Porsche · 1986–1993

Porsche 959

The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1986 to 1993, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring at least 200 units be produced. The twin-turbocharged 959 was the world's fastest street-legal production car when introduced, achieving a top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph), with some variants even capable of achieving 339 km/h (211 mph) in testing. Combining race-car performance with luxury-sedan comfort and everyday drivability in dry, wet and snowy conditions, many consider it the most technologically advanced road car of its time. After the successful introduction of all-wheel drive on more rally-specific cars like the Audi Quattro, the 959 was one of the first pure high-performance sports-cars with all-wheel drive, providing the basis for Porsche's first all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4 model. Its performance convinced Porsche executives to make all-wheel drive standard on all turbocharged versions of the 911 starting with the 993. The twin-turbo system used on the 959 also made its way to future turbocharged Porsche sports cars. In 2004, Sports Car International named the 959 number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: 1963-1989 Porsche 911 · Successor: Porsche 911 GT1

All Porsche 959 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development history and overview

Development of the 959 (originally called the Gruppe B) started in 1981, shortly after the company's then-new Managing Director, Peter Schutz, took his office. Porsche's chief engineer at the time, Helmuth Bott, approached Schutz with some ideas about the Porsche 911, or more aptly, a new one. Bott knew that the company needed a sports car that they could continue to rely on for years to come and that could be developed as time went on. Curious as to how much they could do with the rear-engined 911, Bott convinced Schutz that development tests should take place, and even proposed researching a new all wheel drive system. Schutz agreed, and gave the project the green light. Bott also knew through experience that a racing program usually helped to accelerate the development of new models. Seeing Group B rallying as the perfect arena to test the new development mule and its all wheel drive system, Bott again went to Schutz and got the approval to develop a car, based on his development mule, for competition in Group B. The powerplant is a sequential twin-turbocharged DOHC flat-six engine equipped with four valves per cylinder, fuel fed by Bosch Motronic 2.1 fuel injection with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled heads, with a bore x stroke of 95 mm × 67 mm (3.74 in × 2.64 in) for a total displacement of 2,849 cc (2.8 L). It was coupled to a unique manual transmission offering six forward speeds with the first gear labelled "gelände" (terrain), allowing the car to pass noise regulations, as well as reverse. The engine was largely based on the 4-camshaft 24-valve powerplant used in the Porsche 956 and 962 race cars. These components allowed Porsche to extract 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp) at 6,500 rpm and 500 N⋅m (369 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,000 rpm from the relatively compact po

Performance

Auto, Motor und Sport measured a top speed of 318 km/h (198 mph) and 3.7 seconds for 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph). Those values were recognized by Guinness World Records as highest road tested speed for any road car and highest road tested 0-100 km/h acceleration. Road & Track measured a top speed of 198 mph (319 km/h), 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.6 seconds, 0–100 mph (0–161 km/h) in 8.2 seconds and 11.9 seconds at 119.5 mph (192.3 km/h) for the quarter mile. Car and Driver measured 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.6 seconds in komfort trim which was 9 tenths quicker than any other car they tested in the 1980s.

Porsche 959 S

The Porsche 959 S was a 959 "Sport" with larger turbochargers that increased power output to 515 PS (379 kW; 508 hp) thus resulting in a top speed of 339 km/h (211 mph) as tested by Auto, Motor und Sport at the Nardò Ring in 1988. To save weight, air conditioning, central locking, electric window lift, rear seats, and the levelling system for the chassis were omitted. Twenty-nine cars were built.

Racing

=== Group B / Paris–Dakar Rally === The 959 was originally meant for Group B racing but development time took longer than expected. The first development race cars, essentially modified 911 Carrera models with all-wheel-drive system known internally as the 953, were entered in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, finishing 1st (René Metge), 6th (Jacky Ickx) and 25th. These cars tested the all-wheel-drive system to be used in the 959. Unlike the World Rally Championship the Dakar didn't require a minimum number of cars built for homologation. In 1985, three cars were entered in the Dakar rally with the proposed 959 body and the rest of the systems but they still used the engine of the 953 rally cars. These cars didn't finish (only one due to mechanical failure however). Afterwards Porsche fitted the cars with twin-turbochargers. Two cars started at the Rallye des Pharaons in October 1985. One of them caught fire, while Saeed Al-Hajri and John Spiller achieved a commanding victory with their 959. At the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally the 959 finished 1st (René Metge), 2nd (Jacky Ickx) and 6th. By the time the 959 was ready for production and homologation in 1987, the Group B programme was cancelled altogether a year prior thus ending Porsche's participation in Group B. Le Mans and IMSA. In 1986, the racing variant of the 959, the Porsche 961, made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driven by René Metge partnering Claude Ballot-Léna, it finished first in its class and 7th overall. It also participated in the IMSA championship in the United States but suffered tyre issues with Daytona Speedway's banking. The 961 returned to Le Mans in 1987 but while in 11th place Canadian/Dutch driver Kees Nierop mis-shifted from 6th into 2nd gear and crashed into the guard-rail. Upon re-joining the tra

Legacy

In 2003, Canepa Design initiated a 959 upgrade program. By making modifications to the 959's turbochargers, exhaust system and computer-control systems, Canepa enabled the 959 to pass emissions requirements, thereby making it street-legal in the United States before falling under the 25 year rule. The upgrade pack has now three generations, as well as a sportier trim available. In Pugad Baboy comic strips, the dog Polgas, in his secret agent persona Agent Pol, has been rewarded with a 959 in lieu of his service and track records in secret service and espionage.

Legality in the United States

A common myth is that Porsche did not provide the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) with four cars required for destructive crash testing, so the car was never certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for street use in the U.S. This is false as the DOT do not carry out crash testing internally, they simply publish the figures that the manufacturer has released. The manufacturer of a motor vehicle is responsible for their own crash testing. Porsche chose to design and test the 959 to European safety standards only, ignoring NHTSA standards when it was already apparent that the exchange rate between the Deutschmark and US Dollar was so unfavourable that Porsche was losing $200,000 on the sale of each 959. Owners of the few 959s that entered the country paid storage fees to keep their 959s in so-called Foreign Trade Zones (areas adjacent to US ports where goods are not considered to be in the US for legal purposes) as the cars weren't permitted in the US proper. The 959 could not be made street legal in the United States after the 1988 "Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act". Otis Chandler, Bill Gates, Bruce Canepa, and others managed to convince the US government to allow the 959 to be imported and thus created the Show or Display law in 1999, where a car is allowed to be imported that did not previously meet federalization, but is considered significantly important to car culture. The 959 of Bill Gates. Microsoft founder Bill Gates bought a 959 in 1988. Since the model did not have NHTSA and EPA approval, the car was denied entry into the U.S. Fortunately for the car, it was stored for 13 years by the Customs Service, rather than being destroyed, as is customary with forbidden automobiles. On August 13, 1999, the "Show or Display"

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

Specifications

name: Porsche 959
Manufacturer: Porsche AG
Class: Sports car (S)
Production: 1986–1993, (337+8 produced)
Assembly: Germany: Stuttgart (Karosserie Baur)
Body style: 2-door coupé
Layout: Rear-engine, four-wheel-drive
Engine: 2849 cc twin-turbocharged flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2272 mm
Length: 4260 mm
Width: 1840 mm
Height: 1280 mm
Kerb weight: 1450 kg
Related: Porsche 911, Porsche 961, Porsche 969
Designer: Helmuth Bott
Top speed: 320 km/h

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q575937CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_959CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372459961 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porsche_959_GIMS_2024_1X7A2269.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Alexander-93 · 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.