Porsche 956 and 962

The dominant forces

New regulations always represent a major risk for racing teams. Before the first race, no one really knows what the development work done in advance was actually worth. However, when the FIA introduced the Group C regulations in 1982, Porsche was not particularly nervous – as in previous years, the Stuttgart-based company had had a say in the drafting of the new rules. But it is, of course, malicious gossip to claim that Group C, as the successor racing series to Group 5 (with roof) and Group 6 (open), was tailor-made for Porsche.

In previous years, racing classes had mostly been divided according to engine capacity. Group C, however, was primarily a consumption formula: the vehicles were allowed to weigh a maximum of 800 kilograms, with no displacement restrictions. And they had to have a maximum tank capacity of 100 litres. In a 1000-kilometre race, five refuelling stops were allowed, which corresponded to a consumption of 60 litres/100 km. This applied to all championships except the American IMSA series. But Group C was very interesting for the teams, because the same vehicles could be used both in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (and the World Endurance Championship in general) and in various national series (such as the German Racing Championship). Ford, Porsche and Lancia were there from the start, later joined by Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Aston Martin and Mercedes (always together with Sauber); Alfa Romeo finally had a car ready in 1992, but by then the FIA had already announced the end of Group C.

The Porsche 956 was actually a relatively conservatively designed car. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) had already found its way into Formula 1 in the early 1980s, and Porsche already had access to this new, lighter, more stable material through its partner McLaren. Nevertheless, the then chief engineer Norbert Singer decided to use an aluminium monocoque in shell construction for the new Group C. This later proved to be one of the few weak points of the Porsche 956/962. But Singer had a clear goal: he wanted a short and long-tail version of the new racing car that could be converted with relatively little effort. And he succeeded, with the conversion taking only two hours in each case – in the case of the 917, two completely different vehicles had been required.

To explain this further: the Porsche 956 and 962 are actually exactly the same vehicles. The 956 came first, of course, in 1982, while the 962 featured a number of changes, mainly due to the American IMSA regulations, such as a steel roll cage and pedals mounted behind the front axle. Although most drivers preferred the 956, only 27 were built, compared to an impressive 90 of the 962. One major difference between the 956 and the 962 was the engine. But to understand this, we first need to take a look back. At the end of the 1970s, the air-cooled 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine in the Porsche 935 with four-valve technology and twin turbochargers delivered over 700 hp. When the regulations were changed once again in the USA, Porsche built a 2.65-litre version that could run on methanol. For Group C, this engine was redesigned to run on petrol, the displacement was retained, and the power output was initially around 620 hp. This engine was first used in 1981 at Le Mans, where it was installed in two Porsche 936s. Ickx/Bell drove to a commanding victory. Unlike the 956, the 962 had only one turbo, but it was much larger. And so, according to Mario Andretti, it was much less pleasant to drive than the 956. However, because the regulations changed constantly over the years, this version in particular was also constantly developed further, with the displacement first increasing to 2.8 litres, then to 3.3 litres, and water cooling being permitted. These machines were never pushed to their limits, as they had to be reliable (and relatively fuel-efficient) first and foremost. They were always shifted via a conventional 5-speed gearbox.

The Porsche 956/962 had the biggest advantage with its aerodynamics. The ‘ground effect’ had long been known in Formula 1, but Porsche pursued this approach much more consistently than its competitors in sports cars. The plastic body, the underbody, the diffuser and, of course, the rear wing were designed in such a way that a massive vacuum was created, causing the vehicle to virtually suck itself onto the asphalt. Although this slightly limited the top speed (to ‘only’ 350 km/h on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans), the cornering speeds were phenomenal. Vern Schuppan, three-time winner at Le Mans in a Porsche 956/962: ‘The faster you drove, the harder you pushed, the more grip the vehicle built up.’ But it was hard work for the drivers: there was no power steering or power brakes. The first 956 (956-001) was unveiled in Weissach in March 1982, with Jürgen Barth at the wheel. In mid-May, this very car competed in its first race, the Six Hours of Silverstone, again with Ickx/Bell at the wheel. The Belgian set a commanding fastest lap in practice, but in the race the team was beaten by a Lancia LC1. But that was only because, unlike the Group C racers, the Group 6 cars were not subject to any fuel consumption restrictions.

At Le Mans a month later, the situation was completely different (also because the Lancias were no longer eligible to compete). Porsche entered three cars, 956-002, 956-003 and 956-004, with Ickx/Bell in 956-002 the clear favourites. Ickx easily took pole position, and although there were a few minor problems during the race, all three Porsches were in front at the end and were even able to complete the last half hour in formation. After the race, the winning car was driven straight to the museum – and only brought out again for the 79th Goodwood Member Meeting (which is where these pictures come from, #1). Ickx won three more races that year, Spa with Jochen Mass, Fuji also with Mass, and Brands Hatch again with Bell. The Belgian became world champion in commanding fashion – and Porsche was naturally able to add another constructors’ title to its list of achievements. In 1983, it was exactly the same story, with Ickx winning the drivers’ championship and Porsche the manufacturers’ championship. 1984: Porsche again. But Stefan Bellof was ahead in the drivers’ championship. On 28 May 1983, Bellof also set a record time of 6:11.13 in a Porsche 956 on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, which was to remain unbroken for 35 years.

If we want to linger a little longer at Le Mans: in 1983, the Porsche 956s took the first eight places (winners: Schuppan/Haywood/Holbert). In 1984, the Porsches ‘only’ managed the first seven places (winners: Pescarolo/Ludwig). A year later, things got even ‘worse’: the 956s took places 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 (winners: Ludwig/Barilla/Krages), while the 962s took places 3, 9 and 10. In 1986, the 962s took places 1, 2 and 10 (winners: Bell/Stuck/Holbert), with the 956 still in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 9th place. Getting boring? In 1987, Bell/Stuck/Holbert won again in the 962 (#962-006, the second car shown above, #17), with Porsche also coming second and fourth. In total, the Porsche 962s achieved 54 victories in World Championship races, most recently as an open Kremer K8 Spyder in 1995 (!) at the 24 Hours of Daytona (see below).

Of course, this also needs a collection.

VIN: 956-004

–

VIN: 962-108 (now: 962-108C-2)

Auction: Mecum, Monterey 2018, sold for 2.2 mio Dollar: «The car’s long list of racing achievements includes eleven top-five qualifying runs through the 1988-89 IMSA seasons, including the pole at Daytona in 1988 where it led most of the race and eventually finished second. During that same period 962-108 finished on the podium five times, including victories in the 1989 Daytona 24 Hours and Palm Beach Grand Prix.»

–

We have more (classic) Porsches in our archive.