The Porsche 962 (also known as the 962C in its Group C form) was built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with these IMSA’s GTP regulations. The 962 was introduced at the end of 1984, from which it quickly became successful through private owners while having a remarkably long-lived career, with some examples still proving competitive into the mid-1990s.
Apart from changes making it eligible for the IMSA GTP championship, the 962 had to maintain the mechanics of the 956, as Group C regulations of the era still restricted engine development. The vehicles that raced in the World Sportscar Championship were designated Porsche 962C, delineating them from their IMSA GTP counterparts.
Having a turbocharged flat-six as the only choice, Porsche continued working on aerodynamic efficiency which had to be improved as top speed was still of vital importance in a circuit configuration without the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight.
The production of the 962 spanned from 1984 to 1991 and over that period, Porsche made 91 examples of the prototype. The factory team used 16 cars for its race outings, selling the other 75 examples to private customers. Due to the sheer numbers of 962s, some teams took it upon themselves to adapt the car to better suit their needs or to remain competitive. Beyond minor modification, some private teams reengineered the entire car.
Photo Source: RM Sotheby’s
