Porsche used this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans to introduce one of the most unusual projects in its recent history: the 963 RSP, a single, bespoke car that will not be type-approved for production.
The Porsche 963 RSP is a reworked version of the 963 race car, created as a tribute to the 917 which-50 years ago-was also adapted to run on public roads. The RSP initials reference Roger S. Penske, the key figure behind the project and a long-standing partner of the Stuttgart brand.
This 963 RSP was developed jointly by Porsche AG, Porsche Penske Motorsport and Porsche Cars North America, with the aim of recreating the 1975 feat half a century later.
Porsche 963 RSP: powertrain carried over from the race car
As with the 917, the 963 RSP retains the same power unit as its competition counterpart. That means a 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with a hybrid system using an 800 V architecture. Combined, the 963 RSP is rated at 680 cv.
Even so, to suit road use, these figures were “moderated”, not least because this road-going 963 RSP must be able to run on standard pump petrol.
Porsche 963 RSP: changes to make it road-ready
To satisfy legal requirements, Porsche fitted new lighting units and indicators, a horn, number-plate mounts, a raised ride height and dampers with a softer set-up.
Michelin wet-weather tyres are fitted, mounted on 18-inch OZ wheels. Visually, the biggest talking point is the “Martini Silver” paintwork, applied over a body made from Kevlar and carbon fibre.
A historic legacy
Inside, the Porsche 963 RSP takes clear cues from the classic road-going 917. Various surfaces are trimmed in brown leather, alongside light-coloured Alcantara.
Modern manufacturing has also enabled a few indulgences: on board the 963 RSP there is even a cup holder and a bespoke helmet mount, both produced using 3D printing.
Given the historical significance of the concept, the Porsche 963 RSP was presented close to the Circuit de la Sarthe, home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its first kilometres on public roads were completed with Timo Bernhard-former Porsche driver-behind the wheel of the brand’s latest icon.
After this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 963 RSP will head to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, before appearing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. According to the manufacturer, it will never be sold or registered as a series-production model; it is a one-of-one, moving tribute.
Starting point: Count Rossi’s 917
In 1975, Gregorio Rossi di Montelera-Martini heir and Porsche enthusiast-wanted something that had never been done: to drive a Porsche 917 race car on the road. Porsche accepted the challenge, making only the changes required to make it possible. The first trip took him from Weissach to Paris, covering a few hundred kilometres, wearing an Alabama number plate.
The car, chassis #30, kept its competition character almost entirely intact. It gained mirrors, indicators, a horn, a spare tyre and two seats upholstered in Hermès leather. The cabin was lined in suede, while the naturally aspirated V12 engine was left untouched.
That eccentric gesture became a Porsche legend-precisely the same legend that inspired the creation of this newly revealed 963 RSP.
Like Count Rossi’s 917, this is a working one-off, designed to astonish anyone sharing the road with it-and, above all, to make history.
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