1994 Dauer 962

The Dauer 962 LM was introduced to the public in September of 1993 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and was accompanied by a price tag of $853,000. Not the most expensive exotic car on the market, but well worth the money. The Sultan of Brunei has added six of these machines to his 5000+ vehicle collection. On average, between one and two Dauers are produced per year.

The Porsche 962 had been successfully campaigned in many FIA and IMSA championships since its inception in 1984. The Porsche 962 was basically a 956 that had been stretched, increasing its size to accommodate new rules and regulations imposed by the sanctioning bodies. During its life-span nearly 150 examples had been sold.

Jochen Dauer, a German citizen and privateer was the 1988 European Sports Car Champion who had created Dauer Sportwagen GmbH to build and sell road-worth 962's. He was approached by Alvin Singer, head of the Porsche North American racing program, with a proposition. According to LeMans rules, a racecar could be entered in the GT category as long as one street legal example had been created and registered. In the spring of 1994, the street car example was created. During that same year it was entered in the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans race by Dauer with factory support from Porsche. The 962 LM Sport was successful at capturing the overall victory and was later banned from participation in 1995.

Over 12 have been created each based on the original Porsche 962. The suspension is replaced with a double wishbones with adjustable anti-roll bars and dampers. Special hydraulics make the vehicle suitable for the road by giving the driver the ability to raise and lower the vehicle depending on the road conditions. At 50 miles-per-hour, the vehicle automatically adjusts the height of the vehicle to make it safer and more aerodynamic.

Excellent stopping power is compliments of massive 330mm Brembo cross-drilled, ventilated discs and four-piston calibers. Ten inch wide front wheels and eleven inch rear wheels provide excellent handling through turns.

The vehicle is powered by a Porsche water-cooled 3-liter engine, mounted mid-longitudinally and powering the rear wheels. Two intercooler KKK turbochargers with three alternative levels of boost is available. The 2994 cc engine produced 730 horsepower at 7400 rpm.

The transmission utilizes the 962's gearbox and clutch but is controlled through Tiptonic buttons on the steering wheel. The steering wheel is detachable, allowing the driver ease of entry and exit from the carbon fiber seats. The exterior of the Porsche 962 is discarded in favor of a Kevlar body designed by Achim Storz. Custom-made carbon-fiber luggage can be placed in the luggage compartment built into the left-hand door sill. Air conditioning is another amenity adding to the allure of the vehicle.

The vehicles are customizable with most options available upon request. The Porsche 962 weighs 900 kg while the Dauer 962 tips the scale at around 1030 through 1185kg. The weight of the vehicle is dependent on the number of options, such as DVD or rear-view cameras, selected by the buyer.

At the Volkswagen's Ehra-Leissen test track, the Dauer 962 was able to race from zero-through-sixty mph in just 2.6 seconds and achieve a top speed of 252 miles-per-hour.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2005