Vehicle Description
Chassis No. WP0ZZZ95ZHS900022
In the early 1980s, Porsche was keen to prove its technological
superiority learned throughout the previous decade's racing
efforts. The "Gruppe B" Study was created to display these
advancements with development underway as soon as 1981.
Turbocharging, first used on the 917/10 Can-Am racing car in 1972,
made its way three years later to the first turbocharged road-going
Porsche - the 1975 911 Turbo - and from it, to the 959. It was a
similar story with engine cooling. Through its racing program,
Porsche had reached a thermal limit with the air-cooled flat-six.
Water-cooled heads appeared on the all-conquering Porsche 956
endurance racing prototype in 1982 and, just a few years later, the
959 was the beneficiary of these successful experiments.
Height-adjustable suspension, "intelligent" all-wheel drive, tire
pressure monitoring, ABS, composite body construction - all
commonplace in today's supercars - were decades ahead of their time
when applied to the 959.
Fewer than 300 of these halo supercars were built by the end of the
decade, with each example estimated to cost Porsche double its
420,000 DM price tag to produce. Faced with these substantial
losses, Porsche did not see fit to modify and test the 959 to
comply with NHTSA safety standards, and as a result, it was not
road-legal in the United States. While a number of 959s slowly
trickled into the U.S., the model was the prime example of the type
of car petitioned by Canepa and others to include in the "Show or
Display" rule, passed in August 1999. The rule allowed for the
private importation and limited road use of certain vehicles deemed
to meet a standard of "historical or technological significance,"
famously enabling Bill Gates to drive his 959 after it was stored
by the Customs Service for 13 years. In the decades since the rule
was passed, Canepa's ceaseless obsession with extracting as much
performance as possible out of the 959 has culminated in a series
of refinements and performance upgrades developed by Canepa for the
standard Porsche 959, officially launched in 2015 as the "959 SC
Reimagined by Canepa" program.
Drawing on his many years and thousands of miles driving the 959,
Canepa developed a ground-up approach to reconditioning, and in
some areas outright re-engineering, every element of Porsche's
already superb creation. Starting with only the most original
examples, the talented team at Canepa's Scotts Valley, California
headquarters begin by carefully disassembling the entire car to the
bare steel unibody. At this stage, all of the body panels are
stripped, primed, and block sanded to perfection in preparation for
paintwork. Canepa's unrelenting attention to detail can be observed
on the driver's side quarter panel, where the auxiliary door for
the hydraulic suspension oil on 959 Komfort models is deleted by
molding a new composite body panel. Clients are able to choose from
Porsche's own factory Paint-to-Sample palette of over 150 unique
shades, or to create a custom color of their choice. The virtually
limitless personalization offered by Canepa's service extends to
the cabin, where over 400 hours are spent hand stitching an
entirely new leather interior with countless colors and stitching
options from Porsche's own factory offerings. Swaths of leather
trim every element of the interior - including components that were
not originally upholstered from the factory - while numerous
upgrades ensure a 21st century driving experience. These include
Porsche's Classic Radio Navigation system connected to an upgraded
six-speaker system, LED cabin and gauge lighting, and a switch
located on the center console to control the two-stage sport
exhaust system.
While a one-of-a-kind appearance is being crafted by Canepa's
in-house paint and upholstery departments, over 4,000 individual
mechanical components are inspected, refinished, rebuilt, or
upgraded by technicians with over two decades of experience working
with the Porsche 959. Quite literally nothing goes untouched, with
every bolt, clamp, and fitting being stripped and replated in a
variety of coatings such as zinc, anodizing, powder coating, and
Teflon. Starting with the suspension, the 959 SC opts for the
weight savings and simplicity of the coil-over spring and shock
assembly found on the factory 959 Sport specification - thus
eliminating the adjustable ride height and its related hydraulic
system on Komfort models. In its place, the Canepa suspension
upgrade employs custom-valved Penske shock absorbers with titanium
coil-over springs for a one-inch lower ride height while still
providing ample ground clearance for real world driving. All four
corners also feature specially developed cryo-treated semi-floating
brake rotors with upgraded brake pads for improved stopping power.
Housing these improved brakes are 18-inch wheels custom-designed by
Canepa in conjunction with Michelin to mirror the 18-inch wheels
originally featured on the Gruppe B concept car. While radial tire
technology in the 1980s forced Porsche to revert to a 17-inch wheel
for production 959s, Canepa's wheel upgrade allows 959 SC owners to
take advantage of the grip and comfort offered by the modern tire
technology while retaining the timeless look of the original
959.
Initially developed for Group B class homologation and tracing its
lineage back to the powerplants in the 936, 956, and 962 sports
prototypes, the 959's 2.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six was
designed to handle significantly more power than the 444 horsepower
and 369 lb-ft of torque it left the factory with. After three
decades spent optimizing the existing engine components as well as
engineering new ones, the 959 SC's flat-six now develops a
staggering 800+ horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque with Canepa's
Stage III upgrades. These encompass Pankl titanium connecting rods,
a blueprinted and upgraded valvetrain assembly, upgraded camshafts
and camshaft housings, tungsten ceramic coated headers and
two-stage stainless/titanium exhaust system, a MoTec engine
management system and wiring harnesses, and two state-of-the-art
BorgWarner turbochargers. The robust six-speed manual transmission
is also treated to a full rebuild as well as REM isotropic super
finishing on gears and shafts and an upgraded clutch assembly to
ensure a reliable and extremely capable package. The result is
otherworldly, modern-supercar performance, including zero to 60
miles per hour in 2.5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 230
miles per hour.
Limited to a mere 50 examples in total, only the most original,
low-mileage candidates are considered for recommissioning to 959 SC
specification. Chassis number 022, one of just 266 959 Komforts
built, was ideal then, showing approximately 1,400 kilometers
(fewer than 1,000 miles) at the time of its disassembly. Originally
finished in Polar Silver with a Dark Grey Metallic interior, this
959 Komfort was, according to documentation on file, purchased by
Nissan Motor Company reportedly with the intention of reverse
engineering the Porsche's sophisticated variable all-wheel drive
system. After initially attempting to order a new 959 through
Porsche AG and having their bold order rejected, Nissan liaised
through Belgian distributor and dealer D'Ieteren Brothers to have
chassis 022 shipped to a Belgian national and then exported to
Yokohama, Japan. With the 959 in their possession, Nissan
disassembled the car, never registering or titling it, intended
strictly as a benchmark for research and development purposes. The
lessons learned from chassis 022 ultimately informed Nissan's own
Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All terrai...for
more information please contact the seller.