There seem to be a number of books entering the market right now on Porsche’s motor racing history. This is not a bad thing, because there is so much to explore about these fantastic and iconic race cars. The challenge, though, is to find an angle that hasn’t been covered yet. Author Mark Cole, together with ex-racer and team manager John Fitzpatrick, have done just that. In … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962 engines – Group C vs IMSA
In the early 1980’s there was a divergence in the rules for sports car racing world-wide. IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) in the USA proceeded with the GTP concept. The GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) was a prototype car using street car based engines. By 1982, the FIA was moving to a fuel based formula for sports cars. Porsche knew the 935 was no longer competitive … [Read more...]
From a 356 to the latest 991.2 GT3 Clubsport
They were all there, from a Pre-A 356 to the latest 991.2 GT3 Clubsport, by way of the most mouth-watering collection of 911s, 956 and 962s, including the indomitable 917. The occasion was the first Rennsport Collective display, open to the public, with quite simply the most sensational and compelling presentation of Porsches you could hope to see. The setting was the 230-year … [Read more...]
How a Porsche survived at Le Mans on Coca-Cola
When you were last with Richard Wiley, we were hurtling around a damp La Sarthe in 1988 with Stuck in the Shell Dunlop 962, trimming the grass and setting up great plumes of spray as the Porsche barked its flat tones in a relentless but ultimately fruitless pursuit of a howling Jaguar V12 which was on the brink of grinding to a halt with no gears but which somehow survived to … [Read more...]
It’s been a long journey – the Norbert Singer interview
Norbert Singer must rank as one of the most successful race engineers in Porsche’s long and glittering motorsport history. Porsche Road & Race spoke to him about his four-decade career with Porsche, the race cars he helped develop and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “It’s been a long journey,” Norbert Singer said with a smile, and how right he was. Growing up in the 1950s and … [Read more...]
A Sting in the Tale
In Part 1, Stories from Le Mans – with a Porsche flavour, our intrepid scribbler who hails from that beautiful part of South Africa, the Western Cape, shares with us some hilarious and revealing stories from his many trips to Le Mans. Richard Wiley, a lifelong motoring journalist, has always loved Le Mans, Group C and especially the Porsches of that era. A sting in the tale, … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962 at Le Mans – Logistics Part II
In 1982, Porsche introduced the Type 956, the race car manufacturer’s entrant in the newly created Group C racing series which commenced that season. The new car scored a second place on its debut at Silverstone that year, and followed this up a month later with a clean sweep of the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The rest, as they say, is history as the 956 and its modified … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962 remembered
The decline of Group 6 and the growth of Group C saw the emergence of what is today widely regarded as the most entertaining and successful era in modern motorsport. Group C ran from 1982 to 1992, a decade that saw some of the most innovative and exciting engineering solutions to race car development imaginable. In this feature, Porsche 956/962 remembered, we look at some of … [Read more...]
RM Sotheby’s Celebrates 70 years of Porsche with a Stellar Selection
The mental wheels started turning when RM Sotheby’s announced on 9 March 2018 that a single marque Porsche auction would be held at the Porsche Cars North America facility in Atlanta on the weekend of 27 October. The auction was fashioned around a celebration of Porsche’s 70th anniversary. Although no lots were yet known, the promise of a stellar selection of Porsche machinery … [Read more...]
RM Sotheby’s Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction
RM Sotheby's, in collaboration with the Porsche Experience Centre Atlanta, will host the Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction, an exclusive, single-marque auction to be held on the weekend of 27 October at the home of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) in Atlanta. The auction will feature approximately 70 of the world's most important and most sought-after collectible Porsche … [Read more...]
