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We've all dreamed about it: road-legal Le Mans Hypercars. Well, Porsche is doing just that, bringing its 963 to the road.
The company has released a short video, embedded below, which tells the story of the 917.
The 917 was of course Porsche's first overall Le Mans winner, in 1970. However, the company converted chassis 30 to street spec for Count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera, who raced the car once then returned it to the factory to have it fitted with mirrors, side indicators for turning, a road-legal exhaust, and all the other things needed for driving on the road, not the track.
The car still exists, owned by a private owner, kept in the south of France (where else?) and is UK-registered. It recently underwent a full mechanical restoration, preserving original paint and interior.
It seems as though Porsche is planning to do something similar with the 963, with the video hinting at a reveal in June, possibly at Le Mans — the date and the subject would line up, even if Porsche won't confirm or deny.
"Importantly, as it’s descendent enjoys success on the track today, the spirit and desire within Porsche that allowed the creation of a 917 for the road all that time ago remains very much alive five decades on – prompting the question: what if?", said a Porsche statement.
Also, the 963's ancestor, the 962, underwent conversion for the road in the early 1990s at the hands of Dauer Racing. Updates to the all-conquering Group C car meant that it cleared the GT1 homologation rules of the time and sold 13 roadworthy versions before going on to win overall at the 1994 24H Le Mans.
Only Endurance asked for any more details on the forthcoming car, but Porsche declined to comment and said we have to wait until June (although they added 'but you could start speculating'...). Exciting!
We'll just have to wait until then to learn anything more! In the meantime, check out the video above, and the gallery below of the Porsche 917, chassis 30, in road legal form.
