To ensure it can be driven on the road, Porsche has fitted the 963 RSP with indicators and brake lights, put the suspension in its highest setting, fitted less extreme wet-weather tyres and subtly reworked some of the more track-focused bodywork. The vents on the front wings, for example, have been covered so that the wheels don’t throw stones back at the windscreen.
It also has a cupholder fitted, to compensate for the removal of the button-activated drinks system that hydrates the 963’s drivers during a race.
Sonderwunsch has worked to closely match the specification of Rossi’s car, down to the tan interior and ‘Martini’ silver paint, which was a particular challenge to apply, due to the 963 being completely carbonfibre-bodied.
Despite being road-legal in certain countries, the 963 RSP does still need a laptop to start – unlike Rossi’s 917, which had a very conventional ignition key.
Porsche will show off the 963 RSP on the sidelines of La Sarthe next week before bringing the car to the UK in July for the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
It has told Autocar that the car – understood to have cost in the region of €5 million – is a one-off for now but that it wouldn’t rule out building another if approached.