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Returning to this mission It was prepared with a period of only a few months. It was commissioned by the Porsche Heritage team and the team from the Porsche Classic Museum for their close support. Accompanied by a documentary on the 959 Paris-Dakar, it offers interesting insights. About the process of returning to take on the role of a strong racing car once more It will be broadcast on the Porsche YouTube channel.
The vehicles that competed in the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally were mostly trucks and all-terrain vehicles, but the three Porsche 959 race cars from the Zuffenhausen factory were different from the third service car driven by the program manager. Roland Kussmaul and Wolf-Hendrik Unger finished in 6th place, and now the Porsche Museum has a collection of three cars in perfect condition. “The racing car that won the championship well preserved no one has ever touched and remains as if time had stopped It can be said that the physical parts involved in all rally races. It remains the same as it has always been,” says Kuno Werner, head of the Museum Workshop.
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In the 1980s, the Porsche team spent two years converting the Porsche 959 into a rally car. Engineers strengthened the front suspension with dual shock absorbers. Including installing all-terrain tires in case of driving on a route that does not rely on all-wheel drive 4-wheel drive with rear differential control electro-hydraulically Responsible for distributing the driving force between the front axle. As a result, the 959 can reach a top speed of 210 km/h. Peter Falk, Director of Racing, remembers the first rally in 1984 with a Porsche 953, and two years later. Later, with the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar race car.
Mr Bott said: “It was wonderful how our cars crossed the finish line. and won the championship From the first attempt, following that we had to keep going. Later in 1985, all 3 of our cars had to withdraw from the race. That was comparable to disaster. However, we still decided to join the competition once more. Even though I feel the pain of losing everything We raced once more in 1986 and all 3 cars finished. Including winning ranks 1-2 to occupy successfully
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Werner explains, “We want to keep the original. and repairing at some points of the car To avoid any technical failures, as the second-placed race car from 1986 was still in very good condition from the maintenance process to bring this car back to the mission. therefore replacing as few spare parts as possible In order to maintain the maximum number of original parts attached to the car, the 959 Paris-Dakar race car has traveled regarding 18,000 kilometers since the rally race.
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for all factory-made cars such rally car Equipped with a 6-cylinder engine, cooled by water and air. with turbocharged compressed air system Caused by low quality fuel at that time. Power from the six-cylinder engine is reduced to 400 hp (294 kW). “The 959 Paris-Dakar is a prototype,” said Uwe Makrutzki, head of Porsche Classic factory restoration. The mission came once more, and in 1986 the car faced another challenge.”
Makrutzki and Werner’s team worked closely together. including consulting on all matters The Porsche Classic team dismantled, overhorned and assembled the engine, transmission and transmission, all of which had little or no damage in the project. excellent no heavy damage or rust occurs Maintenance and recovery in the form of a specific mission with the aim of keeping the car intact as much as possible Porsche’s engineers and mechanics were required to inspect each component individually. And only to be repaired in the inevitable case. Many of the original parts are close to the state of the prototype,” Werner concludes.
For long-distance off-road rallying, the German sports car manufacturer Porsche has added a number of accessories. to the car at many points For the 1980s, one of them was the installation of engine control units (ECUs) that had to be positioned quite high. In order to avoid damaging the ECUs when driving across shallow rivers, Porsche has also provided a dedicated oil cooler and duct hose under the rear wing for rally racing. Including transferring advanced motorsport technology into the car, such as a structure made of aluminum materials to lose weight drilling holes on brake discs And the decision to use body parts, doors and bonnet made of Kevlar material, with the expertise of the engineers from Stuttgart. Makes the weight of the 959 car only 1,260 kilograms
During the process of disassembling the Porsche 959, the mechanics found dust. and the sand left over from the deserts of Africa. Ever since the car returned from the rally, the body and mechanical parts had never been taken apart, Werner said. This is not something that can happen every day. It’s the most special The mud we found today shows that the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar used to wade across deep water until the water entered the cabin. There is slight rust in the joint between the Kevlar body parts and the metal frame. due to the pressure generated when driving at high speed in the middle of the backcountry replace the repair Such traces will be preserved to preserve the memorable history of this car.
Porsche tried to preserve even the cable ties, which would stay in their original places. following testing and overhorn all parts The true identity of a car is something that cannot be recreated. Transmission specialist Klaus Kariegus is one of the engineers. People who like African dust left on the car. which shows real events in the past This car is proven in terms of quality. And its durability, not even the sand and dust of hard races can break it down. high quality material It is still in good working condition as before.”
Kariegus explained that Makrutzki’s team, part of the four Porsche 959 servicing specialists, carried out a functional check of the systems. and decided to preserve the historical traces obtained from the rally. “Just leaving the damage of the past behind. This will be able to tell the story. and bring it back to life,” Werner concluded.
Snow and Pebbles: Customized to Return the Throne
To bring the history back to 1986 as realistic as possible, the Porsche Heritage team and the team from the museum invited Jacky Ickx to visit the car undergoing overhorning. The former 2nd place driver in the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar will have the honor of driving the car as the first among the quarries. He expressed his feelings, “Going back inside the car. All of my memories came back instantly. I will never forget everyone who played a part in getting it running once more. The team in charge of the project currently only has 18 people, all full of strong spirit. and are ready to dedicate their energy and energy to complete their duties without discouragement Everyone wants to drive on the road, so Porsche decided to send the 959 to a desert rally. It’s amazing how I contribute to history. Rally racing is an incredible challenge. And it was the perfect testing ground for all-wheel drive. and the team will be immensely successful The desert is like the ocean We won’t find sand dunes. and the same waves.”
Le Mans champion Timo Bernhard was given the opportunity to join Jacky Ickx in driving a restored race car. The experience of the senior racer from 1986 was full of interest. “I have a memory of an extraordinary rally. That is, the helicopter cannot keep up with the racing car. Because we drove so fast,” Bernhard recalled, nearly 40 years later. Jacky Ickx summed up the story of the first race in three words: “Memories, feelings, desires.” Museum chief Kuno Werner said. Workshop defines the return of the dirt track elite as something very special: “The Porsche 959 has been dormant for many years. In the snow and gravel, this is the pride of both the Porsche Heritage team and the museum team.”
Experience Retro Classics on the Porsche YouTube channel.
Interested can see the real car. The Retro Classics event was held as part of the ’75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars’ special exhibition at the atrium / east entrance of the exhibition center in Stuttgart. From 23-26 February onwards
Arkhom Ruamsuwan
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