THE LEGENDARY PORSCHE 962 Few, if any, racing cars require less introduction than the ground-breaking Porsche 956 and its evolutionary sibling, the 962.

With some 17 wins in the sports car “Classics” – a remarkable ten of which occurred Stateside courtesy of the longer-wheelbase, IMSA-eligible 962 – it remains arguably the greatest endurance car of them all.

Although the 956 had appeared in Europe as far back as 1982, it was not eligible for IMSA events, with many competing teams forced to rely upon Porsche’s ageing 935 until such time that an IMSA-sanctioned version of the car was available.

The major points of difference as far as the governing body were concerned were fourfold; firstly, the GTP rulebook decreed that the driver’s feet must be behind the front axle, whereas the 956 placed them in front; secondly, the 956 utilized a ‘non-production’ based engine whereas only production-derived units were eligible for US racing; thirdly, the 956 featured an aluminum roll cage which I...