Porsche 959 - double crown
When Porsche entered the 959, it set itself the goal of creating an extreme rally car capable of competing in the newly formed Group B. The project took a different path, so that instead of racing in the WRC, it became a legendary supercar.
Construction work on the 300 km/h Porsche rally began in 1981, with the model's first presentation two years later. The prototype, powered by a Porsche 935 (400 hp) racing engine, was not yet in production, but thanks to the premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche quickly collected orders for 200 copies and was able to continue building work. Extensive testing involved, among other things, the testing of components (for example, in the skin of the 911) at the Paris-Dakar rally in 1984-1985. The final version of the Porsche 959 started in 1986, taking the first two places at the finish line! Famous for this amazing victory, Porsche created yet another sensation by winning the equally legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year.
The 959 proved to be an excellent base for training both a rally car capable of sliding on the dunes and a purely racing car stuck to the pavement. Of course, the two configurations were very different from each other, but the core remained the same.
The brainchild of German designers at the time of its premiere was the fastest production car, taking this title from the excellent Ferrari 288 GTO. Enzo Ferrari quickly recouped the owners of the Zuffenhausen brand with the release of the Ferrari F40, thanks to which the Italian manufacturer once again offered the fastest production car on Earth.
The model, prepared for the 324th anniversary of the company from Maranello, was an example of a purebred monster associated with an overgrown kart capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 km / h. Italian designers have kept the electronics to a minimum, making the F478 a car for the experienced driver who can tame the V8's 959-horsepower twin-turbocharged unit. At the other extreme was Porsche, whose heart was also a bi-turbo engine, but it was combined with a complex suspension and a mass of electronics. The car had permanent all-wheel drive with adjustable power distribution between the axles. The crown jewel is the adjustable suspension with handle, the pinnacle of modern technology. The car was able to maintain a constant height, regardless of the condition of the road surface and load.
With a weight of almost 1,5 tons, the car was richly equipped - not only with power windows, central locking, but also with air conditioning. The designers made a compromise, deciding to retrofit the car, which increased comfort, but placed an additional burden on it. To support the Orthodox Jews, a lighter version of the Sport was also prepared, devoid of additives, with a total weight of about 100 kg.
The stylists may have had interesting ideas to create the timeless silhouette of the new supercar, but the engineers won. For all my liking for this model, I am of the opinion that the 959 looks like an enlarged 911. It is wider, flatter, but still a good old Porsche, but not full of ideal proportions like its more serial counterparts. The beefy bodywork, and in particular the rather controversial rear spoiler look, is the result of the work of aerodynamicists who ultimately achieved an excellent cx 0,31.
The Porsche 959 had to be incredibly fast, and looks were important, but certainly not a priority. Model 959 resembled the 911 not only in the shape of the body. Also inside, the clock, steering wheel and overall design of the dashboard were irresistibly associated with other models of the brand.
The drivetrain is taken directly from the Porsche Le Mans racing models. The six-cylinder engine with a volume of only 2849 cm³ develops a dizzying 3 hp. and 450 Nm thanks to two turbochargers operating in different speed ranges. This eliminated such an annoying "turbohole". The manufacturer stated in the manual that such a powerful engine will satisfy less than 500 liters of fuel when driving up to 11 km / h. Trips around the city were associated with the loss of 120 liters of fuel per 17,5 km. The engine also had a tendency to suck in oil - the manufacturer assured that 100 liters per 2 km was something completely normal.
Thanks to advanced German technology, the Porsche 959 was able to accelerate from 100 to 3,7 km/h in 8 seconds, which is impressive even today. In order not to be unfounded, I will only mention the Mercedes SLS AMG, which produces 6,2 hp. from a huge V571 engine with a volume of 100 liters and accelerates to 3,8 km / h in 317 seconds. Its top speed (959 km/h) is exactly the same as the XNUMX. Even after a quarter of a century, the described Porsche design can be a scary thing for supercars!
Porsche at one time had only one real rival - the Ferrari F40. In subsequent years, new, electrifying structures were created, not always able to withstand the high records of the car from Zuffenhausen.
Market premiere, despite the exorbitant price of 420 thousand. The brand was successful - all copies were sold out quickly, but the total number of cars produced did not exceed 337 units, including prototypes and pre-production units. The Porsche 959 was a unique showcase that was so expensive to produce that not even nearly half a million marks could make it profitable. For each released copy of the company had to pay extra, but thanks to this, Porsche left an even greater mark on the history of the automotive industry.
Photo Porsche; Sfoskett is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
