Porsche 962

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Porsche
Porsche 962 1988 Le Mans at Silverstone 2007.JPG
962
Production period: 1984-1991
Class : race car
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Otto engine :
2.9 liters (500 kW)
Length: 4770 mm
Width: 1990 mm
Height: 1030 mm
Wheelbase : 2770 mm
Empty weight : 850 kg
Previous model Porsche 956

The Porsche 962 was a presented in 1984 version of the 1982 for the FIA - Group C developed Porsche 956 , which includes the provisions of the American IMSA filled race series. The new chassis could be used by teams in both series, equipped with Group C-compliant technology known as the Porsche 962C .

development

The Type 956 did not meet American rules in two respects. For safety reasons, not least because of severe leg injuries in Formula 1, the IMSA demanded that the pedals be attached behind the front axle, which Porsche achieved by moving the front axle forward and thus longer wheelbase. The aluminum monocoque was also reinforced by a steel roll cage . In addition, in order to limit costs, the water-cooled biturbo engine of the 956 had to be replaced by the air-cooled engine with a single turbocharger from the tried and tested Porsche 935 , but there was no fuel consumption limit as in the sports car world championship for Group C.

The Porsche 962 or 962C was equipped with suitable engines, depending on the purpose at races of the IMSA or the Group C World Championship . The rules changed over the years, the displacement grew from 2.8 to 3.3 liters; Water cooling was allowed.

After 27 copies of the 956, Porsche built a total of around 90 racing vehicles from the 962, and teams had also fundamentally modified the 962 or used their own designs based on the 962 to make the chassis more rigid and safer and to improve the aerodynamics. In the eight years 1984 to 1991 around 54 victories and numerous championships were achieved. This makes the 962 probably the most successful racing sports car, although the Porsche factory withdrew from the sport in favor of customers. At the end of the 1980s, the dominance of the 962 was broken by the works teams from Mercedes, Jaguar, Nissan and Toyota, but 962s were still in use in large numbers until Formula 1 engines were prescribed, whereupon the World Sports Car Championship was due to the high costs was discontinued. But even after that, in 1993 at Road America and 1994 at Le Mans, the 962 still won races. An open version, the Kremer K8 Spyder , won in Daytona in 1995 .

Road variants

Road legal examples of the Porsche 962 were built by various manufacturers:

The best known is the duration 962 LM . With this Jochen Dauer was able to win a surprising 1994 Le Mans . The road approval made it possible to take part in the race in the Gran Turismo racing car class , although Group C racing cars were no longer eligible to start this year.

Another goal was pursued by the Australian racing driver Vern Schuppan , who also launched the roadworthy 962 under the name Schuppan 962CR and wanted to enter the super sports car market . However, these one-offs only had the engine (the 3.3-liter version) in common with the original.

Even if the Porsche 962 did not have a direct successor, the Porsche 911 GT1 built from 1996 can be called its successor in the broadest sense, as the GT1 - especially in the GT1 '98 version used from 1998 - has many technical and aerodynamic similarities with the group -C-Renner 962. Both vehicles not only have a mid-engine, but even a unit that is constructed in the same way in many parts. The engine body, the mixture preparation and the cylinder cooling are identical. The chassis of the GT1 was just a fundamental further development of the mature 962 chassis.

Technical specifications

Typically simple for a racing car: the cockpit of the Porsche 962

The Porsche 962 was produced and used from 1984 to 1991:

Porsche 962: Data
engine 6-cylinder boxer engine with turbocharging (four-stroke)
Displacement 2869 cc
Bore × stroke
Power at 1 / min 500 kW (680 PS) at 8200
Max. Torque at 1 / min
compression
Valve control two overhead camshafts
cooling Air cooling (fan), cylinder heads with water cooling
transmission 5-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Brakes Disc brakes (internally ventilated), hydraulic two-circuit system
Front suspension Double wishbones with titanium springs
Rear suspension Double wishbones with titanium springs
Front suspension Bilstein shock absorbers on the outside
Rear suspension Bilstein shock absorbers on the inside
body Aluminum monocoque with plastic body
Track width front / rear
wheelbase 2770 mm
Tires rim
Dimensions L × W 4770 × 1990 mm
Empty weight approx. 850 kg
Top speed approx. 400 km / h

literature

  • Gustav Büsing, Michael Cotton, Ulrich Upietz: Porsche 956–962. Gruppe-C-Motorsport-Verlag, Duisburg 2003, ISBN 3-928540-40-8 .
  • Peter Schneider: Type compass Porsche. Racing and racing sports cars since 1948. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02300-8 .

Web links

Commons : Porsche 962  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/tuner-tuesday-1991-koenig-c62/
  2. https://www.supercars.net/blog/1992-dp-962/
  3. Carter: Motorsport Monday - Derek Bell Signature Edition Porsche 962 # 0. In: German Cars For Sale Blog. September 2, 2013, Retrieved October 6, 2019 (American English).