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PortugalPorsche 959
Porsche 959
Designed for Group B
The Porsche 959, introduced in 1983 for use in the new Group B, was a variation of the iconic 911 that served as a technological showcase for the Stuttgart car manufacturer.
According to Manfred Bantle, Porsche's project manager at the time, the "Gruppe B" prototype was intended to be a "training car", but thanks to the almost unlimited budget allocated to the project, it became the most technologically advanced model of its time. The final version, unveiled in 1985, was a brilliant demonstration of the know-how of the Weissach development teams, with the result that the Porsche 959 was nicknamed "Weissachwunder", the Weissach miracle.
René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne take the lead in the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally with the Porsche 959. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Porsche / D.R.
The Porsche 959 remained an impressive avant-garde vehicle for almost four decades, offering all the technological possibilities provided by the electronics that were then in full development. Its mechanical and aerodynamic characteristics made it an exceptional Grand Touring car. This true "Supercar", as they were called in the 1980s, combined the advantages of an average road car suitable for daily use on the one hand, with the performance of an ambitious sports car particularly suitable for competitions on the other.
Developed in a very short period of time by the Weissach engineers managed by Helmuth Bott, Peter Falk and Hans Mezger, the Porsche 959 offered unsurpassed performance when released. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Porsche / D.R.
A mobile laboratory
The development of a Group B car became evident to Porsche once this category began to attract public interest and the leading manufacturers started to invest in it with models such as the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 or the Audi Quattro. Helmuth Bott, the chief engineer, initiated the project in 1981 and envisaged a new and improved version of the 911, despite the fact that this was no longer a priority at Porsche. The 911 SC-RS rally car was nearing the end of its career, but the idea of equipping it with all-wheel drive was approved and a prototype called "Gruppe B" was introduced at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show. The regulations for Group B required that a car competing in this category should be derived from a production model of which at least 200 units had been produced in order to be homologated. Consequently, the Porsche 959 in road version was presented to the public at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show. For the sake of the brand image, the general design of the 911, the flagship model of the company from Zuffenhausen, was continued. The bodywork was made of composite materials consisting of resin, glass fibre and Kevlar, while the doors and bonnets were made of aluminium. The water-cooled engine, installed in the rear overhang, was derived from that of the 956/962, used in endurance racing for a number of years. It is equipped with an all-wheel drive system with variable power distribution to the axles in relation to road conditions.
With its twin-turbo engine, electronically controlled chassis, innovative all-wheel drive and highly aerodynamic body, the 959 was Porsche's technological flagship at the time. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Porsche / D.R.
Victory at the Paris-Dakar race
Just after the official presentation of the 959 Group B and whilst waiting for the car to be ready for competition, the Weissach centre prepared a 911 SC 4 x 4, called 953, to compete in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally. Jacky Ickx, winner of the previous edition of the rally and for several years a factory driver for Porsche in endurance racing, recognised the advantages of all-wheel drive in conjunction with a Porsche-developed machine in this demanding desert event. Under the guidance of Peter Falk, the director of Porsche Motorsport, Jacky Ickx contributed all his knowledge and experience to this project. The car driven by René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne won the rally-raid from the start, while Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur finished 6th. For the Paris-Dakar in 1985, three intermediate and simplified versions of the 959 with a single turbo were entered. But when the car of René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne dropped out due to an engine failure, the Porsche team opted to withdraw from the race. Several months later, in October 1985, the lessons of this technical incident were learned and the final twin-turbo 959 of the team Saeed Al-Hajri and John Spiller won the Pharaons Rally. For the 8th edition of the Paris-Dakar Rally, which was held from 1 to 22 January 1986, three official Porsche 959s in Rothmans colours were lined up with Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur (No. 185), René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne (No. 186), and Roland Kussmaul (also Peter Falk's assistant) and Wolf-Hendrik Unger (No. 187). Metge and Lemoyne claimed the victory, followed by Ickx and Brasseur, providing Porsche with a strong one-two finish, which was complemented by 6th place for Kussmaul and Unger. The Group B was discontinued in 1987, and the short career of the 959 ended the following July at the Rallye des 1000 Pistes, where René Metge and Jean-Marc Andrié finished 3rd. However Porsche was always one step ahead and a 961 version intended for Endurance racing had already been built.
The 959's aerodynamics, optimised in the Weissach wind tunnel, demonstrate practically no downforce, combined with an exceptional air penetration coefficient (Cx of 0.31)© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Porsche / D.R.
Technical data
Porsche 959 road version (1987)
• Engine: Type 959/50, 6-cylinder opposed flat, longitudinal, rear overhang
• Displacement: 2,849 cm3
• Bore x stroke: 95 mm x 67 mm
• Power: 450 hp at 6,500 rpm
• Fuel: Bosch Motronic injection, 2 KKK turbos
• Ignition: Bosch electronic management
• Timing: double overhead camshaft per bank, 4 valves per cylinder
• Transmission: 4-wheel drive, 6-speed manual + M.A.
• Tyres: Dunlop, 235/45 VR 17 (front) and 255/40 VR 17 (rear)
• Brakes: ventilated discs (front and rear)
• Length: 426 cm
• Width: 184 cm
• Height: 128 cm
• Wheelbase: 227.2 cm
• Front track: 150.4 cm
• Rear track: 155 cm
• Weight (empty): 1,445 kg
• Maximum speed: 317 km/h
Two entries at Le Mans
The termination of Group B rallying at the end of 1986 could have destroyed Porsche's plans for the 959, but a change in the ACO and FIA regulations allowed the Weissach engineers to modify the 959 for endurance events, particularly the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the event that Porsche had dominated since 1981. For 1986, alongside the official 962s of the Rothmans team, Porsche AG entered an evolution of the 959, called the 961, with a 2,850 cm3 engine producing 680 bhp. The car, driven by René Metge and Claude Ballot-Léna, featured numerous aerodynamic improvements that allowed it to reach a top speed of nearly 400 km/h on the straight stretch of Hunaudières. The 961, which was the first four-wheel drive car to be entered at Le Mans, was to finish a very respectable 7th in the general classification and was to win the IMLSA-GTX category. During the following year, the 961 was entered in the IMSA class by the Rothmans Porsche team with René Metge, Claude Haldi and Kees Nierop, who withdrew at the end of the 17th hour due to an accident, as they were running in 11th position.
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