The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1986 to 1993, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring at least 200 units be produced.[5]
The twin-turbocharged 959 was the world's fastest street-legal production car when introduced, achieving a top speed of 197 mph, with some variants even capable of achieving 339 kph. Combining race-car performance with luxury-sedan comfort and everyday drivability in dry, wet and snowy conditions, it was considered the most technologically advanced road car of its time.[6][7][8][9]
After the successful introduction of all-wheel drive on more rally-specific cars like the Audi Quattro, it 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. In 2004, Sports Car International named the 959 number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
Development history and overview
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 some ideas about the Porsche 911, or more aptly, a new one. Bott knew that the company needed a sports car that they could continue to rely on for years to come and that could be developed as time went on. Curious as to how much they could do with the rear-engined 911, Bott convinced Schutz that development tests should take place, and even proposed researching a new all wheel drive system. Schutz agreed, and gave the project the green light. Bott also knew through experience that a racing program usually helped to accelerate the development of new models. Seeing Group B rallying as the perfect arena to test the new development mule and its all wheel drive system, Bott again went to Schutz and got the approval to develop a car, based on his development mule, for competition in Group B.
The powerplant is a sequential twin-turbocharged DOHC flat-six engine equipped with four valves per cylinder, fuel fed by Bosch Motronic 2.1 fuel injection with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled heads, with a bore x stroke of 95x67 mm for a total displacement of 2849 cc. It was coupled to a unique manual transmission offering six forward speeds with the first gear labelled "gelände" (terrain), allowing the car to pass noise regulations, as well as reverse.
Performance
Auto, Motor und Sport measured a top speed of 318 km/h and 3.7 seconds for 0-100 km/h.[19] Those values were recognized by Guinness World Records as highest road tested speed for any road car and highest road tested 0-100 km/h acceleration.[20][21]
Road & Track measured a top speed of 198 mph, 0-60 mi/h in 3.6 seconds, 0-100 mi/h in 8.2 seconds and 11.9 seconds at 119.5 mph for the quarter mile.[22]
Car and Driver measured 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds in komfort trim which was 9 tenths quicker than any other car they tested in the 1980s.[23]
Porsche 959 S
The Porsche 959 S was a 959 "Sport" with larger turbochargers that increased power output to 515 PS (379 kW; 508 hp) thus resulting in a top speed of 339 km/h as tested by Auto, Motor und Sport at the Nardò Ring in 1988. To save weight, air conditioning, central locking, electric window lift, rear seats and the levelling system for the chassis were omitted. Twenty-nine cars were built.[24][25][26]
Racing
Group B / Paris–Dakar Rally
The 959 was originally meant for Group B racing but development time took longer than expected. The first development race cars, essentially modified 911 Carrera models with all-wheel-drive system known internally as the 953, were entered in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, finishing 1st (René Metge), 6th (Jacky Ickx) and 25th. These cars tested the all-wheel-drive system to be used in the 959. Unlike the World Rally Championship the Dakar didn't require a minimum number of cars built for homologation. In 1985, three cars were entered in the Dakar rally with the proposed 959 body and the rest of the systems but they still used the engine of the 953 rally cars. These cars didn't finish (only one due to mechanical failure however). Afterwards Porsche fitted the cars with twin-turbochargers. Two cars started at the Rallye des Pharaons in October 1985. One of them caught fire, while Saeed Al-Hajri and John Spiller achieved a commanding victory with their 959. At the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally the 959 finished 1st (René Metge), 2nd (Jacky Ickx) and 6th.[27][28][29]
Legacy
In 2003, Canepa Design initiated a 959 upgrade program. By making modifications to the 959's turbochargers, exhaust system and computer-control systems, Canepa enabled the 959 to pass emissions requirements, thereby making it street-legal in the United States before falling under the 25 year rule. The upgrade pack has now three generations, as well as a sportier trim available.[32]
In Pugad Baboy comic strips, the dog Polgas, in his secret agent persona Agent Pol, has been rewarded with a 959 in lieu of his service and track records in secret service and espionage.
Legality in the United States
A common myth is that Porsche did not provide the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) with four cars required for destructive crash testing, so the car was never certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for street use in the U.S. However, this is false as the DOT do not carry out crash testing internally, they simply publish the figures that the manufacturer has released. The manufacturer of a motor vehicle is responsible for their own crash testing.[33] Porsche chose to design and test the 959 to European safety standards only, ignoring NHTSA standards when it was already apparent that the exchange rate between the Deutschmark and US Dollar was so unfavourable that Porsche was losing $200,000 on the sale of each 959.[34]
Owners of the few 959s that entered the country paid storage fees to keep their 959s in so-called Foreign Trade Zones (areas adjacent to US ports where goods are not considered to be in the US for legal purposes) as the cars weren't permitted in the US proper.
The 959 could not be made street legal in the United States after the 1988 "Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act".[35] Otis Chandler, Bill Gates, Bruce Canepa, and others managed to convince the US government to allow the 959 to be imported and thus created the
External links
References
- Ludvigsen. 2003^
- Sebastian Renz. Ein Oldtimer mit 450 PS und Turbolader Auto, Motor und Sport, 22 March 2018^
- 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder First Test Motor Trend, 5 May 2014, retrieved 30 March 2019^