The Porsche that helped build Godzilla

Legendary Nissan GT-R might not have been as good without this Porsche 959

Porsche’s 1980s 959 supercar is often hailed as a marvel of automotive engineering, but its influence extends in some unexpected directions.

A unique 959 that played a pivotal role in the development of Nissan’s acclaimed R32 Skyline GT-R is has just been auctioned.

The story of this Porsche 959 is fascinating. In the late-1980s, Nissan purchased this very car to reverse engineer and study its advanced all-wheel drive system.

This wasn’t a straightforward transaction, as Porsche reportedly tried to block the sale.

Nevertheless, Nissan’s persistence paid off, and what they learned from the 959 significantly influenced the all-wheel drive system of the legendary R32 Skyline GT-R.

After Nissan had finished reassembling the 959 and was effectively finished with the car, an in-house Nissan engineer who was associated with the development of the 350Z purchased it in the late-1990s. He stored it in his home garage for at least five years, driving a humble Nissan Cedric as his work commuter.

The 959’s journey from Japan to California in 2019 is undocumented but it’s known that in 2019, Canepa, a renowned US automotive restoration and modification company specialising in 959s, acquired the car.

Over four years, it dedicated more than 4000 hours and US$950,000 (NZ$1.5 million) to painstakingly restore and upgrade the vehicle.

The original Polar Silver exterior was replaced with an Oak Green, and the interior was refurbished with a tobacco brown colour scheme.

Under the bonnet, Canepa performed significant upgrades to the 2.8-litre twin- turbo sixcylinder engine. Modifications include titanium connecting rods, an upgraded valvetrain assembly, enhanced camshafts, and tungsten ceramic- coated headers.

These enhancements skyrocketed the car’s power, pushing it to over 600kW/881Nm. This reimagined 959SC build number 12 with just 1197 miles, now boasts a blistering 0-100km/ h time of 2.5 seconds and can exceed 370km/h.

This one-of-a-kind Porsche 959SC, a fusion of German engineering and Japanese ingenuity, went under the hammer at the Amelia Island Auction in Florida from 29 February to 2 March. Experts estimated its value at US$3.25$3.75 million (NZ$5.25m$6m), given its unique history and extensive upgrades.