Porsche Motorsport’s new 963 LMDh-spec race car is set to make its official racing debut at the Rolex 24 competition at Daytona in January 2023, but the company revealed the hypercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England to much acclaim.
The car is the fruit of the renewed collaboration between Porsche Motorsport and Team Penske, which was first announced in 2021. The two parties have rekindled their relationship after nearly 15 years of separation and their revived collaboration is named Porsche Penske Motorsport.
The Porsche 963 is built to LMDh specifications, so it features an LMP2-category chassis and spec hybrid components supplied by Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering, and Xtrac. The 680 horsepower (500kW) hypercar takes power from a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8, based on the hybrid 918 Spyder’s engine.
With a retro-looking body reminiscent of previous collaborations between Porsche and Team Penske, like the Porsche 962 of the 1980s, the new Porsche 963 also sports more modern features like sharper headlights and a rear light bar similar to that on the current 911.
The body paint combines black, white, and red to give it a traditional race-car look, while some white and black lines simulate air flowing across the vehicle.
“Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919. I’m positive that we’ll be well positioned when it comes to technology, and we’ve also created the relevant team structures to set us up for wins in the thrilling competition between many manufacturers and different concepts,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport vice president.
Along with the reveal of the Porsche 963 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the racing team also announced it will have two cars in the competition next season, in both the World Endurance Championship and the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The racing debut of the Porsche 963 will be at the 61st anniversary Rolex 24 race at Daytona, between January 26 and 29, 2023. Nonetheless, the car has already seen 4,900 test miles (7,886 km) and it will also be driven non-competitively in the FIA WEC’s 8 Hours of Bahrain in November.
The Porsche 963 is built to LMDh specifications, so it features an LMP2-category chassis and spec hybrid components supplied by Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering, and Xtrac. The 680 horsepower (500kW) hypercar takes power from a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8, based on the hybrid 918 Spyder’s engine.
With a retro-looking body reminiscent of previous collaborations between Porsche and Team Penske, like the Porsche 962 of the 1980s, the new Porsche 963 also sports more modern features like sharper headlights and a rear light bar similar to that on the current 911.
The body paint combines black, white, and red to give it a traditional race-car look, while some white and black lines simulate air flowing across the vehicle.
“Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919. I’m positive that we’ll be well positioned when it comes to technology, and we’ve also created the relevant team structures to set us up for wins in the thrilling competition between many manufacturers and different concepts,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport vice president.
Along with the reveal of the Porsche 963 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the racing team also announced it will have two cars in the competition next season, in both the World Endurance Championship and the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The racing debut of the Porsche 963 will be at the 61st anniversary Rolex 24 race at Daytona, between January 26 and 29, 2023. Nonetheless, the car has already seen 4,900 test miles (7,886 km) and it will also be driven non-competitively in the FIA WEC’s 8 Hours of Bahrain in November.