Makes › Porsche › 961 · Factory competition · 1986–1987 One-off
Porsche
961
Works racing version of the 959 (Le Mans 1986 class win)
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1986–1987
- Engine
- Flat-six, water-cooled heads, Group C specification · 2,847 cc / 2.8 LFactory: 2,847 cc
- Power
- 507 kW / 689 PSFactory: 680 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Type 961 was the Le Mans prototype within the 959 competition programme. The auction text counts it as the seventh of the development cars alongside the three 959 rally cars of 1985 and the three of 1986.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionThe one 961; rebuilt after the 1987 Le Mans fire and displayed in the Zuffenhausen museum (as of the 2013 evo article) | 12 | Surviving examples | Independently researched |
| Total model productionCircuit-racing 961 (the 959 rally cars, also internally called 961, are not counted). Spec table: “Production 1 unit”; the same car ran Le Mans 1986 and 1987 and is now in the Porsche Museum | 11 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The only cached account is a single sentence in the RM Sotheby's catalogue text for a 959 Paris-Dakar car: seven development cars were produced, one of them the Le Mans prototype called the Type 961. The text does not give years, specification or fate for the 961, so only its existence and place in the development programme are recorded here.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 961.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Flat-six, water-cooled heads, Group C specification3 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 2,847 cc / 2.8 LFactory: 2,847 cc3 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | Twin KKK turbochargers, 1.2 bar boost (race trim)3 Independently researchedflat-6.net says about 1.4 bar is possible with restoration of the original nature, vs 0.9 bar for the 959. |
| Power | 507 kW / 689 PSFactory: 680 hp · converted3 Independently researchedSource states bhp. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | All-wheel drive3,4 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Brakes from the Porsche 962 endurance racing car4 Independently researchedLevel D source. |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 1,150 kgFactory: 1,150 kg4 Independently researchedLevel D source. |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Stuttcars – Porsche 961 (1986–1987) Level C
- 1 Circuit-racing 961 (the 959 rally cars, also internally called 961, are not counted). Spec table: “Production 1 unit”; the same car ran Le Mans 1986 and 1987 and is now in the Porsche Museum
-
2
Porsche 961 racer driven Level C Roger Green · evo · 2013-04-26
- Since then it has been stored and displayed in the Zuffenhausen museum
-
3
Porsche 961 racer driven Level C evo
- Group C-spec, 2847cc, water-cooled, flat-six motor
- 2847cc, water-cooled, flat-six motor
- pair of monstrous KKK turbos spinning hard to squeeze 1.2bar of boost
- fire 680bhp at four massive Dunlop slicks
- the only all-wheel-drive car to compete at Le Mans
-
4
Porsche 961 Article (The 959 Goes To LeMans) Level D flat-6.net (Wayback capture)
- 4-wheel drive was retained but was set to heavily rear-biased (20 / 80)
- Brakes came from the Porsche 962 endurance racing car
- kerb weight was reduced to only 1,150 kg
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