The
Porsche 962 (also known as the
962C in its Group C form) was a
sports-prototype racing car built by
Porsche as a replacement for the
956 and designed mainly to comply with
IMSA's
GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European
Group C formula as the 956 had. The 962 was introduced at the end of 1984, from which it quickly became successful through private owners while having a remarkably long-lived career, with some examples still proving competitive into the mid-1990s.
Development
When the
Porsche 956 was developed in late 1981, the intention of Porsche was to run the car in both the
World Sportscar Championship and the North American
IMSA GTP Championship. However IMSA GTP regulations differed from Group C and subsequently the 956 was banned in the US series on safety grounds as the driver's feet were ahead of the front axle center line.
To make the 956 eligible under the IMSA regulations, Porsche extended the 956's
wheelbase to make room for the pedal box. A steel roll cage was also integrated into the new aluminium chassis. For an engine, the
Porsche 934-derived Type-935 2.8L flat-6 was used with air cooling and a single
Kühnle, Kopp und Kausch AG K36 turbocharger instead of the twin K27 turbochargers of the
Group C 956, as twin-turbo systems were not allowed in IMSA's GTP class at the time.
The newer
Andial built 3.2L fuel injected Flat-6 would be placed in the 962 by the middle of 1985 for IMSA GT, which made the car more competitive against......
Read More