Latest news with #Martini&Rossi
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche's One-Off Hypercar May Be Headed to Roger Penske's Legendary Garage
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious Porsche is putting the finishing touches on a street-legal version of its dominant 963 LMDh Le Mans racer, and signs point to a very exclusive destination—perhaps even the private collection of motorsport legend Roger Penske. Referred to as the Porsche 963 RSP, this one-off hypercar is being crafted with clear ties to Porsche's high-performance racing pedigree. A recent teaser video shared by the automaker reveals Porsche's expert craftsmen hand-assembling the car's components, from cutting Alcantara for the cabin to sanding bespoke carbon fiber bodywork. Though road-legal, the RSP reportedly remains remarkably true to its IMSA and WEC competition sibling. Changes appear limited to essential upgrades such as modified lighting, wing mirrors, and safety features. Inside, Porsche has upgraded the racing cockpit with premium materials while preserving much of the original layout's stripped-down aesthetic. The powertrain, a hybridized 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8, is expected to closely mirror that of the race car. In competition, the engine is limited to 670 horsepower to meet regulatory standards, but the absence of racing restrictions in this road-going version could allow for significantly more output. Speculation around the car's final owner centers on Roger Penske, the man behind Porsche's factory racing efforts. The initials 'RSP' match his own, and Penske led the Porsche 963 to championship success in 2023 across both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship. This isn't the first time Porsche has built a bespoke hypercar for a notable partner. In 1975, Count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera of Martini & Rossi fame received a road-legal version of the 917K. If confirmed, the 963 RSP would not only represent a fusion of cutting-edge engineering and heritage, but also highlight the storied relationship between Porsche and one of motorsport's most revered figures.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Teases 963 Street Car To Celebrate Count Rossi's One-Off 917 Daily Driver 50 Years Later
Porsche's 700-horsepower mid-engine hybrid-and-turbocharged V8-powered 963 hypercar has been racing, and winning, in the FIA WEC and IMSA endurance sports car series since its introduction for the 2023 season. While the 963 has not yet found the ultimate success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it has won the 24 Hours of Daytona the last two years running and is undefeated in IMSA across the first three rounds of the IMSA championship in 2025. This is another in a long line of winning top-class prototypes from Porsche, which stretches all the way back to the iconic Le Mans-dominating 917 introduced in 1968. In June of this year, when Porsche aims to add another Le Mans victory to its already impressive tally of 19, the German sports car brand will unveil what is likely to be a street-legal version of the very car it will race there. So far Porsche hasn't actually said anything confirming the existence of such a vehicle, though the teaser image above was appended to a video commemorating Count Martine heir Teofilo Guiscardo Rossi di Montelera's (of Martini & Rossi fame) one-off street-legal 917 built by Porsche for the Count in 1975. The connection, these fifty years later, could not be more blunt. Rossi was one of those well-to-do eccentric wealthy folks with plenty of hobbies, including powerboat racing, bobsledding, and Porsches. His famed support of the Porsche factory race squad was vigorous, so when he commissioned Porsche to build him a street-legal 917, the company wasn't going to say no. Read more: These Cars Have The Best Wings Ever Once its life as a race car was over, 917 chassis 030 was brought back to the Porsche factory for transformation into Count Rossi's personal street-legal 5-liter flat-twelve rocket ship. In order to meet road legality ordinances, the low-slung tube-frame fiberglass monster was fitted with mufflers, fender mirrors, turn signals, and a horn. The rules at Le Mans at the time required all race cars to be fitted with two seats and a spare tire, so those didn't need to be added, but the seats were reupholstered with leather from Hermès and a custom suede headliner. This also would not be the first time Porsche has flirted with turning a top-flight Le Mans race car into a road-going hypercar for the jetset, as it even went so far as to commission a street-legal concept of its thrice-Le Mans winning 919 eight years ago. The 919 Street Concept (below) was floated as a 1,000 horsepower follow-up to the 918 Hybrid, but ultimately decided it was too hardcore for drivers without a racing license. There were also street-legal versions of Porsche's iconic 956, 962, and 911 GT1 Le Mans racers built, so this would hardly be new territory for the German brand. There's no telling just yet what we can expect from a street-legal Porsche 963, but by the looks of things it'll stick even more closely to the race car formula than the 919 Street Concept did, including the massive rear wing and billboard "shark fin" of the race car's aerodynamics. Knowing Porsche, and the Penske-operated race team, it'll be incredibly fast, set a few track records, and cost a whole lot of money. Look for more when Porsche finally unveils the finished product in a couple of months. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
