26-04-2025
Did Porsche Just Tease Street-Legal Version Of Its 963 Le Mans Racer?
GOTEMBA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 13: The #06 Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre, Andre ... More Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor in action during practice at the Six Hours of Fuji on September 13, 2024 in Gotemba, Japan. (Photo by James)
Converting race cars for road use is nothing new, and in decades gone by was especially common among closed-wheel endurance racers that compete at events like Le Mans.
It isn't unusual to see GT racers from the 1950s and 60s used on the public road, and even more modern machines from the end of 1990s, like the McLaren F1 GTR, can be converted to meet street safety laws, usually by way of fitting turn signals, wipers, treated tires and license plates.
Porsche reminded us all this week how a 1975 example of its legendary 917 race car was made road legal, complete with a tan leather interior commissioned from Hermès, a suede roof lining, and Alabama license plates. Featured in the video below, the car was originally owned by Italian businessman and Martini heir Gregorio Rossi di Montelera (better known simply as Count Rossi). In recent years it has been enjoyed by its France-based owner and is occasionally spotted on the streets of central London.
Bringing this car to attention isn't particularly unusual. Porsche has an extensive heritage collection and frequently covers its history on the pages of its own Newsroom website. But a short video showcasing the street-legal 917, published on 25 April, ended with a shock. It closes with the words 'What if?', followed by a close-up shot of the drive mode selector of Porsche's current endurance racer, the 963, and a brief glimpse of that car, side-on, and covered by shadow.
The snapshot of the car is enough to identify it as the 963, but it's not possible to see whether it's wearing license plates or street-legal tires. Conveniently, it's also impossible to tell whether the car's sharp front and rear aero structures – extremely unlikely to pass any pedestrian safety test or make their way onto a street-legal car – are still present, or have been toned down.
The video also states 'June 2025', which is the month in which the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place. Perhaps this is also when Porsche will share more about what on Earth is going on here.
Porsche hasn't produced a roadgoing hypercar since the 918 Spyder back in 2014. That car sparred with the LaFerrari and McLaren P1, but a followup to compete with the new Ferrari F80 and McLaren W1 is yet to materialize. Porsche had previously suggested its next hypercar would be a production version of the electric Mission X, but little has been said about that car since it was revealed in 2023.
Porsche video shows a side profile of its 963 racer
While rivals like Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Aston Martin have all produced limited-run, high-priced, track-only hypercars for their most loyal customers, Porsche has sat on the sidelines. Those cars, like the McLaren Solus GT, Bugatti Bolide, Aston Martin Valkyrie and various members of Ferrari's FXX programme have all relieved millions of dollars from the pockets of billionaire gear-heads, Porsche has lacked a true hypercar, street-legal or otherwise.
Will this year's Le Mans see Porsche reveal a version of its endurance racer available to the public? Perhaps a (slightly) toned down evolution of the 963, in the same vein as the track-only Ferrari's 499P Modificata? Porsche teased the idea of a street-legal variant of its all-conquering 919 race car a few years ago, called the 919 Street. That never materialized, but perhaps now Porsche has a plan for sharing its endurance racing successes with its most loyal, and wealthy, customers.
