1986 Porsche 962 Coupe

Porsche introduced the 962 endurance prototype coupe in 1984. It is one of the most dominant and successful racing designs in history. The 962 was derived from the earlier-type 956 Coupe that was designed for Europe's World Sportscar Championship Group C.

The Porsche 962 was designed as an entry for IMSA's GTP series and was initially powered by a derivative of the 2.8-liter, air-cooled flat-six 935 engine with a single KKK turbocharger. By 1985, IMSA had relaxed its restrictions to create more competition, allowing the Porsches to run larger 3.2-liter engines. In an effort to level the playing field, rules changed again in 1988, allowing Porsche 962s to run twin turbochargers and water-cooled cylinder heads, although their air intakes were limited to 36 millimeters.

Porsche built ninety-one 962 models between 1984 and 1991. Seventy-five of them were built as customer cars. Several of the cars were modified by various racing teams for improved streamlining and chassis performance. Among those were Holbert Racing, of Pennsylvania, which began modifying its own team cars and then began producing a small number of improved tubs for customers. Their cars were labeled from 962/HR1 to 962/HR7. Fabcar Engineering Inc. also built new tubs for Porsche and Dave Klym's new Fabcar chassis incorporated aluminum honeycomb with an aluminum sheet and stronger bulkheads, to improve stiffness and crashworthiness.

Chassis number F01 (HR3F) is a 962 IMSA prototype car that was purchased new from the Porsche factory by the Hotchkis family and its racing team. The car wore sponsorship and livery of the Wynn's Engine Oil Products Company. It was tested at Watkins Glen, New York, by the late Al Holbert prior to the mid-season Camel Continental 500 on July 6, 1986. At the Camel Continental 500, the car was driven by Jim Adams and John Hotchkis, where they qualified 13th and finished 8th. Early in its IMSA career, the car was in an accident at Miami, and the original tub was taken back to the team's shop, where it was disassembled and set aside until it was extensively repaired in 1989. Holbert Racing ordered a new tub, F02 (HR3FR). The car was re-assembled and re-entered the racing scene. In 1990, the original and newly rebuilt tub, F01 (HR3R) made its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona and raced for the rest of the 1990 and 1991 season. At the end of the 1991 season, the Wynn's 962 was retired from active duty until 1997, when it returned to the sport as a vintage racer.

The car raced regularly at Historic Sportscar Racing events on the East Coast from 1998 to 2001. It was involved in an accident at Road Atlanta in 2002 and rebuilt once more, using a new Fabcar tub (still as F01). Recently, it won the GTP category race at the 2009 Monterey Historics, and in 2011, it ran near the front of the pack at Laguna Seca's Rennsport IV Porsche festival until its older tires began to overheat and lose grip.

Currently, the car is powered by a period-correct, latest-spec 3.2 single-tube 962 engine built by Porsche Motorsport North America. The engine utilizes new Porsche 911 GT1 technology, including a forged crankshaft and lower end. With its two-valve heads, Garrett turbocharger, air-to-air intercooler, and Bosch Motronic fuel and ignition management system, the engine is estimated to produce 750-plus horsepower. It has a Porsche five-speed transaxle and Metalore axles. There are Brembo four-wheel disc brakes, and the shock absorbers are by Penske Racing. It wears a new body shell, which replicates the original 1986 IMSA long-tail design, and was fabricated by Pete Ebell and Porsche Motorsports.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014