Le Mans legend: ex-works Porsche 962 heads to auction

The Porsche 962 is one of the most recognisable and successful vehicles in motorsport history, helping the German marque to dominate sports car racing in the 1980s. 

One of the cars from Porsche’s Group C programme is now heading to auction, offering a rare chance to own a Le Mans legend.

It forms part of the RM Sotheby’s Le Mans Centenary sale, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the epic French endurance race.

Building on the 956

The Porsche 962 was developed from the highly successful 956 prototype racer, following a change in rules for the North American IMSA GTP Championship. 

It used an aluminium monocoque chassis, with a stretched wheelbase in 962 form, plus a turbocharged flat-six engine at the rear. 

Porsche built 91 cars in total, keeping 16 for official factory use. Introduced at the end of 1984, the 962 remained competitive into the 1990s.

Driven by eight Le Mans winners

The vehicle up for auction is one of the three works 962s assigned to the Rothmans Porsche factory team for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Its racing debut came at Le Mans in 1985, driven by John Watson, Vern Schuppan and Al Holbert.

Qualifying in fifth position, chassis 004 ran as high as second place in the race, becoming the leading works Porsche 962. However, crankshaft failure eventually struck after 21 hours of racing.

After competing in other events, the 962 returned to Le Mans in 1986. Piloted by Bob Wollek, Jochen Mass and Vern Schuppan, chassis 004 started the race in pole position. Sadly, despite battling for the lead, an oil spill saw the Porsche eliminated in the middle of the night.

The 962 was later sold to the privateer Joest Racing team, competing until the end of the 1988 season. This included an impressive fifth-place finish at Le Mans that year, beating a Porsche factory entry.

A truly special Porsche

Having spent its recent years in a private collection, the 962 has been fully restored back to works specification. 

It was driven by motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2017, and has made appearances at other historic events. 

This is the first time a factory Rothmans Porsche 962 has been publicly offered for sale. Even among all the examples of the 962 produced, this is a very special car indeed. 

The RM Sotheby’s Le Mans Centenary Auction will reveal just how valuable this Porsche is, when it crosses the block on 9 June 2023. Other notable cars in the sale include a 1997 Chrysler Viper GTS-R, 1984 Lancia LC2 and 1993 Jaguar XJ220C.

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