Porsche teases road-legal version of title-winning 963 hypercar
You might be able to get your hands on a Porsche 963 on soon.
A road-going version of the Porsche 963 LMDh could be launched in June this year.
As Porsche celebrates 50 years of the street-legal version of the iconic 917, the German manufacturer has hinted at a potential successor to the ‘track-to-road’ project.
A video shared on Porsche’s social handles shows the silhouette of the World Endurance Championship-winning 963, followed by the text ‘what if’.
The video has been accompanied by an article about the 917 on Porsche’s official website, which again teases a version of the 963 that will particularly appeal to car collectors.
“Importantly, as its descendent enjoys success on the track today, the spirit and desire within Porsche that allowed the creation of a 917 for the road all that time ago remains very much alive five decades on – prompting the question: what if?,” it said.
Porsche scored its first overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours with the 917 in 1970. The car became an important part of Porsche’s history, winning Le Mans again in 1971 and helping the Stuttgart-based marque score back-to-back International Championship for Makes titles in the World SportsCar Championship.
One of the race-used Porsche 917s, chassis number 30, was subsequently modified for the road at the request of Italian businessman and Martini heir Gregorio Rossi di Montelera.
Porsche equipped the road-going 917 with exhaust mufflers, additional mirrors, side indicators, a spare tyre and even a horn, while also modifying its interiors. It was painted in Martini Silver.
The car recently underwent restoration work and resides with its current owner in France, albeit on a UK registration.
Porsche will have to pass more stringent regulations to make the 963 fit for use on public roads.
