A polyvalent machine able to comply with both Group C and IMSA GTP rules, the Porsche 962 succeeded the 956 after the latter had been run for three seasons. Despite a similar silhouette, the 962 was virtually a new machine, built on an extended 956 chassis which allowed the driver to be moved backwards. It initially received the same 2.6-liter engine as its predecessor, though in IMSA form one out of two turbochargers had to be removed. Larger flat sixes were later developed, displacing up to 3.2-litre.
The Porsche 956 had crushed the (limited) resistance offered by Ford and Lancia in the early days of Group C racing; initially the 962 did as well when faced with newcomers such as Jaguar, Sauber or Nissan. The British team proved its toughest rival, and domination switched sides from 1988 on. Nonetheless 962s remained fairly competitive throughout the model’s long career, all the more after some private teams took the responsibility of developing evolutions of the car. First of them was Kremer, last Dauer which, during the Group C’s agony in 1994, exploited a loophole in the new rules in order to reclassify the 962 as a GT. Noticing that only one road legal car was needed to enter a machine as a Gran Turismo at Le Mans, Jochen Dauer had a 962 converted to road use and, so as to convince sceptical ACO assessors, drove the car himself from Germany to Sarthe. Though a road stop had some comical effects, Dauer having much trouble to gear into reverse in front of a small crowd of amazed witnesses, the demonstration was good enough and his 962s, benefiting from the more lenient GT rules regarding fuel tank capacities, took a narrow victory against the Toyota prototypes. Apart from these two Dauers, original 962s were still racing in 1994, sometimes with success. For the next season, rules evolved again, removing the loophole used by Dauer and banning Group Cs for good, ending not only the ten-year career of one of the most prestigious Porsche ever, but also of one of the most fascinating chapter in the history of motor racing.
About the models
Model: Porsche 962 C
Year: 1987
Event: 1987 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans Stuck (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.17 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France
Ixo’s 962 is on a par with its 956, and therefore deserves an identical 12/20 rating.
Model: Porsche 962 C
Year: 1987
Event: 1987 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Jürgen Lässig, Pierre Yver and Bernard de Dryver (finished 2nd overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.22 of its Les Monstres Sacrés de l’Endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France
The higher standard of quality of this series justifies giving a 13/20 to this nice model. Nonetheless some displeasing details remain, such as the wipers, which as with all of Ixo’s 956/962s are moulded with the windshield.
Model: Porsche 962 C
Year: 1989
Event: 1989 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Oscar Larrauri, Walter Brun and Jésus Parreja (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.3 of its 100 años de Sport Automovil press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Not necessarily extraordinary, and moreover someone made me notice on a forum that the rear part isn’t the appropriate one, but I have a special weakness for this car that I saw in action twenty years ago. My rating is 11/20.
Model: Dauer 962 GT LM – Porsche
Year: 1994
Event: 1994 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Yannick Dalmas, Hurley Hailwood and Mauro Baldi (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.26 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2004, in Souillac, France
Another 12/20 for this correct, but not irresistible die-cast.
Model: Dauer 962 GT LM – Porsche
Year: 1994
Event: 1994 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Hans Stuck, Danny Sullivan and Thierry Boutsen (finished 3rd overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.34 of its Les Monstres Sacrés de l’Endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in January 2008, in Souillac, France
Despite being released in a later series this Altaya model doesn’t feature much improvement over the former die-cast, so I’ll again give it 12/20.
Scale Model Fan 