From the Track to the Road: The Porsche 963 RSP

It’s June and for many in the car world, that means one thing, and one thing only: Le Mans.

The endurance classic has been run in the sixth month for almost the entirety of its existence – some 100 years – and as we ramp up to this year’s race on June 14-15, Porsche is doing what they often do ‘round this time of year: release something quite special. Joining the ranks of Porsche race cars for the road like the 911 GT1 Straßenversion, the Dauer 962 Le Mans and even the Carrera GT is this: the 963 RSP.

The 963 RSP (“Roger Searle Penske”, so named for the man who has campaigned Porsche race cars for decades. He’s the sole customer for the 963 RSP), the roadgoing version of the IMSA/WEC race car gets slightly lifted suspension (you know, speed humps and all that), softer Multimatic DSSV dampers, turn signals and even a horn!

Inside, there’s a mix of Alcantara suede and leather, softer and cooled carbon-backed seat, and – wait for it – a 3D printed cupholder sized specifically to accommodate a travel mug from Porsche’s own catalogue of accessories. True Porschephiles will recognize that the ventilation system’s end plates are styled to mimic the fan sat atop the flat-12 engine of another famous Porsche race car: the 917.

That is no fluke, of course; back in 1975, Porsche took the race-bred 917K and, as they’ve done here, crafted a roadgoing version for Count Rossi, the “Rossi” part of the famed Martini & Rossi Vermouth distillery. Like the 963, it was finished in Martini Silver paint and like the 963, it received a host of creature comforts to make it acceptable on the road. That car was loopholed into road legality, whereas the 963 is built to code for use on French roads, with few strings attached.

Other exterior features on the 963 RSP include period-correct Michelin logos on the wet-weather spec racing tires, special OZ wheels and of course, mounting points for both front and rear license plates.

According to Porsche, though, all that wasn’t the toughest part: that award goes to the paint process, which is difficult to do when you’re hoping to apply the same shade of paint across a multitude of surface materials including Kevlar and carbon fibre. No expenses were spared for this one, right down to the matching Snap-On tools and toolbox included with the vehicle.

One thing that was hardly touched was the powertrain; the road car gets the same 4.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid the race car gets. With 680 hp on-tap, it actually makes more power in road car than in race car form but has received some re-mapping to allow it to run on pump gas. Seems racing fuel is tough to find at garden-variety Eni or Total stations in small-town France.

The cost? Well…