Vehicle Description
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1989 Porsche 962C
VIN: TS-962-89-002
<font size = "4">1 of 5 Porsche 962C bespoke carbon fiber
composite monocoques built by Vern Schuppan
Raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Silverstone, Japan's 1,000km of
Fuji and Autopolis
Bruce Canepa's personal Porsche 962C - Top echelon of Porsche 962C
variants designed
Bespoke, high downforce one-of-one bodywork created by
Germany-based Dauer Racing
Completely restored by Canepa Motorsports in 2017
Currently eligible and regularly campaigned at the Rolex Monterey
Motorsports Reunion
Twin-turbo 3.2L water-cooled flat six engine, 5-speed manual
transmission
The Porsche 962 is a car that is revered among the racing
community, built by Porsche to be one of the most dominating race
cars of all time. Countless 24 Hours of Le Mans wins and IMSA
championships, and paving the way all from factory-backed teams to
privateers, the 962 was one of the most successful race cars of all
time. Towards the end of the 1980s, teams began to notice that
other race cars were starting to be revealed with bespoke ground
effect design with upgraded drivetrains. Some teams kept developing
the aluminum-riveted monocoque from Porsche, and others decided to
innovate in a big way. One of these innovators was Vern Schuppan,
Porsche race car driver and 24 Hour of Le Mans winner, creating 5
racing chassis and developing a new monocoque from a space-age
material: carbon fiber.
As the 962 continued into the late 1980s, newer race cars were
being developed with clean sheets of paper to take advantage of
ground effects. In order to innovate the 962, engineers had to
think of how to optimize the chassis as much as they could with
high downforce bodywork. Vern Schuppan decided that he wanted to
enhance the handling and suspension, and a carbon fiber monocoque
was the next logical step. Carbon fiber allowed for incredible
chassis stiffness while also being lightweight. For a similar
aluminum monocoque, a 962 carbon fiber tub had 3x to 4x more
stiffness, allowing the suspension to do more of the work while
also protecting the driver. Aided by Porsche's technical drafts of
their own aluminum monocoque with their blessing and unfettered
access, Schuppan was able to design a superior carbon composite
chassis that resulted in a better handling and more capable
platform.
These Schuppan carbon fiber chassis, of which 5 were ever made, are
better known as TS962. This chassis, TS-962-89-002 is one of those
carbon composite chassis. All chassis except for one were used in
the construction of Team Schuppan cars, with their cars primarily
raced at Le Mans, in Japan, and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1991 and
1992. All of the race cars were assembled at Vern Scuppan's factory
in High Wycombe, west of London in the U.K.
In 1989 carbon fiber was not a simple material that was used in
everyday materials, and was still widely considered a space-age
component and process. Schuppan decided that if the carbon tub was
going to be built correctly, he should have those who had
experience in doing it before. Ralph Bellamy carried the
engineering work of the chassis, referencing Porsche's plans to
ensure technical accuracy as well as pushing the boundaries of what
a 962 chassis could do. Advanced Composites Technology, LTD., the
same company who supplied the carbon materials for the McLaren F1
chassis, developed the tooling and manufactured the chassis
itself.
With an extremely competent chassis taken care of, bodywork taking
advantage of the increased structural performance of the monocoque
was next. Unique to this 962C, this is a one-of-one body design
specifically made for this racing chassis, TS-962-89-002. Dauer
Racing, known for their 962C racing in Europe and eventually
winning the 1988 Interseries Championship and the 1994 24 Hours of
Le Mans with support from Porsche, were charged with providing this
962C with high downforce bodywork. Through several iterations and
performance improvements, Dauer yielded an extremely potent design
that took full advantage of the increased power and carbon fiber
chassis.
TS-962-89-002 participated in races in 1991 that included
U.K.-based Silverstone, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, 1,000km
of Fuji and Autopolis in Japan. By 1992 Schuppan had diverted
efforts and resources to the road-going 962CR program, but the
global downturn in 1992 eventually led to Schuppan's closure of his
sports car program and racing team. The car was sold to a
Japan-based owner, where it would remain there until being acquired
by Canepa.
Bruce Canepa's history with the Porsche 962 is long and
intertwined. Throughout the years Canepa Motorsports has prepped
countless chassis, each unique in their own way, whether they were
factory or privateer cars. Having driven all of these examples and
gaining experience in racing them in historic events such as the
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, he knew that the ultimate 962
variant was its most advanced and final form, which is in the shape
of the Schuppan chassis. With its advanced carbon fiber chassis and
high-downforce body from Dauer, TS-962-89-002 was the exact car to
have and participate in historic racing. After locating it in Japan
and bringing it to Canepa's headquarters in Scotts Valley,
California, the real work began.
The Canepa Motorsport team would spend several years restoring this
962C, ensuring that every system, surface, and component down to
the last bolt was 100% and ready to race. The car was completely
disassembled, removing all components until only the carbon fiber
monocoque was revealed so that everything could be restored and
prepared for its 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
reveal.
The entirely water-cooled 3.2L engine was completely disassembled
down to the aluminum case, inspected at every angle before
rebuilding it from the ground up. With one of the most advanced
962C engines built, due to its extended development, the engine
features unique touches differing from the factory 962C engines
increasing power and reliability. The 5-speed transaxle was also
disassembled and rebuilt to ensure reliability on the track.
Canepa's in-house bodyshop prepped the high downforce bodywork by
Dauer, preparing to return it to its classic "Canon" livery raced
in Autopolis in Japan in 1991. The workshop massaged and fitted the
body panels perfectly, ensuring a precise fitment and finish of the
962C, and painting the Dauer bodywork in a pure white paint finish.
The bespoke carbon fiber monocoque was also prepped, given a
protective clear coat finish over the carbon fiber surface to
preserve the original finish from Advanced Composites
Technology.
Suspension and other mechanical systems were addressed to ensure
maximum handling and drivability while under intense high-downforce
scenarios. Every component was inspected, noted, and restored to be
completely new and ready for racing. This included Penske Racing
shock absorbers paired with updated springs, pairing perfectly with
the high downforce capability of this 962C.
With the 962C assembled and thoroughly tested, all that was left
was the Canon livery. Intense care was given to ensuring that the
livery was accurate, representing the car exactly how it raced in
1991 with Team Schuppan. With the bold "Canon" livery, it is often
one of the finest and most iconic 962s to be seen at historic
events.
First revealed post restoration and campaigned at the 2017 Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion by Br...for more information please
contact the seller.
