff with hydraulically-actuated clutches that were computer-controlled. At a time when mobile phones were the size of your face and barely had screens, the technology seen on the Porsche 959 seemed out of this world, with performance figures that remain competitive with the current crop of supercars.
Porsche 959 Basics
Manufacturer: Porsche AG / Production Years: 1986 - 1988, 1992 - 1993 / Production: 337 units / Designer: Helmuth Bott / Body Style: 2-Door Coupe / Layout: Rear engine, four-wheel-drive / Engine: 2.8 L (2,849 cc) twin-turbocharged flat-6 / Transmission: 6-speed manual / Power: 444 bhp @ 6500 rpm / Torque: 369 ft lbs @ 5000 rpm / Premiere (street car): 1985 September 12, IAA Frankfurt motor show
Design, Styling & Interior
The 959 has some resemblance with its lineage; with a bloodline as pure as the Porsche 911, this apple was unlikely to stray far from the tree. Massive flared arches direct airflow over the car towards the integral rear wing, with teardrop-shaped wing mirrors helping it slice through the air with minimal drag. Porsche managed to keep the 959’s drag coefficient to 0.31 with a ‘zero-lift’ air profile helping give stability at speed.
The ‘bodykit’ widens the car’s profile to accommodate the 959’s all-wheel-drive system and adding length at the back to allow room for the hybrid water- and air-cooling system employed on the flat-six. To keep the 959’s weight low, the car features a mixture of aluminium, Kevlar and Nomex in its body panels - resulting in a kerb weight of just under 1500kg. This is not so much a car that was designed in the traditional sense as calculated from the ground up.
Inside, surprisingly for such a high-performance model and breaking with the spartan tradition followed by rivals from the likes of Ferrari at the time, the 959 gets the full-on luxury treatment. Porsche had aimed to retain the luxury appeal of its 911 line, and 959 drivers received all the creature comforts of the ‘lesser’ sports car - air conditioning, leather seats, a radio, electric windows - all of which makes the car’s performance even more impressive.
Performance
Incredibly for a car that was designed over 30 years ago, the Porsche 959’s performance stacks up with many supercars and sports cars today. 0-60 takes just 3.9 seconds in the 959, with car topping out at 196mph.
How is this possible? The 959’s power comes courtesy of a 2.85-litre flat-six power plant, mounted in the rear, which is both air-cooled and water-cooled, as well as turbocharged for good measure. This endows it with 450hp at 6500rpm - with a 1450kg kerb weight and extra-slippery aero body helping make that engine’s life easier.
Most impressive of all is the all-wheel-drive system that transmits that power to the road. All-wheel-drive is a fairly common feature of many modern supercars, but back in the eighties a system like the Porsche-Stuer Kupplung (PSK) all-wheel-drive system had never been seen.
Running a 40:60 power split most of the time, the system could shift up to 80% of the power to the rear wheels under acceleration, helping to maximise the traction benefit afforded by the rear-engine setup.
While most all-wheel-drive systems even today rely on detecting slip to decide where to direct power, the PSK was governed by computers, which calculated the best way to direct power based on inputs from such variables as steering and throttle position, g-forces, engine boost, helping to optomise the power reaching the road.
Ride & Handling
That all-wheel-drive system also helped the 959’s handling, though it wasn’t the only aspect to have an impact here.
Comparatively, the 959’s tyres - at 255mm wide - were not the broad rubber expected of many supercars. Those tyres were Bridgestone RE71 Denlocs, the first run-flat tyres ever fitted to a production car, fitted to extra-light magnesium wheels with hollow spokes, keeping unsprung weight to a minimum while allowing the air pressure to spread out across through the wheels, aiding tyre performance.
Stopping power was provided by the then-largest set of brakes Porsche had ever fitted to a production car, 12.6 inch rotors at the front and 12.1 at the rear, with four-piston calipers at each corner. ABS - another first - helped keep things under control under heavy braking.
Front and rear the 959 had a double-wishbone suspension setup, helping keep those wheels on the road, with adjustable dampers and ride height. The 959 had originally been designed with the aim of competing in the Group B rally championship, featuring the fastest rally cars in the world - though the championship was cancelled in 1986 after tragedy struck when Jaoquim Santos lost control of his Ford RS200, crashing into spectators.
The adjustable ride height was aimed at allowing the 959 to be adjusted for off-road driving, with selectable settings at 4.7 inches, 5.9 inches and 7.1 inches. The car’s computer was also able to adjust the ride height depending on driving conditions, with the 959 dropping to its lowest setting above 100mph to reduce drag.
Prices & Specs
When new, the Porsche 959 cost $225,000, which at the time made it one of the most expensive cars on the market. These days, it is difficult to find a good example for less than $1 million.
Group B & Paris-Dakar
The 959 was built by Porsche with motorsport in mind. It wasn’t just the racecar-sourced turbocharged flat-six engine out the back that hinted at this aim for the car.
When Porsche engineer Helmuth Bott approached the 959 project, his aim was to prove the longevity of the 911 platform, with motorsport the channel via which he would convince Peter Schutz, the Managing Director at Porsche, to keep the 911 in the marque’s lineup, rather than replacing it with the then-new 928.
Schutz went for it, and so Helmuth began work on the 959 in 1981, with the Group B Rally Championship his intended platform to demonstrate the capabilities of his creation.
As a result of this, early 959 test mules were known as the Gruppe B Porsches, and the rallying target led to the development of the all-wheel drive system, adjustable ride height and odd gearbox configuration that street-legal 959s retained - six forward gears with ‘G’ gear specifically designed with off-road driving in mind.
Were it not for the Group B homologation requirements mandating that the manufacturer build and sell at least 200 road-going versions of their competition car, the 959 street car may never have come into being.
Before the 959 was able to turn a wheel in anger in the Group B rally series however, a series of tragedies led to the race series being cancelled during the 1986 season, leaving Porsche with their new off-road designed supercar and nowhere to race it.
Some 959s did see off-road motorsport use - in 1984, three 911s elevated to 959 spec raced in the Paris-Dakar rally, and in 1985 a fully-fledged 959 rally car took on the mighty cross-country dash.
Another racing variant - badged the Porsche 961 - took on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986, where it finished top of its class, and seventh in the overall standings. A fiery crash during the 1987 race ended its motorsport career, with the car being destroyed trackside - though Porsche later repaired that vehicle to display in its museum.
What The Experts Said...
The world is full of armchair commentators when it comes to cars. At Supercars.net we have a number of journalists and automotive publications we rely on when we want to get unbiased opinions from people we admire.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the things these experts had to say about the Porsche 959. We have included snippets only so definitely dive deeper into their content to find out the details behind their assessments. Please support these awesome publications because they invest a lot in the details, amazing product photographs and great writers.
The Porsche 959 received almost unanimous praise, with hyperbole the norm in reviews from the time of its launch. As you’ll see, there is very little criticism able to be leveled at the car, with most reviewers simply in awe of its technological achievement, and the performance ramifications of this.
the 959 is a technological milestone, likely to be remembered as the greatest sports car of the ‘80’s…Car Magazine
the word "perfect" is difficult to avoid… Car & Driver
these two are the Veyron and Huayra of their time…” - Top Gear Magazine
Our Final Verdict
The phrase ‘game changer’ is bandied around quite loosely these days, but seldom have they been more appropriate as when applied to the Porsche 959. It launched the supercar into the 21st century, despite arriving a decade and a half before the millennium, forcing other manufacturers and established names to up their game. Extraordinary performance was made available without the need to compromise on comfort or on-road stability.
Porsche 959 Model Guides - Komfort Vs Sport
There were two main Porsche 959 models. The 959 Komfort is the core model that was sold, while the Porsche 959 S or "959 Sport" came with larger turbochargers that increased power output to 508 hp and higher top speed, as well as 100kg in less weight. Much rarer, the 959 Sport had a limited run of only 29 cars. Important to note is that official Porsche 959 production ended after the 1988 model year, but in 1992/1993, Porsche built eight more cars assembled from spare parts from the inventory at the manufacturing site in Zuffenhausen. All eight were "Komfort" versions: four in red and four in silver. These cars featured a newly developed speed-sensitive damper system and were much more expensive than the earlier units.
Porsche 959 Special Model Guides
The Porsche 959 has a rich history. From prototypes, to race-build rally cars and purpose build 961 race car, there are several models worth mentioning. They all play an important part in the Porsche 959 story.
Porsche 959 Data, Research, Parts & Brochures
We dig into some of the data surrounding the Porsche 959, including production numbers, specifications, chassis numbers and much more.
Porsche 959 Pictures, Galleries & Videos
There is a wealth of footage on Porsche 959s on YouTube, but as you guys know we like to pick a few key videos that we believe best give you a view into the Porsche 959 so that, if you find yourself with a spare million-and-a-half you can make a decision on whether this car is for you. From the first glance at the Porsche 959, it is easy to see that it is a precision instrument. The incredibly aerodynamic bodywork with its muscular flared edges give the impression of exactly what the 959 delivers from the moment you turn the key - a 911 turned up to 11. In addition to spectacular photos we have some great video footage of the 959, including recent reviews and high-speed POV action.
Porsche 959 News & Updates
Recent auctions, awesome review videos and all the latest news and posts regarding anything to do with the Porsche 959
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