While we are all still waiting for a true successor to the Porsche 918 Spyder, Porsche has revealed something arguably more special. Say hello to the 963 RSP, which is a road-legal version of the 963 LMDh race car.
Before getting too carried away, it’s important to note the Porsche 963 RSP is a complete one-off. This isn’t a limited-run homologation special like the iconic 911 GT1 Strassenversion. The idea came from Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, who wanted to create a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Count Rossi 917.
The “RSP” name stands for Roger S. Penske, the American businessman and former racing driver. He was specifically chosen as the customer for the car. As the owner of Team Penske, which runs the 963 in both IMSA and WEC, it makes perfect sense that he’d be granted the keys to something this exclusive.
The design brief was straightforward. Keep it as close to the actual race car as possible, with nods to the original Count Rossi 917 spec. The bodywork, crafted from carbon fibre and Kevlar, remains faithful to the racer but has been subtly reshaped to properly enclose the wheel arches. Other exterior tweaks include new fender vents, a Porsche enamel badge on the nose, and a revised rear wing that ditches the carbon fibre blanking plates found on the track car.
The interior follows the same philosophy, inspired by the Count Rossi 917 but elevated with some bespoke luxury. Tan leather and Alcantara cover most surfaces, including air-conditioned, single-piece carbon seats taken from the racer. These seats have been modified with extra padding, handcrafted leather upholstery, and fixed headrests. Alcantara also covers the roofliner and footwells, while leather wraps the door cards and steering wheel.
Creature comforts are minimal, as expected. There’s a detachable 3D-printed cup holder and a slim panel next to the driver’s seat designed as a base for items like the steering wheel, a helmet, a laptop or a headset. One of the standout interior touches is the custom A/C vents, styled to resemble the fan from the original 917 engine. A brushed alloy plaque on the door displays the chassis number and the car’s build date and location, a reminder of its unique status.
The car rides on 18-inch forged OZ wheels wrapped in rain-spec Michelin tyres, a setup that actually provides more grip on the road than racing slicks. Ground clearance has been raised, and Porsche went with the softest setting available for the adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers. For legal road use, engineers added a horn, license plate mounts front and rear, and modified the headlight and taillight software to enable turn signals.
Power still comes from the race-spec hybrid V8 powertrain and the seven-speed sequential gearbox sourced from Xtrac. The rear-mounted electric motor (generator) has been retuned for smoother delivery, and the mid-mounted twin-turbo 4.6-litre V8, which pushes out around 671 hp (500 kW), has been modified to run on pump fuel. Interestingly, Porsche hasn’t mentioned any changes to the exhaust system, meaning it could be thunderously loud on the road.
Thanks to these updates, the 963 RSP has been granted special permission to be driven on public roads in France. However, it’s not fully road-legal in the conventional sense, it can only be driven under specific conditions and local regulations. So, don’t expect Mr. Penske to be using it for coffee runs.
Three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard had the honour of driving the 963 RSP on public roads near the Circuit de la Sarthe. Reflecting on the moment, he said: “That was an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime. Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me – it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly – it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963 – and felt super special and a lot more comfortable, especially as I was not needing all my safety gear.”
As for the price? Porsche hasn’t said a word, but nobody expects a unicorn like this to be remotely affordable. There are no plans to build additional road versions of the 963 either, though we suspect more than a few collectors would throw blank cheques Porsche’s way for a shot at something similar.
Appropriately, the 963 RSP will be showcased at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Once the event wraps, it’s heading back to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart for a short stint, followed by a public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, where it’ll share the spotlight with none other than the Porsche 917.
