porsche 956
some guys have all the luck
Fancy being the owner of this rare and mean race car? Only 28 were ever built. Well, there's one in South Africa, in private hands, being raced frequently in the Porsche Challenge.
Flat Six twin turbo, 620bhp @ 8200rpm in a package that only weighs a mere 820kg. How's that for power-to-weight ratio? This thing will do zero to 100 in 3 seconds and a ridiculous top speed of 350+ km/h. Oh man, wouldn't you like to get behind the wheel of this baby?
Sadly, most of us can only dream about driving the 956, because heaven knows what this thing is worth.
history behind the mighty 956
When the dominating 917’s were sidelined by rule changes in the early 1970’s Porsche concentrated its racing efforts primarily on production-based cars. The 911, 934 and 935, along with the extremely low-volume 936 Spyder, brought Porsche a steady string of victories through the 70’s and into the 80’s.
The creation of the “Group C” category for sports-prototypes in the early 1980’s was intended to bring fast and exotic cars back to the forefront of international racing. Porsche took up the challenge and in 1981 they laid the groundwork for the all-conquering 956.
In early '82 Porsche was ready for action with the newly created 956, a car that was designed to meet the 1982 FISA requirements for Le Mans which placed a limitation on fuel economy for its Group C cars. There were no minimum production requirements or engine type or capacity. This was ideal for Porsche which had always done well in the index of performance category.
Maximum tank capacity was 100 liters and cars would only be allowed 5 stops in the course of a 1000km or 6 hour race and 25 stops in a 24 hour race. A minimum weight of 800kg, outside dimensions and safety requirements were also mandated. The 956 was built to the limit of the regulations, with the longest wheelbase ever seen on a Porsche. It was designed with the aide of a wind tunnel with special attention to airflow under the car emphasizing downforce.
instant success
On the first outing in 1982 the 956 took second place at Silverstone. Porsche then prepared 3 cars for Le Mans where they took a 1-2-3 sweep at its first Le Mans outing in 1982.
In fact, the 956 and its slightly longer wheelbase variant, the 962, won Le Mans for six consecutive years, from 1982 through 1987, including the “almost perfect” run in 1983, where 956s finished 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 and 10 (a lone Sauber C7 finished in ninth, prevented a 956 top ten clean sweep).
620bhp from a 2.7 litre
Engine is Porsche's famous boxer flat 6 with dual KKK turbochargers and Behr inter-coolers. Four cog wheel driven overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder. 2649cc.
Air cooled cylinders and water cooled heads. Bosch MP Mottronic 1.2 injection system. 620bhp at 8,200 RPM and 2.2 bar. Torque: 442 @ 5000 rpm. Enough said.
exotic and fast
After the first ten 956's built in '82, twelve more 956's were built for customers in 1983, including the car Franz Pretorius now owns.
In total, only 28 of the 956’s were built by Porsche between '82 and '85, along with an additional 193 of the 962 long wheel base version. On top of that, another 48 modified 962’s were created by shops outside the Porsche factory.
one thing that can be said of the 956
When the designers and engineers at Porsche set their sights on a prize like the world sports car championship during the eighties, they made sure the international racing community quickly took notice.
The Porsche 956 was a powerhouse in the hands of both factory drivers and a slew of privateer teams. It won Le Mans from 1982-1985, and after that the similar 962 derivative held an iron grip upon Le Mans until 1987.
No wonder the 956 was such a huge success, just take a look at the awesome specs of this car - The 956 is Porsche's first aluminium monocoque with Carbon Kevlar reinforced body. It is also Porsche's first attempt at ground effects with a smooth undertray to manipulate downforce.
Suspension is independent 4 wheel suspension, coil springs with not one, but two brake calipers per wheel, clamping down on internally ventilated dual-circuit disc brakes.After the first ten 956's built in '82, twelve more 956's were built for customers in 1983, including the car Franz Pretorius now owns.
so there you have it
We are fortunate to have one of these awesome cars in South Africa, to see it actively competing in our local Porsche Challenge Series is a huge bonus for local racing fans.
No need to travel overseas to see the great 956 in action. Just follow the local Porsche Challenge and get yourself to Kyalami, Zwarkops, Gosworth Park, Midvaal or Phakisa, and you can see Franz throw the 956 around our local race tracks.
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