BOLD RIDE
On a list of the greatest race cars of all time, you’d be hard pressed not to find a top rung for the legendary Porsche 962. It began its sports car prototype reign of terror in 1984, a replacement for the heady 956, and when it retired in the early ‘90s it was still very much a competitor.
Between 1984 and 1991, Porsche is said to have built a total of 91 962 race cars… a minute handful of which eventually became bespoke road cars, in addition to a few by-the-books replicas. This gorgeous shape falls into the later category. It was snapped by reddit user jt2893 at a Cars and Coffee meet in Dallas, Texas, and it is the only one of its kind in the world.
Known as the Porsche 962 Derek Bell Signature Edition, this one-of-one car bares the name of legendary racer and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell. It is believed to have started life at Porsche racing partner Fabcar Engineering as a specially-built monocoque chassis meant for New York’s Dyson Racing team, however at some point the plan was scrapped.
Instead, according to its original listing at the UK’s Specialist Cars (pictures from listing below), this carbon-fiber bodied Porsche 962 was intended to be one of many special edition 962 replicas to receive Bell’s blessing, namesake and signature (inside the door jam), but only one was ever built. This would appear to be it.
Despite this car’s road-worthiness, it features race-ready bucket seats, harnesses, massive Brembo brakes, a Koni adjustable suspension, fire extinguisher system, and even pit stop air-jacks.
However the originally intended Porsche 2.8-liter racing engine has been exchanged for a 3.6-liter twin-turbo unit from a 993 GT2, delivering a claimed 580 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque.
A final sale price was never given, but the UK firm alleges the build took a reported $2 million to complete.
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