Memorable racecars: 1982 Porsche 956

“Nobody’s perfect” was a tongue-in-the-cheek advertisement campaign that Porsche ran for the North American market in 1983. It illustrated the 956 Group C racecar’s successes in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans where nine Porsche 956s finished in the top 10. Placing ninth, the Bmw-powered Sauber C7 was the only other car that featured among the top-10 finishers. Rothman’s Porsches claimed first and second places, with Australian Vern Schuppan and American drivers Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert claiming the chequered flag. The duo of Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell finished second. Porsche Kremer Racing’s Mario and Michael Andretti and Philippe Alliot claimed the final spot on the podium. An interesting piece of trivia is one of team Obermaier Racing’s trio of drivers was none other than Brakpan-born Desiré Wilson who piloted a 956 to seventh place.

Developed by engineer extraordinaire Norbert Singer and first built by Porsche in 1982, the 956 ushered in many firsts. To adhere to the Group C class’ required minimum weight of 800 kg, the 956 was the first Porsche to feature an aluminium monocoque chassis. In addition, the 956 pioneered Porsche’s Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission.

The 956 was powered by a Type-935 2,6-litre turbocharged flat-six. The Hans Mezger-designed air-cooled motor produced 462 kw and 600 N.m. Thanks to its ground-effect aerodynamics, it was planted in the corners and because it wasn’t too draggy, it boasted a top speed in excess of 350 km/h on the Circuit de la Sarthe’s Mulsanne straight.

In 1983, the 956 would gain legendary status at another infamous racetrack. Behind the wheel of a 956, German racing driver Stefan Bellof set a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record of 6 min 11,13 sec during qualifying for the 1 000 km Nürburgring endurance race. This record would remain unchallenged for three-and-half decades. Rather appropriately, it was bested by another Porsche Le Mans racecar, the unrestricted 919 Evo driven by Timo Bernhard, which achieved a lap time of 5 min 19,55 sec around the Green Hell.