In the realm of motorsports, few eras are as iconic as the 1980s Group C prototype racing, which saw the rise of some of the most formidable and awe-inspiring vehicles to ever grace a track. Among these legendary machines, the Porsche 956 and its evolution, the 962, stood out as symbols of speed, dominance, and engineering brilliance.
The Porsche 956, introduced in 1982, quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the world of endurance racing, particularly at Le Mans. From 1982 to 1987, this car—and its successor, the 962—dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing six consecutive victories. Even when factory teams withdrew in protest of new fuel regulations, customer teams continued to carry the Porsche banner to victory.
Names like Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell, and Klaus Ludwig became synonymous with the Porsche 956, but so did an Australian driver who, while perhaps not a household name, made his mark in the annals of motorsport history—Vern Schuppan.
Schuppan’s motorsport career was diverse, spanning Formula One, IndyCar, and various other racing disciplines. However, his crowning achievement came in 1983 when he, alongside Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood, clinched victory at Le Mans in a Rothmans Porsche 956. This win made Schuppan only the second Australian to conquer Le Mans, following Bernard Rubin’s 1928 victory in a Bentley.
Following his Le Mans triumph, Schuppan’s success continued in Japan, where he won the 1983 All Japan Endurance Championship. This success bolstered his reputation, particularly in Japan, where he became something of a celebrity.
It was this fame that led the Japanese Art Sports Corporation (ASC) to approach Schuppan with a bold proposition: to transform the race-bred Porsche 962 into a road-legal supercar. Schuppan, already an experienced engineer and team owner, took on the challenge, investing £2 million (AUD 3.9 million) into the project. He relocated his operations, renamed Vern Schuppan Ltd (VSL), and began work on what would become one of the most exclusive and expensive cars in the world.
The concept was straightforward—take the proven Porsche 962 racing platform and adapt it for the street. The car, dubbed the Schuppan-Porsche 962CR, featured design modifications by Australia’s Mike Simcoe, known for his work with General Motors-Holden. The 962CR boasted a wider, more refined body than the original race car, along with a more powerful 3.4-liter turbocharged engine sourced from Andial, a US-based Porsche race team.
However, the timing of the project couldn’t have been worse. The early 1990s saw a global economic downturn, hitting Japan particularly hard. ASC, originally committed to purchasing 50 cars, gradually reduced its order, eventually leading to legal disputes that forced VSL into administration. Despite the setbacks, seven cars were built—three to the original LM specification and four to the refined CR specification.
Priced at USD 1.5 million (AUD 2.3 million) when new, the Schuppan-Porsche 962CR was, at the time, the most expensive production car ever made. The final car produced by VSL, chassis number AS 962CR 05/50, originally intended for ASC, is now set to go under the hammer at Mecum’s Monterey 2024 auction in the United States.
This 962CR, which has just 91 miles (146 kilometers) on the odometer, remains in pristine condition, a testament to its engineering and the legacy of Australian motorsport. With a top speed of over 315 km/h and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of approximately 3.5 seconds, the Schuppan-Porsche 962CR is not only a marvel of performance but also a symbol of an era when the boundaries between race cars and road cars were blurred.
As this extraordinary piece of automotive history heads to auction, it stands as a reminder of a time when Australian ingenuity and racing prowess combined to create a supercar that, for a moment, was the most expensive in the world.
You Might Be Interested In:
