Porsche 959
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The Porsche 959 is a sports car, sometimes called an exotic car or supercar manufactured in small numbers by Porsche AG in the 1980s.
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History
Development of the 959 started in 1981, shortly after the then-new company Managing Director, Peter Schutz took his office. Porsche's head engineer at the time, Helmut Bott, approached Schutz with some ideas about the 911, or more aptly, a new 911. Bott knew that the company needed a sports car that they could continue to rely on for years to come and that could be developed as time went on. Curious as to how much they could do with the rear engined 911, Bott convinced Schutz that development tests should take place, and even proposed researching a new all wheel drive system. Schutz agreed, and greenlighted the project. Bott also knew through experience that a racing program usually helped to acclerate the development of new models. Seeing Group B rally racing as the perfect arena to test the new mule and it's all wheel drive system, Bott again went to Schutz, and got the go ahead to develop a car, based on his development mule, for competiton in Group B.
Porsche began with an engine they already had, and moved on with development from there. The powerplant, a twin turbocharged "boxer six" engine, with an air cooled block and water cooled heads displaced 2.85 total litres, about half a litre less than a contemporary 911 engine. The motor had originally been developed for the "Moby Dick" race car, then was re-developed slightly for the short lived Porsche Indy Car and several other projects before being "tweaked" a last time for use in the 961, the 959's racing counterpart. The water cooled cylinder heads combined with the air cooled block, 4 valve heads and sequential turbochargers allowed Porsche to extract 450 bhp (340 kW) from the compact, efficient and rugged power unit. Rumor has it the engine was capable of over 600 horsepower if fully tuned. The engine was used, virtually unchanged, in the 959 road car as well.
In an attempt to create a rugged, lightweight shell, Porsche adopted an aluminium and Kevlar composite for body use as opposed to the traditional steel that was normally used on their production cars. The vehicle's light weight contributed to a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of just under 200 mph (320 km/h). Porsche also developed the car's aerodynamics which were designed to increase stability, as was the automatic ride height adjustment that became available on the street car (961 race cars had fixed suspensions). Its "zero lift" dynamics were a big part of keeping it driveable at nearly 200 MPH. The 959 also featured Porsche-Steuer Kupplung (PSK) which, at the time, was the most advanced all wheel drive system ever used in a production car. Capable of dynamically changing the torque distribution between the rear and front wheels in both normal conditions and slip conditions, the PSK system allowed the 959 to have the adaptability it needed both as a race car and as a "super" street car. Under hard acceleration, PSK could send as much as 80% of available power to the rear wheels, helping make the most of the rear-traction bias that occurs during such instances. It could also vary the power bias depending on road surface and grip changes, helping maintain sure footedness at all times.
The 961 race variant appeared in late 1983, unfortunately too late to compete in Group B rallying which had been dissolved after to many high profile accidents. Nonetheless, Porsche wanted the car to compete and entered it into the Paris-Dakar Rally instead, one of the most grueling and demanding races known to man. The 961 managed to pull off 2 wins, one in 84' and another in 86' and also raced (with a different suspension) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it pulled off a 7th place overall finish. Production of the 959 street variant began in 1987, and the car debuted at a cost of $225,000 USD per unit, still less than half what it cost Porsche to build each one, production ended in 1990. In total, fewer than 300 cars were built and the total number (which hovers around 250) includes both 959 street variants and 961 race variants as well as at least 4 prototypes Porsche built during development. 226 of the cars built were street legal (in Europe) and were sold to consumers. At least one 959 and one 961 remain in the Porsche historic hall in Stuttgart, Germany.
The 959 was not street legal in the United States prior to 1999 when the "Show and Display" law was finally passed, although an unknown number were imported by the super-wealthy via the "grey market" during the late 1980s as show pieces. During the model's development, Porsche refused to provide the United States Department of Transportation with the four 959s they required for crash testing, and the car was never certified by the NHTSA for street use in the U.S. With the passage of "Show and Display" the crash test requirements were removed and importation of the 959 was allowed, assuming the car could meet with the local emissions standards that would have existed as of 1987. The 959 can be fitted with a catalytic converter and a rechipped computer which will allow it to meet those emissions requirements. However most owners refuse to modify their 959s, and the cars remain as collection pieces.
Canepa Design modifications
In 2003, Canepa Design, famous for their exclusive and high-priced kits for American SUVs initiated a 959 program. By making their own modifications to the 959s turbo, exhaust and computer-control systems, Canepa was not only able to make the 959 competent to pass emissions requirements (thereby making it street legal in the U.S.) they were also able to extract even more power from the 959's engine. Total power output from the Canepa modified 959 rises to 576 Horsepower and 505 Ft. Lbs. of torque, making the car capable of low 3 second 0-60 times and top speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Canepa also makes modifications to the 959´s super lightweight magnesium wheels, allowing them to be fitted with a modern Michelin high performance tire capable of handling the increased performance. Although the modifications may be tempting, whether a car as rare as the 959 should be "molested" or changed from the factory settings is a matter of debate.
Legacy
By 1991, with the introduction of the 964 generation 911s, Porsche had already begun utilizing many of the technologies they had mastered with the 959/961. The 964 became the first 911 available with all wheel drive, a derivative of the 959's system, and the first 911 variant to combine turbocharging with all wheel drive. Its succesor, the 993 generation 911, became the first 911 variant to adopt twin-turbochargers, yet another setup derived from the 959. The 993 and 959 also share a strong physical resemblance, especially in the front end.
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number one on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
References
- Bowler, M & Wood, J (1997). The Fastest Cars From Around the World. Parragon. ISBN 0-75251-022-3.
- Frère, P (1999). Porsche 911 Story (sixth edition). Patrick Stevens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-590-1
- Wood, J (1997). Porsche: The Legend. Parragon. ISBN 0-75252-072-5.
External links
- Some information about the 959 (http://erntheburn.tripod.com/autos/959/)
- Canepa 959 page (http://www.canepa.com/SportsLuxury/Showroom/959Main.asp)de:Porsche 959