Porsche 959
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Porsche 959 | |
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| Manufacturer | Porsche |
| Production | 1986 – 1988 |
| Successor | Porsche Carrera GT |
| Class | RR/4WD supercar |
| Body style | 2-door Coupe |
| Engine | aircooled 2.85 L turbo flat-6 with watercooled heads producing 450 HP (330 kW) at 6500 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 2,272 mm (89.4 in) |
| Length | 4,260 mm (167.7 in) |
| Width | 1,840 mm (72.4 in) |
| Height | 1,280 mm (47.2 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,450 kg (2,917 lb) |
| Related | Porsche 911, 911 Turbo, 961 |
The Porsche 959 is a supercar manufactured by Porsche AG from 1986 to 1989, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road going vehicle designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring that a minimum number of street legal units be built. It is widely regarded as Porsche's first true supercar.
During its production run, it was hailed as being the most technologically advanced road-going sports car ever built and for being the harbinger of the future of sports cars; it was the world's first high-performance vehicle to use an all-wheel-drive system, it provided the basis for Porsche's first all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 model, and convinced Porsche executives of the system's viability so well that they chose to make all-wheel-drive standard on all versions of the 911 Turbo starting with the 993 variant. During its lifetime the vehicle had but one peer, with Ferrari's F40 being the only other street legal vehicle available with comparable performance.
The 959's short production run—fewer than 200 road legal versions were built, and due to its astonishing performance coupled with its rarity have always kept values high. In 2003, Canepa Design corporation, famed for their high-quality SUV conversions, began using new hardware and modification techniques to modify 959s, making them more powerful as well as bringing their emissions levels into acceptable standards so that they could become street legal under recent U.S. legislation, bolstering the vehicle's status as a collectible among American buyers who were wary of spending vast sums of money on a vehicle that previously they would not have been allowed to drive in the U.S.
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[edit] History
Development of the 959 (originally called the Gruppe B) started in 1981, shortly after the then-new company Managing Director, Peter Schutz, took his office. Porsche's head engineer at the time, Helmut Bott, approached Schutz with some ideas about the 911, or more aptly, a new 911. 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 greenlit the project. Bott also knew through experience that a racing program usually helped to accelerate the development of new models. Seeing Group B rally racing as the perfect arena to test the new mule and its all wheel drive system, Bott again went to Schutz, and got the go ahead to develop a car, based on his development mule, for competition in Group B.
Porsche began with an engine they already had, and moved on with development from there. The powerplant, a twin turbocharged boxer six engine, with an air cooled block and water cooled heads displaced 2.85 total litres, about half a litre less than a contemporary 911 engine. The motor had originally been developed for the "Moby Dick" race car, then was redeveloped slightly for the short-lived Porsche Indy Car and several other projects before being "tweaked" a last time for use in the 961, the 959's racing counterpart. The water cooled cylinder heads combined with the air cooled block, 4 valve heads and sequential turbochargers allowed Porsche to extract 450 hp (340 kW) from the compact, efficient and rugged power unit. The use of sequential twin turbochargers rather than the more usual identical turbochargers for each of the two cylinder banks allowed for smooth seamless delivery of power across the engine RPM band, in contrast to the abrupt on-off power characteristic that distinguished Porsche's turbocharged engines of the period. It has been speculated the engine was capable of over 600 horsepower if fully tuned. The engine was used, virtually unchanged, in the 959 road car as well.
In an attempt to create a rugged, lightweight shell, Porsche adopted an aluminium and Aramid (Kevlar or Twaron) composite for body use along with a Nomex floor as opposed to the traditional steel that was normally used on their production cars. The vehicle's light weight (2917 pounds) gave astounding performance:
(mph)
- 0-60: 3.6 s.
- 0-100: 8.3 s.
- 0-125: 12.7 s.
- 0-140: 19.0 s.
- 0-1/4 mile: 11.8 s. @ 119 mph (standing)
- Top Speed: 198+ mph
(kmh)
- 0-100: 3.7 s.
- 0-160: 8.3 s.
- 0-200: 12.7 s.
- 0-1000 meters: 21.6 s. (standing)
Porsche also developed the car's aerodynamics which were designed to increase stability, as was the automatic ride height adjustment that became available on the street car (961 race cars had fixed suspensions). Its "zero lift" dynamics were a big part of keeping it drivable. The 959 also featured Porsche-Steuer Kupplung (PSK) which, at the time, was the most advanced all wheel drive system ever used in a production car. Capable of dynamically changing the torque distribution between the rear and front wheels in both normal conditions and slip conditions, the PSK system allowed the 959 to have the adaptability it needed both as a race car and as a "super" street car. Under hard acceleration, PSK could send as much as 80% of available power to the rear wheels, helping make the most of the rear-traction bias that occurs during such instances. It could also vary the power bias depending on road surface and grip changes, helping maintain sure footedness at all times. The magnesium alloy wheels were unique, being hollow inside to form a sealed chamber contiguous with the tire and equipped with a built-in tire pressure monitoring system.
The 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show was chosen for the unveiling of the Porsche Group B prototype. Even in the waning hours of October 9th, finishing touches were placed on the car to go on display the next morning. When the curtain was drawn the next morning, the Group B car became an instant celebrity. After the first two prototypes, the bodywork was modified to include air vents in the front and rear wheel housings, as well as intake holes behind the doors. The first prototype modified like this was code named "F3", and was destroyed in the first crash test.
The street version of the 959 debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show as a 1986 model, but numerous issues delayed production by more than a year. The car was manufactured in two levels of trim, "Sport" and "Komfort", corresponding to the race version and the street version, respectively. First customer deliveries of the 959 street variant began in 1987, and the car debuted at a cost of $225,000 USD per unit, still less than half what it cost Porsche to build each one, production ended in 1990. In total, fewer than 300 cars were built and the total number (which hovers around 250) includes both 959 street variants and 961 race variants as well as at least 4 prototypes Porsche built during development. 226 of the cars built were street legal (in Europe) and were sold to consumers. At least one 959 and one 961 remain in the Porsche historic hall in Stuttgart, Germany.
The 959 was not street legal in the United States prior to 1999 when the "Show and Display" law was finally passed, although an unknown number were imported via the "grey market" during the late 1980s as show pieces. During the model's development, Porsche refused to provide the United States Department of Transportation with the four 959's they required for crash testing, and the car was never certified by the NHTSA for street use in the U.S. With the passage of "Show and Display" the crash test requirements were removed and importation of the 959 was allowed, assuming the car could meet with the local emissions standards that would have existed as of 1987. The 959 can be fitted with a catalytic converter and a rechipped computer which will allow it to meet those emissions requirements. However most owners refuse to modify their 959s, and the cars remain as collection pieces. While the initial selling price was $230,000, today one of these cars would be worth upwards of a million dollars. Most 959s are currently in the hands of collectors, but the ones that are available do occasionally come to market.
The lessons learned from the 959 in terms of engine management, aerodynamics, suspension tuning, and four wheel drive were what enabled the production life of the 911, once thought to be nearing obsolescence due to the extreme rearward placement of the engine, to be extended to the present day with no end in sight. In this way, the 959 project more than paid for itself many times over, and owners of new Porsche 911s can, to a large degree, benefit from the great strides forward made by this technological tour de force.
[edit] Racing
When Porsche began development of the 959, it looked towards Group B racing as a road-racing laboratory with which to develop technology for production cars. When Group B became focused on rallying events, however, Porsche felt the relevance to production cars was greatly reduced, and the goal of the 959 project shifted to frank state of the art, cost is no object technological innovation.
In 1984, however, three 911s modified to 959 specifications (due to the requirement that Group B cars be based on production cars with at least 200 built) were used in the Paris-Dakar Rally, with Jacky Ickx the prime motivator. By 1985 the 959 rally variant was ready, however it was a disappointing start: all three cars failed to finish. But in 1986 the 959 finished 1-2, erasing the disappointment of '85. The 959 was never seriously considered for a Group B Rally season; the cost of completing a full season far outweighed any technical information gained.
1986 was also the year that the racing variant, the 961, made its debut at the 24 hours of Le Mans, driven by Glyn Wall, finishing first in class and 7th overall. It returned in 1987, but failed to finish after a spin while in 11th place. Thus ended the career of the 961.
[edit] Canepa Design modifications
In 2003, Canepa Design, famous for their exclusive and high-priced kits for American SUVs initiated a 959 program. By making their own modifications to the 959s turbo, exhaust and computer-control systems, Canepa was not only able to make the 959 competent to pass emissions requirements (thereby making it street legal in the U.S.) they were also able to extract even more power from the 959's engine. Total power output from the Canepa modified 959 rises to 576 hp and 505 ft·lbf of torque, making the car capable of low 3 second 0-60 times and top speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Canepa also makes modifications to the 959's super lightweight magnesium wheels, allowing them to be fitted with a modern Michelin high performance tire capable of handling the increased performance.
[edit] Legacy
By 1991, with the introduction of the 964 generation 911s, Porsche had already begun utilizing many of the technologies they had mastered with the 959/961. The 964 became the first 911 available with four wheel drive. Finally, the successor of the 964, the Porsche 993 Carrera 4, features a derivative of the 959's all wheel drive, still applied in today's Carrera 4 and Turbo models. The Porsche 993 Turbo was, after the 959, the first 911 variant to combine turbocharging with 4WD. The 993 Turbo also adopted twin-turbochargers, however not in the 959's particular configuration. The 993 and 959 also share a strong physical resemblance in the front end.
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number one on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
[edit] In Popular Culture
There are many famous owners of the 959. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who owns an extensive Porsche collection, purchased one for $700,000. Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen each own 959s, and helped pass the "Show and Display" law [1] in order for them to be driven on American roads.
The golfer Nick Faldo unintentionally had his 959 appear in tabloid front pages in late 1998, when spurned ex-girlfriend Brenna Cepelak trashed his 959 with his golf clubs causing a £10,000 repair bill. Other famous owners include athlete Daley Thompson and former Porsche factory driver Hans Joachim Stuck.
Also,
- The 959 was used as the base for several Transformers characters, including Nightbeat, Skystalker, Hot Shot, and various GoBots/Spychangers.
- The 959 appears in the following computer and video games:
- Turbo Out Run (1989), as the opponent. The player races a Ferrari F40 against it.
- Test Drive II: The Duel (1989), also as a competitor to a Ferrari F40.
- Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000), downloadable from the Electronic Arts website as a bonus car.
- Automobili Lamborghini (1997), as an opponent car, though it could be unlocked by completing championships.
- Shox (2002), as a Dakar Rally car.
- Project Gotham Racing 2 (2004)
- In Top Gear Rally(1997) for the N64, a Porsche 959 can be unlocked under the game-name of "Type PS".
- In Rad Mobile (1991), the in-game car and the sit-down cabinet resembles a 959.
- Forza Motorsport (2005)
- Wisedog/Dobermaxx, also known as Polgas, the main character in the Filipino comic Pugad Baboy, owns a customized Porsche 959, which he calls the Thunderdog.
[edit] References
- Bowler, M & Wood, J (1997). The Fastest Cars From Around the World. Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-1022-3.
- Frère, P (1999). Porsche 911 Story (sixth edition). Patrick Stevens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-590-1
- Wood, J (1997). Porsche: The Legend. Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-2072-5.
- MPH magazine Greatest Cars Ever: Porsche 959
[edit] External links
- 1986 959 at official Porsche website
- 1986 959 Paris-Dakar at official Porsche website
- 1987/1988 959 at official Porsche website
| Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG | ||
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