Racing legend gets his special creation

Roger Penske has finally got his hands on the car created just for him.

The legendary team boss has taken delivery of his one-off Porsche 963 RSP, a road-legal version of the German firm’s LMDh race car. First unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, the car has returned to the US for the owner to finally drive.

The 963 RSP is a genuine racing car for the road, having started as a brand-new Multimatic chassis that was then converted by a small team of experts at Porsche Motorsport headquarters in Germany and then finished at the Porsche Classic Factory Restoration in the USA; not far from where the Porsche Penske Motorsport North American operation is based.
Penske got behind the wheel of the specially created 963 RSP (which stands for Roger Searle Penske) at the track at the Atlanta Porsche Experience Centre, before the car was sent to California for last weekend’s Monterey Car Week.

“That was a fantastic experience – an unforgettable moment to finally get behind the wheel,” Penske said. “Our partnership with Porsche has led to an incredible history together built over six decades. This is a special moment among many in that partnership. It’s been a privilege to be a part of the team and program that led to its creation.”

But Penske handed over driving duties in Monterey to former Porsche factory driver Patrick Long, who took the car onto the public road and then lapped Laguna Seca. The long-time racer was impressed with how the 963 RSP performed on both road and track.

‟It appears intimidating at first, but actually it shrinks around you and is very responsive and agile,” Long said. ‟It has great steering feel and the visibility is great looking forwards. The ride is pretty compliant, too, so I can see it working well on the road. What a machine – I just wanted to keep going!”

Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said that this final confirmed public appearance of the car was a fitting official end to the project. The 963 RSP will now head to Penske’s personal car collection or could go to the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

“It’s a fitting conclusion to an exciting project to see Roger drive the car for the first time as it joins his collection, where I know it will be in the best of hands” said Resch. ‟The heart and soul of everyone at Porsche is engrained in this car.”