Porsche 959
A Group B rally car turned road-legal technological tour de force.
The Porsche 959 was built by Porsche between 1986 and 1993, initially conceived as a Group B rally contender before becoming a road-legal production model to meet FIA homologation rules requiring at least 200 examples. Upon its debut, this twin-turbocharged machine held the title of the fastest street-legal production car globally, with a top speed of 197 mph; some test variants reached 339 kph. It blended race-car capabilities with the comfort of a luxury sedan and practical everyday use in dry, wet, or snowy conditions, leading many to regard it as the most technologically advanced road car of its era.
Development began in 1981 under the internal name "Gruppe B," shortly after Peter Schutz became Managing Director. Chief engineer Helmuth Bott approached Schutz with ideas for evolving the Porsche 911, proposing tests for a new all-wheel-drive system. Schutz greenlit the project. Bott, knowing racing programs accelerated development, saw Group B rallying as an ideal testbed and secured approval to build a competition car based on the development mule.
The engine was a sequential twin-turbocharged DOHC flat-six with four valves per cylinder, fed by Bosch Motronic 2.1 fuel injection. It featured air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled heads, with a bore and stroke of 95x67 mm for a total displacement of 2849 cc. This unit was largely derived from the 4-camshaft, 24-valve engine used in the Porsche 956 and 962 race cars, producing 450 PS at 6,500 rpm and 500 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. The sequential twin-turbo setup delivered smooth power across the rev range, avoiding the abrupt on-off characteristic of other contemporary Porsche turbo engines. The road car used this engine virtually unchanged. It was paired with a unique six-speed manual transmission where first gear was labeled "gelände" (terrain) to meet noise regulations, plus reverse.
The body and chassis used an aluminum and Aramid (Kevlar) composite, with a Nomex floor instead of steel, creating a lightweight yet rugged shell. Aerodynamics were developed to enhance stability, aided by automatic ride-height adjustment on the road car (the 961 race cars had fixed suspension). The drag coefficient was as low as 0.31, and aerodynamic lift was eliminated.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Porsche AG
- Class
- Sports car (S)
- Production
- 1986–1993 / (337+8 produced)
- Assembly
- Germany: Stuttgart (Karosserie Baur)
- Layout
- Rear-engine, four-wheel-drive
- Engine
- 2849 cc twin-turbocharged flat-6
- Powerout
- 450 PS / 500 Nm of torque
- Transmission
- 6-speed manual
- Wheelbase
- 2272 mm
- Length
- 4260 mm
- Height
- 1280 mm
- Weight
- 1450 kg
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of the 959 (originally called the Gruppe B) started in 1981, shortly after the company's then-new Managing Director, Peter Schutz, took his office. Porsche's chief engineer at the time, Helmuth Bott, approached Schutz with ideas about a new sports car based on the 911, and convinced him to research a new all wheel drive system. Seeing Group B rallying as the perfect arena to test the development mule, Bott got approval to develop a car for competition in Group B. The powerplant is a sequential twin-turbocharged DOHC flat-six engine with four valves per cylinder, largely based on the engine used in the Porsche 956 and 962 race cars. It was coupled to a unique manual transmission offering six forward speeds with the first gear labelled "gelände" (terrain). To create a rugged, lightweight shell, Porsche adopted an aluminium and Aramid (Kevlar) composite for the body panels and chassis construction along with a Nomex floor. The 959 also featured Porsche-Steuer Kupplung (PSK) all-wheel-drive system, capable of dynamically changing torque distribution between rear and front wheels. The 959 was actually produced at Karosserie Baur, not at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen. The road version debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show as a 1986 model, but numerous issues delayed production by more than a year. First customer deliveries began in 1987, and production ended in 1988 with 292 cars completed. In total, 337 cars were built, including 37 prototypes and pre-production models. In 1992/1993, Porsche built eight more cars assembled from spare parts, all "Komfort" versions.
Reader's Guide
The Porsche 959's significance lies in its role as a technological pioneer that influenced Porsche's production line for years. After the successful introduction of all-wheel drive on rally-specific cars like the Audi Quattro, the 959 was one of the first pure high-performance sports-cars with all-wheel drive, providing the basis for Porsche's first all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4 model. Its performance convinced Porsche executives to make all-wheel drive standard on all turbocharged versions of the 911 starting with the 993. The twin-turbo system used on the 959 also made its way to future turbocharged Porsche sports cars. The 959's racing program helped accelerate development of new models, and it achieved success in the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally after an unsuccessful season in 1985. In 2004, Sports Car International named the 959 number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s. The car was manufactured in two levels of trim, "Komfort" and "Sport", and an optional 530 PS factory upgrade was available. The 959 S variant with larger turbochargers increased power output to 515 PS, resulting in a top speed of 339 km/h. The car's drag coefficient was as low as 0.31 and aerodynamic lift was eliminated. Its magnesium alloy wheels were hollow inside to form a sealed chamber contiguous with the tyre and equipped with a built-in tyre pressure monitoring system.
Did You Know?
- The 959's first gear was labelled "gelände" (terrain) to help the car pass noise regulations.
- The 959 S omitted air conditioning, central locking, electric window lift, rear seats, and the levelling system to save weight.
- In 1992/1993, Porsche built eight more 959s from spare parts, all in red or silver "Komfort" trim.
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