Porsche is one of just a handful of brands that has a strong lineage of both race cars and road cars in equal measure. Come April 28th, Porsche will celebrate another milestone. On April 28, 1975, a Porsche 917K that had dominated Le Mans just a few years prior rolled out of the development center in Weissach, heading not towards a racetrack but bound for Paris instead.
Italian count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera, a passionate Porsche customer, wanted the impossible: a road-going 917. At his request, Chassis 30 was modified for street use, picking up additional mirrors, a horn, turn signals, exhaust mufflers, and a spare tire. Inside, the seats were trimmed in tan leather from Hermès, with suede on the dashboard, doors, and roof, reminiscent of the 1970s. The car also retained its original wooden shift knob. Whereas racing 917s featured iconic Gulf Racing or Salzburg liveries, chassis 30 was refinished in Martini silver. An Alabama license plate sealed its identity.
Now, 50 years later, Porsche seems ready to tap into that spirit once again, as the German automaker has teased something special. From the profile, it appears to be a street-legal version of the 963 race car. Set for a June 2025 debut, it coincides with this year’s 2024 Hours of Le Mans. Could this be Porsche’s next flagship hypercar, i.e., the successor to the 918 Spyder and potential rival to the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80? The abandoned 919 Street and electric Mission X, once seen as a possibility, appear to be less likely amid a broader slowdown in the EV market. A 963-derived hypercar, blending Porsche’s latest endurance racing tech with real-world usability, could be the perfect answer to a new-age ‘Holy Trinity’.
The connection with the past runs deep. Packing a flat-12 engine developed by the legendary Hans Mezger, it was the 917K that gave Porsche its first Le Mans victory back in 1970 at the hands of Richard Attwood and Hans Hermann. That win didn’t just put Porsche on the map but also made it the brand it is today, and that motorsport legacy continues to this day with the 963 race car. As Count Rossi’s Martini Silver 917k continues to take on the street in the South of France, a new generation of Porsche drivers may soon be able to experience something similar in a new-age hypercar come June.
Image Source: Porsche