A legend of Le Mans

No manufacturer is more closely linked to the greatest 24 hour race than Porsche, with an incredible record of 19 overall victories to date. Prior to the Group C sportscar era, Porsche had achieved six overall wins, which was still three behind Ferrari. Masterminded by Porsche’s legendary motorsport chief, Norbert Singer, the company’s Group C programme, headlined by the 956 and 962, would become the most successful in its history, and take its tally to 13 wins by 1994.

The 956 was a radical new design for Porsche. The firm had previously relied on a tubular or spaceframe chassis for its prototype sportscars, but the 956 was the first model to feature an aluminium monocoque. The engine was a twin-turbocharged 2.65-litre six-cylinder, which had already won Le Mans with the 936/81. One of the biggest advancements for the 956 was its aerodynamics, with ground-effect being harnessed to generate a huge amount of downforce. Cleverly, the 956 featured two bodywork setups: the long-tail for Le Mans, and a short-tail set up for regular circuits. This adaptability allowed the 956 and 962 to win five consecutive World Sportscar Championships, something never achieved before or since by one programme.

IMSA regulation changes forced the 956 to subtly evolve into the 962. The wheelbase was increased slightly to allow the pedals to move behind the front axle centre line, and a steel roll cage was integrated into the chassis. Mechanically, the Works-entered Group C 962s remained very similar to their 956 predecessors.

This 962 C, chassis number 004, is one of three Works 962s assigned to the Rothmans Porsche factory team for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Making its debut at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was emblazoned in the iconic Rothmans livery. Piloted by John Watson, Vern Schuppan, and Al Holbert, it qualified 5th behind the other factory 962s, which were both fitted with 3-litre engines for qualifying. During the race it established its status as the lead Works car as it maintained 2nd place behind the Joest 956 for over 12 hours, before a crankshaft failure spelled the end of its race after 21 hours of racing.

Following its debut, the car was pressed into action as Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass’ regular steed “No. 1” in the 1985 WSC, starting from the pole for the 1000 Kilometres rounds at Hockenheim, finishing 2nd at Mosport, and with a retirement at Spa-Francorchamps. With the retirement of Jacky Ickx from regular duties for the 1986 season, Bob Wollek joined Jochen Mass for an assault on the championship, with the Porsche now sporting “No. 2”. The campaign began at Monza and continued at Silverstone before moving on to Le Mans.

Mass and Wollek were joined by Vern Schuppan for the 1986 24 Hour race. Mass reinforced his stellar reputation by grabbing pole with 0.61 seconds in hand over the eventually victorious sister car of Bell, Stuck and Holbert. During the race the trio battled for the lead before settling in for an almost certain 3rd place. Unfortunately, a mistimed arrival at an oil spill at 3:04 am caused Mass to leave the track and resulting in retirement. Its final Works Rothmans Porsche outing was at the 1000 Kilometres of Nürburgring.

This is the first time that one of the factory Rothmans Porsche 962 Cs has been offered publicly, and presents an unmissable opportunity to acquire not only a factory Porsche prototype, but one with a remarkable history as a 24 Hours of Le Mans pole-sitter, and a driver roster that counts among its number many of Porsche’s legendary factory drivers.

This iconic 1985 Rothmans Porsche 962 is available as part of RM Sotheby’s Le Mans auction on the 9th June 2023. Photos: Alex Penfold © RM Sotheby’s