OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

Chassis #: WP0ZZZ95ZJS900225

640 bhp at 6,500 rpm, Garret ball bearing twin-turbos, six-cylinder alloy engine, six-speed manual gearbox with all-wheel drive and active torque-split, three-stage traction control (dry, wet and snow) and electronically adjustable ride-height and shock absorber control, double wishbone front and rear suspension with four shocks per 17" diameter alloy wheel, four-wheel disc brakes with ventilated rotors and alloy and Kevlar body paneling.

- A desirable “Komfort” model
- Reengineered to Canepa Design Specifications
- One of only 283 examples built
- The “original” supercar
- 640 bhp with a top speed of 222 mph

Only a total of 283 Porsche 959s were built, of which 83 were the “Sport” models used in competition with the other 200 cars designated as “Komfort” versions for street use. Even at the original list price of approximately $300,000, the cost to Porsche to build each car was double this figure, and the 959 was humorously referred to as the “Porsche factory’s gift to its favorite customers.”

The Porsche 959 “Komfort”

Before the Ferrari F40, before the McLaren F1, and almost before the term “supercar” was invented, there was the Porsche 959, an expression of extensive development, technical excellence, and competitiveness that brought a new excitement to road-going automotive pursuits.

The Porsche 959 odyssey started in 1983 and involved many pioneering techniques, most notably molded composite bodywork. It was the first automotive production use of DuPont’s Kevlar aramid fibers. The suspension has three ride-height settings, as well as three dampening settings for the shocks. Its sophisticated antilock braking system is controlled by high-speed microprocessors augmented by run-flat Bridgestone tires.

The 2,849 cc twin sequential turbocharged and intercooled flat-six engine runs a maximum boost of one atmosphere and uses water cooling for the six individual cylinder heads. The result is a robust horsepower rating of 450 at 6,500 rpm. This power is transmitted through an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system. Top speed is 198 mph, and 0 to 60 mph is achieved in only 3.6 seconds – mind-boggling figures then and now. The list of Porsche 959 specifications reads like the wish list for the world’s best and most advanced automobile, which was in effect what this GT missile turned out to be at the time of its mid-1980s introduction. Even today, no other road-going supercar is able to match or surpass the unique technology of the 959’s performance specifications.

Canepa Design Specifications

Aside from the 959 “Sport” and “Komfort,” there are also the extremely rare re-engineered cars that were modified by Bruce Canepa. Canepa Design invested years of research and development to take the Porsche 959 to an even higher level of performance, all the while being compliant with California and Federal Emissions laws.

This particular 959 is equipped with Canepa Design’s Phase II Engine Upgrade. This upgrade includes eliminating the factory turbo system and replacing it with an all-new Garrett ball bearing twin-turbo system with re-designed wastegates using Tial diaphragms and titanium heat shields. Also, all intake and exhaust valve springs are blueprinted, optimizing cam timing, and all-new intake runners are matched with K&N Air Filters. The fuel system along with EGR jets are upgraded utilizing a modern engine management system with ADL and an F1 technology engine wiring harness. To help maintain all of this, a high-output ignition system, upgraded alternator charge system, battery module, idle control valve, air pumps, air regulator valves, and a whole host of sensors, wiring, adapters, hardware, and connectors are used. In all, over 369 new components are added.

Canepa Design then combines all of the engine upgrades with a new stainless steel exhaust system that utilizes Porsche original equipment catalytics and a bypass system that produces increased horsepower and a more aggressive exhaust note that can be controlled via a switch on the dash. The entire clutch system has also been modified to help handle all of the power upgrades, which include an improved pressure plate, disc, and a modified clutch pedal assembly.

Not content with just power upgrades, Canepa Design also has upgraded the suspension to 959 “S” specifications by incorporating their new gas strut design with titanium coil-over springs while removing the electronically adjustable controls for ride height and damper tension. They have also reengineered the factory wheels with a new bead design, which allows the installation of today’s state-of-the-art high performance Z-rated tires which, combined with the suspension upgrades, provide greatly improved handling.

The end result of all this raises the 959 performance levels in all areas: 640 bhp, 570+ ft-lbs of torque, 0-60 mph in 3 seconds, a standing quarter-mile in 11 seconds, and a top speed of 222 mph.

Finished in silver with a tri-tone grey interior, this Porsche 959 “Komfort” is one of these Canepa designed cars. Having been driven only 1,900 miles since the full reengineering by Canepa Design, it is reportedly in excellent running and driving condition and is absolutely incredible to drive. Exceptionally well maintained over the years, this 959 remains in outstanding cosmetic and mechanical condition and represents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire one of the most sought-after “original” supercars with upgrades from Canepa Design.

Porsche 959s rarely become available, much less of this caliber of preparation and maintenance. There is perhaps no more revolutionary automobile in the latter half of the 20th century. As the original supercar, it represents a technical achievement that may never be surpassed.