Porsche

Porsche RS Spyder

The RS Spyder (Type 9R6) is a racing car designed by Porsche in conjunction with Penske to compete in Le Mans Prototype Class 2 (LMP2) racing. The car takes its name from the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder of the 1950s (combined with Porsche's common "RennSport" (lit.: racing sports) designation). The car marked Porsche's first return to the top level of sports prototype racing since the firm abandoned its Porsche LMP in 1999. The RS Spyder made its debut in the final event of the 2005 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Laguna Seca winning its class. Since then the RS Spyder has won the ALMS LMP2 Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and took class honours at Le Mans in 2008 and 2009. The outright victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring was the first major victory for Porsche in endurance racing for five years and it was also the first time in 14 years that the non-premier class won the 12 Hours of Sebring overall. Regulation changes for the 2011 season rendered the RS Spyder obsolete but the car has left a legacy in the Porsche 918 Spyder, which uses a development of the RS Spyder's engine and the Porsche 919 Hybrid which carried Porsche's racing program on into the LMP1 category starting in 2014.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Design

The RS Spyder was designed completely in-house by Porsche engineers with help from Carbotech. The chassis is a rigid carbon fibre monocoque with both the engine and transmission being integral stressed members. The 3.4-litre 90-degree MR6 V8 racing engine was designed from scratch as was the six-speed electro-pneumatic sequential gearbox. Braking is via six-piston aluminum monobloc calipers and carbon ceramic discs, mounted on suspension controlled by four-way adjustable spring/damper units activated by pushrods with adjustable torsion-bar springs. The car has a dry weight of 825 kilograms (1,819 lb) in 2010 specification but was initially 750 kilograms (1,650 lb). Since its introduction in 2005, the engine, which initially produced 478 horsepower (356 kW), has been developed and modified to meet the changing regulations of both the ALMS and the ACO. For 2008, the engine developed 503 horsepower (375 kW) using sequential multipoint inject and 440 horsepower (330 kW) in 2009-spec, with air restrictor limitations.

Race results

=== 2005 === The RS Spyder made its race debut at the final round of the 2005 American Le Mans Series, the Monterey Sports Car Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, entered by Penske Racing and driven by Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen from the Porsche Junioren factory team. The sole RS Spyder finished first in class and fifth overall. 2006. During 2006, Penske entered two RS Spyders in the ALMS and won seven class victories including an outright victory at the Mid-Ohio race. This was the first LMP2 victory in a race since 2003 and the first major result for Porsche since the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. The results ensure victory for Penske in the LMP2 Championship and also for Sascha Maassen in the drivers' standings. 2007. For 2007, Porsche unveiled the 2007-spec RS Spyder (known as the RS Spyder Evo), which included an increase in power to 503 horsepower (375 kW). Dyson Racing joined Penske in the ALMS. 2007 would be the most successful year for the RS Spyder with Penske repeating their outright victory in the ALMS series a further eight times and also securing an additional three class victories. Penske again won the LMP2 class in ALMS and Romain Dumas won the LMP2 Drivers Championship. During the season the RS Spyder won eight races while the Audi R10 TDI from the largest P1 class won only four. 2008. Rule changes increased the RS Spyder's weight to 825 kg and Porsche introduce a new direct injection engine developing 503 horsepower (375 kW). A Penske car driven by Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, and Emmanuel Collard, secured the overall victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring, winning it on the 20th anniversary of Porsche's last overall win at the race. Penske had another outright victory at the Utah Grand Prix and also recorded an additional three class wins. At Pe

Competition history

=== Complete American Le Mans Series results === (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap. † Did not finish the race but was classified as they completed more than 70% of the race distance. Complete Le Mans Series results. (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap. Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results. (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap. Legends of Le Mans Series results. (key)

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q265862CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_RS_SpyderCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1355543719 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penske_Porsche_Utah.jpgCC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: Nate Grigg · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.