Porsche 959 Sport Prototype (N9) (1985)

The stakes couldn’t have been higher. The technological advancements in the 1980s through the developed use of turbocharging saw motorsport and road cars catapult forward in terms of pace. With the race to 200mph in full swing, road and race cars alike saw power jump into the high 300s, 400s and beyond. After the launch and success of Ferrari’s 288 GTO in 1984 with innovative, lightweight composite body panelling and a turbocharged powerplant offering both high power and torque, every year brought faster and faster variants.

When Ferrari started production of the 288 GTO in 1984, Porsche had been in Africa with its 953. A naturally aspirated 911 with a manually adjustable four-wheel-drive system, designed specifically for the task but as a testbed for various systems, the car took victory at the Paris-Dakar rally. In terms of the technological race, Ferrari’s GTO was virtually stationary compared to Porsche’s efforts.

This victory at Dakar marked a significant achievement for Porsche. The future of the 911 was in doubt already with the creation of the 924, 944 and 928 suggesting Porsche would ditch its roots in favour of a more traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout. Despite an internal battle over the future of front-engined over rear-engined layout, the win enabled chief engineer Helmuth Bott, to continue the development of a secret, ‘Super 911’. If it were to be the last ‘911’ instalment, it needed to conquer all; on the road, on the race track and even the rally scene too.

In the wake of the 1973 OPEC oil embargo and ensuing crisis, which lead to slowing down of technical development; motorsport regulations were changed to form Group B. This ‘no-limits’ motorsport was created to once more inspire technological innovation in all aspects of automotive research and development. Porsche were keen to get in the action, developing the 953 into the 959 with the addition of twin turbochargers; the FIA regulation stipulated 200 production cars would be needed to comply. The ‘Gruppe B’ concept was first shown in 1983, the 959 prototypes were built in 1985 and the first customer cars weren’t shipped until 1987. This meant that after Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresta’s fatal crash at the 1986 Tour de Corse, by the time the cars were in customers hands, the era of Group B was over.

Whilst the 959 has long stood as Porsche's response to Ferrari's 288 GTO, the original supercar and arriving two years before Ferrari’s iconic F40, it was a very German approach to speed. Unlike the 288, it introduced technological features that were unheard of in the automotive market and provided an excellent platform for Porsche to prove their engineering mettle. In addition to its world-beating performance, the 959 was not only very in keeping with the marque’s design language, but most importantly it was usable on a day to day basis.

Bott had earmarked 29 911 Turbo 3.3s to form the basis of the 959 prototype and pre-production cars. The engine shared very little with the 930’s turbocharged 3.3-litre flat-six. Instead it was more closely related to that of the 956 & 962 race cars – water cooled cylinder heads and dual, sequential turbochargers. An extensive array of motorsport-grade parts saw the 959 benefit from titanium con rods, forged alloy pistons and Nikasil-lined cylinders.

Powered by an all-alloy 2.85-litre flat-six, the 959 generated a peak power output of 450hp.In ‘Komfort’ specification, this was already 55bhp more than the 288’s 394bhp.In ‘Sport’ trim, the 959 produced 510hp, or over 100 bhp more than the Ferrari. Whilst the Komfort was good for 197mph,Porsche claimed the Sport would eclipse that speed by just 1 mph.True to form, that claim was rather conservative and in reality, the Sport would reach 211mph.

The intricate four-wheel-drive system featured a complex computer-controlled torque split, helping deploy its power and resulting in a 0-60 sprint of just 3.9 seconds. The 959 was a technological tour-de-force; ABS brakes, tyre pressure sensors, adjustable ride height, hollow-spoke magnesium wheels and a six-speed (5+1) gearbox. This was all offered with the expected Porsche luxuries-not least a totally usable Porsche interior. These innovations would later become mainstays in the automotive industry, later showing that Porsche’s engineers were years ahead of their time when developing the 959.

The 959 was built using the standard 911's galvanized steel body shell but with composite Kevlar reinforced plastic wings, rocker covers, roof panel, and an aluminium bonnet and door skins. Compared to Porsche's other ventures in the 1980s, particular attention was paid to aerodynamic efficiency in the 959, including a flat bottom, resulting in a 0.31 coefficient of drag (compared to the same year 911 Turbo, which scored a 0.40 Cd).

The transmission had six forward gears, although at the time Porsche did not have a homologated ‘6 speed’. Instead the gearbox in the 959 was a more traditional 5-speed, with an additional low range 1st gear. Each wheel received ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic assist and ABS. The transaxle tube included Porsche's PSK variable-centre differential, which managed the torque divisions between the front and rear axle. A second PSK was fitted in the rear axle to work as a form of limited-slip differential. This setup allowed the driver to adapt to road conditions by selecting between 'traction,' 'ice and snow,' 'wet' and 'dry' settings. The 959 even featured the world’s first run flat tyres, Bridgestone’ RE71 Denloc.

Fluctuating Finances

In the mid-1980s, Porsche was in trouble, big trouble. At the time they were a relatively small, independent company and as such - they would reportedly lose the same as the asking price of nigh on £150k, for every single 959 built; a car that they would in fact struggle to sell at all. The 959 was a fascinating feat of engineering, not least for a business struggling so heavily at the time, its arguably a miracle the project was seen through – even going the other way in 1987 when Porsche reluctantly built the production version and curtailed production in 1988 after just 292 examples.

Porsche simply could not afford to give four cars to the United States for their crash testing requirements and as such lost the ability to federalise the 959 for the U.S. market, Porsche’s biggest and most important market globally. Nevertheless, the 959 was not lost on U.S. enthusiasts and collectors and there were some efforts to import a modified Sport into the U.S. for track use only, but it was the efforts of Bruce Canepa’s persistence – 10 years in total – before he managed to push forward new federal regulations that would allow low volume production cars younger than 25 years old and not initially produced for the U.S. market into the country on a ‘show or display’ basis.

The Prototypes

According to Jurgen Lewandowski, there were three classes of prototype 959. 12 of the earliest ‘F’ series cars were built and classed as Prototype vehicles. These were followed by 7 ‘V’ series Pre-production vehicles and were very similar to production specification; the final 10 ‘N’ series Pilot vehicles enabled Porsche to ensure quality control was met during early build. These prototypes were previously though to have all been built on 3.3 Turbo chassis.

Please note, this vehicle is no longer for sale.

Porsche 959 Sport Prototype N9: WP0ZZZ95ZFS910076

According to Jurgen Lewandowski, there were three classes of prototype 959. 12 of the earliest ‘F’ series cars were built and classed as Prototype vehicles. These were followed by 7 ‘V’ series Pre-production vehicles and were very similar to production specification; the final 10 ‘N’ series Pilot vehicles enabled Porsche to ensure quality control was met during early build. The majority of these bore 3.3 Turbo chassis number cars, that is, except for N9.

Breaking down the ten ‘N series’ prototypes;

- ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘10’ were built to rally specification – adorned in Rothmans colours.

- ‘N3’, was the basis for the one-off 961 Le Mans car,

- whilst a further four, were built to Komfort specification.

- The remaining chassis’, ‘6’ and ‘9’, were the only two ‘N spec’ prototypes to be completed in Sport configuration.

While most of the ‘N’ designated prototypes were used for testing or competition purposes; be that cold-weather, tyre, or endurance. N8 Komfort and N9 Sport, were used for training, sales and press purposes.

These two cars were a demonstration of the flexibility Porsche could offer its customers; highly specified examples, enabling Porsche employees and members of the press alike to learn the details of what would be available on Porsche’s new supercar. This example is N9, the Sport.

After doing the rounds as a dealer training vehicle, the car found home with its first custodian in Japan. Wataru Ohashi, founder and owner of the Footwork/Arrows Formula One team, had agreed to bankroll Porsche’s first Formula One powertrain since Tag four years earlier. Having been designed to confirm to the new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated regulations, the 3512 unfortunately failed to deliver, and the team were forced to revert to the DFV after significant financial outlay. It is likely no coincidence that at the same time, N9 was offered directly from factory to Ohashi.

A significant part of ‘N9’s’ life involved being the centrepiece at the Mahoujin Museum, in Tochigi. A curious little venue housed in what used to be Tochigi JR train station. Opened in 1954, the station played a vital role in the local community. In 2001, a petition attracted close to 5,000 signatures, with the aim to preserve and re-purpose the station. This, in turn, led to the formation of the museum – which for a number of years showcased a mixed-collection of Japanese and European cars.

Such is the remote nature of the Mahoujin Museum, ‘N9’ was previously thought to have been lost, until an ongoing pursuit by DK Engineering to acquire the car and subsequent inspection in 2024 uncovered a series of clues. The clues led to a profound theory; it’s quite possible, that whilst ‘N9’ is the last 959 Sport prototype, it could also be the first production 959 Sport. Furthermore, ‘N9’ could even be the very first production 959 full-stop. Either one of those outcomes, or in fact all three, could be true, a remarkable discovery.

The evidence becomes clearer when comparing the chassis numbers of the ‘N’ spec 959 prototypes. During the developmental stage, cars were built on existing 911 (930) chassis, and therefore, read ‘93ZFS0’ – the chassis number of ‘N9’ however, is ‘95ZFS9’. Intriguingly, this tells us that the chassis was stamped as a 959 in the year 1985 (F) – comparatively, the car previously thought to have been the first 959, has a chassis number containing an ‘H’ (1987).

Unfortunately, the current status of ‘N8’ is unknown, and it is therefore difficult to decipher whether ‘N9’ was in fact, the first 959 built on a 959-production chassis however, the evidence leads us to believe that ‘N9’ is the very first 959 Sport; truly remarkable, seeing as the car was completed two years prior to the start of official production.

Evidence that ‘N9’ was completed in Sport specification, include the weight; with the chassis plaque quoting 1750kg, the car is 100 kilos lighter than a 959 Komfort. The lack of rear seats – another defining clue – played a significant role in the weight saving. Other features included omitted electric windows, and stiffness-only adjustable suspension – whilst both ride height and stiffness are adjustable on a 959 Komfort, these abilities did not go beyond the F-series prototype stage of the 959 Sport. One addition, however, is a radio, perhaps added to the car in order to carry out its intended purpose: customer service training and press duties.

Upon further inspection by marque expert Jochen Bader, numerous plaques, markings and notations continued to surface; all reading ‘N9’. On the fuel tank, undertray, rear shock-absorber, door-end panel, tyre inflator bag and dashboard underside, ‘N9’ had either been written, etched, adhered or riveted on to the car.

During the inspection in Japan, two notes were found in the museum’s archives, both outlining the cars appearance in two different publications from Neko Publishing; evidence that has since been proven. The car was featured in an issue of The Super Car Advance, and latterly, in an edition of Le Volant magazine.

Having been exported to the UK post-inspection. ‘N9’ not only represents a pivotal part of Porsche’s history – as a prototype for the hugely popular and iconic supercar – but having been cared for under museum conditions for an extended period of time, the car presents as such. Additionally, the allure of ‘N9’ is truly mesmerising; it is almost certainly the first production 959 Sport, but at the same time, quite possibly the first 959 to have used a production-spec chassis, thus making it the very first Porsche 959. Either way, a remarkable story and a monumentally significant car.

‘N9’ has undergone extensive recommissioning in our workshops as is today available to view at our showrooms, just outside of London.