The Porsche 959 was first unveiled at the 1983 Frankfurt auto show as a study for a full time 4 wheel drive Group B super sports car. Back then, the automobile was still far from being completed and its potential a mystery. The 959's awesome capabilities matured through thorough research and competition experience with the automobile. It demonstrated its outstanding abilities during the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally, and the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race.
Porsche has taken their race car technology and put it into the 959, to produce a car that provides every comfort, with smooth running and the low interior noise expected of a road car, while offering high safety reserves. Thus the 959, despite its massive 450hp engine power, can be drive easily at its lower RPM ranges. The 2848cc engine is a descendent of the famous 956 and 962 Porsche Group C racer. It is an air/liquid cooled, flat 6 cylinder, DOHC equipped with two turbochargers, providing a top speed of more than 300km/h. The 959 maintains superb acceleration under all driving conditions, yet it also achieves short braking distances that prove to be a reassuring factor for all classes of drivers. The hollow wheel spokes increase air volume to the brakes and accommodate the fat, low profile Dunlop Denloc tires, and is equipped with a pressure sensor to detect punctures.
