{"id":43575,"date":"2016-01-19T14:23:58","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T14:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=43575"},"modified":"2024-05-23T10:53:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T09:53:55","slug":"porsche-959","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/cars\/porsche-959\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsche 959"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re one of the folk out there who believes that the Porsche Turbo wasn’t necessarily a full-blooded supercar, then the 959 pushed the form firmly into the superlative.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But we reckon the 930 Turbo was the supercar. This was a hypercar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inspired by Group B rally monsters from Audi, Lancia, Peugeot and Ford, this extreme iteration of the 911 format came with 450 bhp and twin two-stage turbochargers and 4WD. Just over 300 were produced and this one, in period-perfect white on white, takes the biscuit for an essentially 1980s take on the concept of the supercar.<\/p>\n

While the underpinnings of the 959 are essentially 911 961, there is a whole host of functional aero and structural tweaks which created in this something that screamed of the era’s design ethos.<\/p>\n

\"Porsche-959\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

The 959’s nose was extended and flattened and featured near-flush headlamps with extensive ducting for cooling the front brakes and oil radiator. The rear of the car was also stretched rearward and liberally ventilated, and it was topped with a full-width rear wing. Beneath the body shell, though, was a double-wishbone, racing-derived suspension with coil springs and double shocks, adjustable shock damping and ride height, and an electronically managed all-wheel-drive system. Porsche\u2019s PSK system allowed the driver to vary the torque between the rear and front axles.<\/p>\n

\"Porsche-959-4\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

The flat six engine was derived from both the \u201cMoby Dick\u201d IMSA GT racer and Porsche\u2019s Indy open-wheel project. This engine mounted a pair of intercooled sequential turbochargers. A small turbo began producing boost almost from throttle tip-in, while the larger unit came in at about 4,500 rpm, generating a seamless flow of power. It was, apparently, a relatively mellow machine around town, but could pull away to 100KMH in less than four seconds and do 12-second quarter mile.<\/p>\n

This car is about to be auctioned at RM’s Arizona auction.<\/a>
\nYes, it’s going to be expensive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Images: RM\/Sotheby’s<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t