When motorsport’s governing body devised new Group C regulations for endurance sports-prototype racing in the early 1980s, that branch of the sport was at pretty much its lowest ebb. So too was Porsche. But the fresh rules, and a change of management in Stuttgart, completely transformed the fortunes of sportscars and Porsche itself. The 956 made its debut 40 years ago, morphed mid-decade into the 962, and the rest is history.
Michael Cotton is one of the foremost sportscar writers and was at the coalface throughout the 1980s, and he details the inception and development of the concept. Autosport’s current endurance guru Gary Watkins describes the restoration of a very special 962 that holds particularly fond memories for Hans Stuck, and talks to current Porsche GB scholar Adam Smalley of his experiences behind the wheel of a Group C deity.
