In December 2020, Porsche announced its intention to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After taking time to study the rulebook and analyse its possibilities, the manufacturer took the plunge once the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship thrashed out a historic technical arrangement. The two race organisers found sufficient common ground to allow Hypercars to compete at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and in the biggest endurance races on the other side of the Atlantic, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

This “simplification” – which in fact masks a mammoth amount of work in the background to harmonise rules and give the competitors a common framework – spurred Porsche to create the 963 and conquer the world of endurance once again.

In the tracks of the 962

So why “963”? In choosing this number for its new Hypercar, Porsche’s intention was clearly to pick up the legacy of the 962, the Group C prototype that made its début at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans before delivering victory in 1986 and 1987, each time with Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans-Joachim Stuck sharing the driving duties. Entered as a GT in 1994, the Dauer-Porsche 962 LM stole the show with Mauro Baldi, Yannick Dalmas and Hurley Haywood, closing a ten-year sequence in the best possible way.

The 962 encountered worldwide success from Suzuka to Monza, and from Silverstone to Riverside. The inspiration for the 963 lies right there. The 962 owed much of that success to the works outfit – backed at the time by Joest Racing – and private teams.

Like the 962, today’s Hypercar competes in IMSA and the WEC, with the same team behind the operations: Penske. Like the 962, the 963 has also been chosen by privateers: JDC Miller MotorSports in IMSA and Proton Competition for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 963 is also in the process of emulating the 962’s track record. Back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona (2024 and 2025), a triumph at Sebring (2025) and a total of 14 wins across all championships. No prizes for guessing which one is missing.

An engine with a Le Mans heritage

Porsche has garnered a reputation for designing exclusive, emblematic power units. The brand was the first to deploy a turbocharged engine in 1974, and the first to run with a flat-six, eight or twelve (in 1965, 1963 and 1969 respectively). The latest epic era with the 919 Hybrid began with a V4 – an engine architecture never previously seen at Le Mans. The result was three wins.

For the 963, however, the engineers have erred on the side of caution with a trusty V8 – the engine used in the RS Spyder (2008 and 2009). Under the code name 9RD, it also found its way under the hood of a road car, the Porsche 918 Spyder, with an increase in cubic capacity from 3.4 to 4.6 litres. 

No turbocharger was used on the RS Spyder in the late 2000s or on the 918 that appeared in 2013. Is that an issue? No. This engine block was optimised to offer flexibility and designed to accommodate turbochargers if necessary, and especially a hybrid system. Eighty percent of all its components thus originate from the 918. “The engine features a flat crankshaft and has a very short stroke,” explains Stefan Moser. “This allowed us to mount it very low, which gives us a low centre of gravity and optimum linkage points for the suspension and gearbox.” These elements transmit power more directly and efficiently, and ultimately reduce roll and boost the Hypercar’s stability.

Lubricated by Mobil 1, the water-cooled engine runs on a fuel developed by TotalEnergies – Excellium Racing 100 – produced from waste and residues from the winemaking process. This is more than a simple transplant. The engine has been broadly improved with a “hot-vee” layout. This means the two turbochargers are placed between the cylinder banks. The fresh air and gas streams are guided accordingly.

This arrangement has several benefits:

• A compact layout – placing the turbos in the centre frees up space on the sides
• An aerodynamic advantage – the engine fits more comfortably within the streamlined body
• Optimum cooling – hot gases are better contained in the centre

The choice of a V8 for the 963 is therefore the result of a rational approach harnessing technical heritage, regulatory restrictions, optimised integration – and also controlled development costs.

A winning combination?

A tried and tested engine, and a name that harks back to a rich past. Continuity is also the watchword for the chassis. Multimatic, the successful chassis manufacturer notably involved in the Ford GT programme, was selected from the four accredited makes. Porsche had already worked with Multimatic on the 919 Hybrid Evo, an unrestricted version of which shattered the Nordschleife lap record. At the time, the Canadian company specialised in supplying suspension components and had invented and patented the spool valve damping technology used in Multimatic DSSV shock absorbers. They were fitted to the 911 RSR GTE as well as to current Porsche Cup models. 

With the rational choices made, based on the substantial expertise accumulated at the venue over the years (Porsche has been ever-present since 1951 with a total of 19 outright wins), the 963 would appear to have one sole aim this season: Le Mans. Is a 20th win on the cards?

Don’t miss the other episodes in our “Hypercars under the microscope” series in which we analyse the prototypes in the high-quality field.

Next up: Toyota GR010 Hybrid.

In case you missed them: Ferrari 499P, Peugeot 9X8, BMW M Hybrid V8, Aston Martin Valkyrie, Alpine A424, Cadillac V-Series.R.

Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app! Don’t miss a thing! Check out the app for further information.