The Schuppan 962CR
From 1983 forward, the Porsche 956 and its 962 IMSA spec version dominated for a decade. Porsche manufactured nearly 150 956/962s and sold many of the cars to private teams. During this period, Porsche manufactured and made available every component on the car. Due to this customer support, Porsche not only became the most successful marque at Le Mans, but also provided essential parts for companies, such as DP Motorsport, Schuppan, Koenig and Dauer, to make road-going specials.
Built with Japanese backing, Le Mans-winning driver Vern Schuppan created his very own street-legal Porsche 962. At the time, Schuppan was working directly with Porsche to develop a carbon fiber version of the car’s monocoque chassis. They received drawings directly from the factory to build the new car. Vern recalls “We contracted the UK company ‘Advanced Composite Technology’ to develop the tub and tool up to produce it, building an initial batch of five. Reynard subsequently took this over and built another five for our 962CR road car project, with a total order of 25 such chassis.”
These cars were built as a tribute to his victory at the 1993 Le Mans behind the wheel of a Porsche 956. After 2 years and $7 million in development only 6 out of an initially projected 50 Schuppans were made. Due in part to the worldwide downturn in the hypercar market, but also due to the astonishing $1.5 million asking price! In either case, the 962CR, when new, was one of the most expensive cars ever produced. After payment failed to arrive when two cars were shipped to Japan, Schuppan was forced to declare bankruptcy. The 962CR remains the only car Vern Schuppan has ever made
The Schuppan featured a five-speed manual transmission mated to a twin turbocharged 3.3 liter Type-935 flat-six, good for a little over 600hp. The engine was taken, with little to no modifications, from Porsches North American IMSA GT Championship cars. The Schuppan 962 is reported to have a top speed of slightly over 230mph, with a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. All six examples were produced by Schuppan at a production facility in High Wycombe Buckinghamshire, England. When new, the car cost $1.5 million – making it one of the most expensive cars for sale at the time.
At the time, Schuppan was working directly with Porsche to develop a carbon fiber version of the car’s monocoque chassis. They received drawings directly from the factory to build the new car. Vern recalls “We contracted the UK company ‘Advanced Composite Technology’ to develop the tub and tool up to produce it, building an initial batch of five. Reynard subsequently took this over and built another five for our 962CR road car project, with a total order of 25 such chassis.”
