1987 Porsche 959

Conceived as a competition car but never used as such, the 959 was a technological masterpiece that appeared just a little too late for its intended purpose. Ferrari had already built its second GTO and Peugeot its 205 Turbo 16 when Porsche was in the midst of development of the 959.

The company decided to carry on and made 250 units, some of them fully trimmed with all comfort items, including automatic air conditioning, others stripped out for lighter weight and even higher performance, as though 322 kph (200 mph) were not enough. With electronically controlled four-wheel drive, and electronically managed sequential turbocharging to assure massive power and torque no matter what the engine speed, 959s were paragons of flexibility and usability. However, because attainment of the car’s incredibly high speeds was so simple, requiring no special driving skills, several press people remarked that while it was all very impressive, it was not much fun.

Although the 959 looks much like production 911s, only the side glass is common. All panels are differently shaped and of different materials from those used in normal all-steel Porsches.

These extracts are taken from Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design by Michel Zumbrunn, text by Robert Cumberford which was published in October by Merrell