The Le Mans endurance race is an annual showcase of high-performance car technology, but Porsche is fielding something new alongside its 963 Hypercar race contender — a road-legal version called the 963 RSP.
The Porsche 963 RSP owes much of its design to its race-spec sibling. However, the inspiration for making it owes more to the existence of the Count Rossi 917, a 1970s-era road-legal racecar made for the Count Rossi di Montelera.
You’ll never drive the 963 RSP
The older vehicle prompted the Martini Silver paint job on Porsche’s newest road racer, also influencing the leather and Alcantara trim and some alterations to the RSP’s bodywork compared to the Hypercar version. Putting it on the road proved a significant challenge in terms of engineering, because race cars are designed to… well, race.
Porsche had to reintroduce safety features for the 963 RSP, raising the car’s height and modifying the wheel wells to accommodate softer dampers. A reconfigured computer to handle front and rear lights, the installation of a horn (we still call ’em ‘hooters’, right?), and Michelin wet weather compound tyres were needed to complete the transformation.
Don’t go thinking that Porsche wimped out on the engine, however. Alterations to the ride may have been softened for comfort reasons (race drivers are paid not to care), but the RSP retains the hybrid 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8 powerplant ” in standard race tune”. Power delivery was remapped slightly, but it’ll still output about 680 horsepower when the driver plants their foot down.
But, like we said, you’ll never get to drive it. You may get to see it in real life, however.
“The 963 RSP will go on public display at the Circuit de la Sarthe during the 24 Hours of Le Mans before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July, the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed,” Porsche said.
