In continuation of a long and successful career on the track, many Porsche 962s were approved for use on roads in the early 90s. One the least known remains the Schuppan 962 CR of which only five examples were built.

	The Schuppan 962 CR

Following in the footsteps of Jack Brabham, Australian Vern Schuppan tried his luck in Europe, without having much success in Formula 1. Nevertheless, he gradually became one of the most iconic endurance drivers in the 70s and 80s, first at home in touring cars and then in Mirages and Porsches in endurance racing.

At the end of a racing career marked by four podiums at Le Mans, including a win (1983), he created his own team in 1989. The following year, encouraged by the 12th and 15th places of their two Porsche 962s, he embarked on a new adventure by building a unique prototype.

Max Brostrom, the designer of the Aston Martin AMR1, developed a body based on a Porsche 962 chassis. But it was a failure. When the car was running for the first time at Le Mans, it proved to be too loaded with downforce at the rear so that the front lifted! Vern Schuppan fell back on a more traditional version and planned to adapt the car to the road.

Funded by a Japanese investor, he released the Schuppan 962 CR in 1992. This had similar proportions to the Porsche 962 and the "flat-six engine"engine of the bi-turbo 935. With 600 hp and only weighing 980 kg, the car could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and reach 370 km/h in top! According to the entrepreneur, five models were produced and sold for $ 1.5 million a piece... A hefty price but apparently not enough to avoid bankruptcy!

Julien HERGAULT / ACO - Translated by Tony Light/ACO