24h Le Mans
The new Porsche Hypercar presented on 24 June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was given the moniker 963 as a tribute to the marque's rich and remarkable history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With an unrivaled – and who knows, perhaps perpetually unbeatable – track record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 19 overall victories and more than 100 all classes considered, Porsche has a knack for celebrating its major anniversaries with wins. The iconic 911 won in 1998 for the marque's 50th anniversary and again in 2018 (LMGTE Pro) for its 70th.
Porsche is known for honouring its legacy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2015, the 919 Hybrid livery highlighted the 45th anniversary of the manufacturer's first win in 1970. In 2018, Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor won the LMGTE Pro class with the "pink pig" livery seen on the 1971 Porsche 917. Now, the 963 Hypercar is set to carry on the prestigious line that catapulted the marque to win record-holder at the race.
To understand why Porsche has named its new Hypercar the 963, let's go back 40 years. The Porsche 956 was built in 1982 to comply with new prototype regulations called Group C. The factory team went on to score two consecutive wins at the 24 Hours including a stunning hat trick for this car's rookie appearance in 1982.
The official team did not participate in the race in 1984, but Reinhold Joest did clinch his first victory as a team owner with the 956. That same year, a version of the 956 competed in the IMSA in the U.S., renamed the 962 with a modification imposed by the American championship's regulations concerning the position of the pedals, set back behind the axis of the front wheels.
In 1985, the 956 fielded by Joest secured Porsche's 10th overall win at Le Mans, allowing the German marque to surpass Ferrari's record of nine. The factory team returned that same year with three 962s, renamed 962 C for the occasion. At his very first 24 Hours, Hans-Joachim Stuck clocked a breathtaking lap record (3:14.88 at an average 251.712 kph) that remained unbeaten for 32 years (Kamui Kobayashi and Toyota). At the 1985 running of the race, the German driver finished third along with Derek Bell, and Jacky Ickx made his final appearance in the race in 10th place. In 1986 and 1987, Stuck and Bell earned back-to-back wins with the 962 C, joined by American driver Al Holbert who debuted the 962 in the U.S. in 1984.
During the same period, the 962 made its mark at two major American endurance races with four consecutives victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring (1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988) and three at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (1985, 1986 and 1987). Next year, the 963 will carry on this magnificent legacy by participating in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with three teams confirmed so far: the official Porsche Penske Motorsport team in both, JOTA in just the FIA WEC and JDC Miller in only the IMSA.
Porsche is sure to be laser-focused in 2023 on winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans the year of the race's 100th anniversary, and increasing the marque's win record to an whopping 20. Will the 963 achieve the same glory as the 956 did 40 years ago? The answer to come under the chequered flag on 11 June 2023.
PHOTOS (Copyright - PORSCHE AG): The red and white livery of the Porsche 963 harkens back to the 917 (#23) driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood (from left to right above) first-time overall winner for the marque at the 1970 24 Hours. Originally, black only figured on the racing number. At centre, the Porsche 962 C shared by Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans-Joachim Stuck, winner at Le Mans in 1986.
