959

Porsche 959 Gruppe B Concept.

Porsche’s chief engineer Helmuth Bott had an idea for a new 911 that would be all-wheel drive. To get people onboard he pitched the new car as a race car for Group B. He got approval, but costs were to be kept low by using an existing Group C engine. The idea gained steam as early as 1983 when the Guppe B prototype was displayed at Frankfurt Motor Show. While there were glimpses of the contemporary 911 in the Gruppe B – the wheelbase, the roofline, the windows and doors, much of the interior – in truth the new model had little in common with Porsche’s perennial sports car. The prototype Gruppe B’s bodywork went through unique developments – air vents in both the front and rear wheel housings as well as the air intakes in front of the rear wheels were added – and it was in this form that it made its debut as a production car at the 1985 Frankfurt show. Much of the hardware was as per the prototype. With the development of the project, Porsche saw the 959 basically as their car for Group B racing. To that effect, they planned on producing 200 to homologate the car. Therefore, the prototype became known as the Gruppe B Studie car. The production of the 959 only started in 1985, but it never raced in any Group B race. —“Stuttcars”