2007 Porsche RS Spyder

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is proudly presenting the new RS Spyder at the Paris Motor Show, the Mondial de l‘ Automobile, from 30 September – 15 October, where the car is making its first public appearance. Developed at Porsche's R&D Centre in Weissach near Stuttgart, this racing car is an evolution of the sports prototype currently going all-out for the winner's title in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the hands of the US Penske-Motorsports-Team. Next year the new RS Spyder is to be raced by various customer teams in a number of countries, thus making its international debut.

Porsche has developed and built the open RS Spyder in accordance with the rules and regulations of the French Automobile Club de'l Ouest (A.C.O.) racing organisation under the designation 'Le Mans Prototypes 2'. This means that this racing car may be entered, inter alia, in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the European Le Mans Series (LMS), and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Choosing the second-highest of four A.C.O. racing categories, Porsche is facing competition at the highest level of technology and at the same time limiting the cost of racing the car with a view to future entry of the RS Spyder by customers.

Following thorough computer simulations and tests in the wind tunnel, the RS Spyder will feature an updated and upgraded chassis next season. Optimisation of the wing and rear diffuser serves not only to enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of the car, but also to improve the range of set-up options for different kinds of race tracks. At the same time the carbon-fibre body has been modified for an even higher standard of ease and convenience in service and maintenance. And last but not least, the thermodynamic qualities of the RS Spyder have been optimised inter alia by re-designing the air ducts leading into and out of the radiators.

The 90o V8 racing engine developed by Porsche for long-distance events develops maximum output from 3.4 litres displacement and with the air volume restrictor required by the pertinent regulations of 503 bhp (370 kW) at 10300 rpm, an increase in output over the former model by 23 bhp. The weight of the car is also in line with the A.C.O. Regulations, with the new RS Spyder weighing in at exactly 775 kilos or 1709 lb.

The sequential six-speed dog-shift gearbox with its three-plate carbon-fibre clutch is fitted in lengthwise and is integrated into the chassis as a load-bearing component. Gears are shifted directly from paddles on the steering wheel. Porsche has upgraded the gearbox for the forthcoming racing season above all with the objective to make the gearshift even more reliable, smoother and less demanding on all the components involved, and at the same time even more precise.

This prototype sports car is based on a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, with double wishbone track arms for the front wheels attached to the ultra-stiff and light body structure. The double wishbones at the rear, in turn, are fastened to a carbon-fibre element bolted on to the transmission housing. Torsion springs and pushrod-operated four-way gas pressure dampers, as well as bending-leaf anti-roll bars, round off the suspension of the RS Spyder modified for even faster and more precise handling in 2007.

Great attention has also been given to the ongoing development of various other components of the car such as the central electrics, the hydraulic system, and the power steering. The brakes feature double master cylinders, variable brake force distribution and inner-vented carbon-fibre discs measuring 380 millimetres or 14.96' in diameter on the front axle and 355 millimetres or 13.98' at the rear. The racing tyres for this prototype come from Michelin as a Porsche's partner included from the beginning in the development of the RS Spyder.

Precisely when the new model is being presented for 2007, the current RS Spyder is on the finishing straight right now at the end of its first complete racing season. With two races in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the most significant US Sports Car Championship, still to come, the Penske-Motorsports-Team as Porsche's partner in cooperation and exclusive customer is now looking directly at the Driver's, Team and Manufacturer's Championships with Porsche's sports prototype. And apart from superior class wins in the Le Mans Prototype Class 2, this light and agile Porsche also scored a sensational one-two victory on the winding Mid-Ohio race track in May, beating LMP1 prototypes despite their extra power on account of the regulations set out to their advantage.

by Porsche

Spyder
Chassis number: 9R6.706

Porsche won the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 911 GT1. It would be nearly a decade before they would return to racing. During that time, they built the Type 9R6 - the RS Spyder - to compete in LeMans Prototype Class 2 (LMP2), rather than the top category of LMP1.

LMP1 competition favored diesel-powered entries and Porsche had no diesel models in production and little interest in utilizing the technology. Porsche also wanted to build a car that could be campaigned by privateers, including those in the U.S. market and IMSA's American LeMans Series (ALMS).

It took only a few months to go from design to production, and in June of 2005, the first RS Spyder was driven onto the Weissach test track. The purpose-built RS Spyder had a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque that used the engine and transaxle as integral, stressed members. The body was comprised of carbon fiber and Kevlar composites and its design was the result of extensive wind-tunnel testing. The engine was an all-new 3.4-liter four-cam V8 that had revved to 10,000 RPM and offered nearly 480 horsepower. The gearbox was a six-speed electropneumatic sequential unit that Porsche designed in-house. Large carbon ceramic disc brakes and a fully independent pushrod-activated suspension completed the package.

Porsche turned to the Penske Motorsports team to race its RS Spyder in ALMS competition. The RS Spyder made its competition debut at the 2005 season finale at Laguna Seca where it won the LMP2 class, set the third-fastest lap time and challenged the LMP1 leaders.

For the 2006 season, Penske's two cars won seven class victories including a 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio. By the close of the season, the Driver, Chassis, Engine, and Team LMP2 titles went to Penske and Porsche.

For the 2007 season, Penske racing and Dyson Racing each campaigned two RS Spyders. Combined, they would score eight successive overall victories, including a 1-2-3 finish at Long Beach. They would also capture 11 class wins in just 12 races. For the second year in a row, all four LMP2 titles were earned by the RS Spyder.

2008 was another successful year for Porsche, with outright victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Utah Grand Prix. Three additional class wins would help secure the LMP2 championship for the third consecutive year.

Despite stricter regulations in 2009 and 2010, the Porsches won at Lime Rock and Mosport, with class wins at Le Mans, Sebring, and Spa.

Between 2006 and 2008, Porsche built approximately 15 RS Spyders, including customer cars and test vehicles. They earned three consecutive ALMS championships, an overall victory at Sebring, and two class wins at Le Mans.

This particular example, chassis number 9R6.706, is the last of six examples produced for the 2007 season. It was built in February and March, then tested at Weissach before being delivered in April to its first owner, CET Solaroli Motorsports of Jacksonville, Florida.

In March of 2007, Solaroli Motorsports announced that it would be joining the ALMS, fielding two RS Spyders and a 997 RSR. Unfortunately, CET Solaroli Motorsports chose not to race in the ALMS and 9R6.706 was sold to the current owner. Since then, the car has seen little track time, aside from private test sessions and two historic races at Laguna Seca.

The car has been maintained by a professional race mechanic and serviced as needed.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder
Chassis number: 9R6.702

This is one of Team Penske's 500 hp 3.4 liter V-8 Porsche RS Spyders that raced in the 2007 IMSA American Le Mans Series clinching the LMP2 class championship. This Team Penske car raced the full 12-race season schedule logging overall victories at Miller Motorsports Park in the Utah Grand Prix (Salt Lake City) and the Northeast Grand Prix (Lime Rock Park, CT) and scoring nine podium finishes driven by Ryan Briscoe and Sascha Maassen. In 2008 it raced twice in the ALMS championship series winning the LMP2 class at Petit Le Mans driven by Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe with the Team Penske RS Spyders clinching the ALMS LMP2 Championship for a second consecutive year.

Spyder

The 2008 12 Hours of Sebring was a one-two Porsche sweep of the 56th annual Florida enduro ending Audi's consecutive eight race streak of overall Sebring victories. The Sebring victory came in true Porsche 'underdog' fashion as the Team Penske LMP2 RS Spyder defeated both the more powerful Audi and Peugeot P1-class factory teams. This was the first Sebring overall victory for a P2 class car, the first Sebring win for a Porsche since 1988 and entrant Team Penske's first Sebring 12 Hour victory. This RS Spyder led 155 of the 12 Hour's 351 laps that saw a record 27 lead changes. With their first Sebring victory in 40 years Roger Penske became the first team owner to win the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Daytona 500.

Spyder
Chassis number: 9R6.702

Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 with the 911 GT1 and would not return to La Sarthe for many years. When it did, it was with a new sports prototype racer dubbed the Type 9R6, more commonly known as the RS Spyder. A surprise to many, it was designed to compete in the Le Mans Prototype Class 2 (LMP2), rather than the top category of LMP1. This was strategic, however, as Porsche did not have a diesel model in production, and LMP1 strongly favored diesel-powered machines. Secondly, Porsche wanted to develop a racecar that could be campaigned by privateers and would complement its highly successful 911 RSR and Cup cars. The U.S. market was also instrumental in the decision as the IMSA's American Le Mans Series (ALMS) had rules influenced by the Le Man's classifications and had competition in both LMP categories.

The first RS Spyder, chassis 000, was first driven at the test track at Weissach in Germany in June 2005. It had been developed in just a few months, having gone from the drawing board to reality in a very short amount of time. Design and development inspiration was drawn from the company's road car 918 Spyder program, which used a V-8 engine developed from the championship-winning LMP2 racing car.

Porsche built six updated Evo-specification RS Spyders for the 2007 racing season and this particular example is the second example constructed. It was tested in October of 2006 at Weissach and then delivered to Penske Racing's headquarters in North Carolina the following month. In March of 2007, it made its racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring, after setting the fourth fastest time during the January test days.

At Sebring, the car was piloted by Sascha Maassen, Ryan Briscoe, and Emmanuel Collard and wore race number 6. When the checkered flag fell, the car was in 23rd place overall and 8th in class. Later that month, Briscoe and Massen placed 3rd Overall and won the LMP2 Class at St. Petersburg, Florida. In April, they finished 2nd Overall in Porsche's 1-2-3 sweep at Long Beach, California, followed by a 4th Overall, 3rd in Class result at Houston. This was followed by back-to-back overall victories at Salt Lake City in May and then at Lime Rock, Connecticut, in July. At Mid-Ohio in late July, Maassen and Briscoe placed 2nd Overall, followed by a 4th Overall and 2nd in Class result at Road America, and then 3rd Overall and 2nd in Class at Mosport. After races at Detroit and Petit Le Mans, the RS Spyder finished the 2007 ALMS season in 4th Overall and 2nd in Class. The car's primary drivers, Maassen and Briscoe, also tied for 3rd Place in the driver's standings with 186 points each. The DHL Porsche Penske Racing team easily won the LMP2 championship with 251 total points.

This RS Spyder saw little use during the 2008 season. It raced at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October where it wore race number 5 and was driven by Ryan Briscoe and Hélio Castroneves, finishing 1st in Class and 4th Overall. The final race for the RS Spyder took place later that month at the ALMS season finale at Laguna Seca, where Briscoe and Castroneves once again drove it, placing 6th Overall and 4th in Class.

The car was sold to Christian Zugel and remained in his care until 2014, when the current caretaker acquired it. In September 2015, 9R6.702 returned to Laguna Seca to take part in Rennsport Reunion V. It was driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen and won the Group 6 race, setting the fastest lap of the race and the entire weekend.

In 2018, this RS Spyder was shown at Rennsport Reunion VI.

Between 2005 and 2008, Porsche built 17 RS Spyders. Among the accolades they achieved were winning three consecutive ALMS championships, plus an overall victory at Sebring and two class wins at Petit Le Mans. This particular example was an integral part of Penske Racing's back-to-back ALMS championships, capturing two outright wins and four additional podium finishes in 2007.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder
Chassis number: 9R6 709

The RS Spyder was designed completely in-house by Porsche engineers with help from Penske Racing. The chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque with both the engine and transmission being integral stressed members. The 503 hp 3.4-litre 90-degree V8 engine was designed from scratch as was the six-speed electro-pneumatic sequential gearbox. It has a dry weight of 1,650 lbs. Chassis 9R6 709 is one of 17 RS Spyders produced and had a successful career in WEC, 1st in class at 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans and two more first in class and a further four podiums in 2008 and 2009 with drivers including Emmanuel Collard, Casper Elgaard, John Nielsen, Sascha Maassen, Kristian Poulsen.

Spyder
Chassis number: 9R6-705

The Porsche RS Spyder (9R6) was designed for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) LMP2 class and scored multiple overall victories and class championships between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, they scored a 1-2 overall victory against the LMP1 class Audis and Peugeots at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Poughkeepsie, New York-based Dyson Racing entered two RS Spyders reportedly on lease from Porsche during the 2008 season. This example, chassis number 9R6-705, was constructed on January 26, 2007. It is an updated 2007 RS Spyder with more aerodynamically efficient bodywork and additional power. It was given their longtime sponsor colors of white and blue of Thetford and Norcold and start number 20. Piloted by Guy Smith and Chris Dyson, chassis number 705 placed at least 6th in class across the 12-race ALMS calendar. The highlight of the season was an overall podium at the Petit Le Mans. They finished the season in second place in the LMP2 team class championship behind the factory-supported DHL Penske Porsche Racing Team.

In preparation for the 2008 season, chassis number 705 was refreshed and updated but retained its blue and white livery, start number 16, and driving duties of Smith and Dyson. The season began with class podiums at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the St. Petersburg Grand Prix street race. This was followed by fourth place on Long Beach's streets and the Mountain West Grand Prix of Utah road course.

At the Northeast Grand Prix, Guy Smith qualified the car in 10th position and was running in third position overall when, with an hour and 10 minutes left in the race, 705 was caught up in an incident at the new uphill section with the number 44 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The damage caused the car to retire from the race and it would not compete in the next race, just a week away at Mid-Ohio. Instead, all salvageable parts on the #16 were removed and a new tub (also numbered 9R6-705) was flown in from Porsche in Germany. The Dyson team, with assistance from five Porsche engineers who arrived with the new tub, placed it on chassis stands and rebuilt the car over the course of a single day. New componentry included a left-hand side floor, wiring harness, engine, and a new nose. With the build of the replacement tub complete, the Lime Rock damaged tub was destroyed. At Mid-Ohio, 705 finished fifth in class and the remaining five events of the season were raced without incident. At the season finale at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, chassis number 705 had secured 3rd place for Dyson Racing in the LMP2 team championship and, for Porsche, a second consecutive Manufacturer's Championship.

After the 2008 ALMS season, 9R6-705 returned to Porsche in Germany and was on display until 2012. It was later used as a stand-in to train the mechanics and pit crews designated for the 919 project. The current owner acquired the car from Porsche in December 2013 and had it sent to Virtuoso Performance of Hayward, California, for a comprehensive restoration. The work took two years to return to its original, as-raced condition. A fully rebuilt dyno-tested engine and transmission were provided by Porsche Motorsport, new titanium drive axles were fabricated and installed, the wheel hubs and uprights were similarly replaced, and the shock absorbers were rebuilt. The livery was restored to its 2008 ALMS season finale appearance at Laguna Seca. Over $600,000 was spent at Virtuoso during the two-year restoration.

9R6-705 was used during Rennsport Reunion VI in 2018, and of the seven RS Spyders in attendance, it was one of two that started and finished every session. After Rennsport, 705 returned to Virtuoso for race preparation and inspection. It was then displayed as part of the owner's private collection beginning in 2019. In July 2023, it ran test laps at Thunderhill Raceway.

by Dan Vaughan