Porsche 963 RSP Summary Points<\/h3>\n\n- Porsche unveiled the 963 RSP as it readied for the 93rd<\/sup> 24 Hours of Le Mans. It\u2019s a road-going variant of the Type 9R0 Porsche 963 LMDh prototype racing car named after the initials of businessman Roger Penske.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- The Porsche 963 RSP is also a 50th<\/sup>-anniversary tribute to the custom road-legal Porsche 917 K that Count Rossi of Martini & Rossi drove from the Zuffenhausen factory to Paris in 1975.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Powered by a 680-horsepower, 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged hybrid V8, the Porsche 963 RSP has gained a few niceties, including headlights, a road-friendly suspension, and a leather and Alcantara interior. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One Fateful Day In 1975 <\/h2>\n
Porsche developed the 917 prototype racing car in 1969 and went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, as well as the World Sportscar Championship from 1969 to 1971. It earned a reputation as the greatest Porsche racing car of all time<\/a>, but it also drew praise for its gorgeous vintage bodywork and flat-12 engine.<\/p>\nAll those merits were too hard to pass for Count Rossi di Montelera (Count Rossi), the Prince of Premuda and heir to the Martini & Rossi beverage empire, who in 1974 arrived at the Porsche Zuffenhausen factory and requested a road-legal version of the 917 K racing car. The automaker willingly obliged and took chassis 030 from storage to fulfill the Count\u2019s fervent wish.<\/p>\n
Porsche didn\u2019t do much to convert the 917 from a hardcore racer to a tamer, road-going variant (that\u2019s how the Count wanted it, anyway). Besides removing a few aero fins and adding an exhaust silencer to prevent hearing damage among pedestrians, Count Rossi\u2019s Porsche 917 is an authentic racing car with a genuine tan leather interior.<\/p>\n
Enthralled by his new, one-off creation, the Count drove his 917 from the Zuffenhausen factory to Paris in 1975, where it remains in its original form to this day. Over 50 years later, Porsche is reliving the glory days with the 963 RSP.<\/p>\n\n![\"Porsche](\"https:\/\/www.automoblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Porsche-963-RSP-scaled.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/figure>The Porsche 963 RSP is a one-of-a-kind commission in honor of Roger S. Penske, Chairman of the Penske Corporation, that also\u00a0pays homage to the Count Rossi 917 in its 50th anniversary year. Based on the 963 racecar, with unique Sonderwunsch-led design changes inspired by the Porsche 917, it made its debut in early June 2025 on public roads near Le Mans alongside the Count Rossi 917. At the wheel of the 963 RSP was three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPorsche 963 RSP Celebrates The Count Rossi 917<\/h2>\n
The Porsche 963 RSP began its life at a trackside meeting between Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche North America, Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, and Urs Kuratle, Director of Factory Racing at Road Atlanta. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis really started out as a \u2018what if?\u2019\u2014a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,\u201d Resch recalled. <\/p>\n
The gentlemen introduced the concept to Roger Penske and Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. It didn\u2019t take long for the group to name their project after Penske; hence, the 963 RSP was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972,\u201d said Roger Penske, Chairman of the Penske Corporation. \u201cWhen we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
- \n
- The Porsche 963 RSP is also a 50th<\/sup>-anniversary tribute to the custom road-legal Porsche 917 K that Count Rossi of Martini & Rossi drove from the Zuffenhausen factory to Paris in 1975.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Powered by a 680-horsepower, 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged hybrid V8, the Porsche 963 RSP has gained a few niceties, including headlights, a road-friendly suspension, and a leather and Alcantara interior. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One Fateful Day In 1975 <\/h2>\n
Porsche developed the 917 prototype racing car in 1969 and went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, as well as the World Sportscar Championship from 1969 to 1971. It earned a reputation as the greatest Porsche racing car of all time<\/a>, but it also drew praise for its gorgeous vintage bodywork and flat-12 engine.<\/p>\n
All those merits were too hard to pass for Count Rossi di Montelera (Count Rossi), the Prince of Premuda and heir to the Martini & Rossi beverage empire, who in 1974 arrived at the Porsche Zuffenhausen factory and requested a road-legal version of the 917 K racing car. The automaker willingly obliged and took chassis 030 from storage to fulfill the Count\u2019s fervent wish.<\/p>\n
Porsche didn\u2019t do much to convert the 917 from a hardcore racer to a tamer, road-going variant (that\u2019s how the Count wanted it, anyway). Besides removing a few aero fins and adding an exhaust silencer to prevent hearing damage among pedestrians, Count Rossi\u2019s Porsche 917 is an authentic racing car with a genuine tan leather interior.<\/p>\n
Enthralled by his new, one-off creation, the Count drove his 917 from the Zuffenhausen factory to Paris in 1975, where it remains in its original form to this day. Over 50 years later, Porsche is reliving the glory days with the 963 RSP.<\/p>\n
\n <\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>The Porsche 963 RSP is a one-of-a-kind commission in honor of Roger S. Penske, Chairman of the Penske Corporation, that also\u00a0pays homage to the Count Rossi 917 in its 50th anniversary year. Based on the 963 racecar, with unique Sonderwunsch-led design changes inspired by the Porsche 917, it made its debut in early June 2025 on public roads near Le Mans alongside the Count Rossi 917. At the wheel of the 963 RSP was three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Porsche 963 RSP Celebrates The Count Rossi 917<\/h2>\n
The Porsche 963 RSP began its life at a trackside meeting between Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche North America, Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, and Urs Kuratle, Director of Factory Racing at Road Atlanta. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis really started out as a \u2018what if?\u2019\u2014a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,\u201d Resch recalled. <\/p>\n
The gentlemen introduced the concept to Roger Penske and Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. It didn\u2019t take long for the group to name their project after Penske; hence, the 963 RSP was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972,\u201d said Roger Penske, Chairman of the Penske Corporation. \u201cWhen we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n \n
- Powered by a 680-horsepower, 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged hybrid V8, the Porsche 963 RSP has gained a few niceties, including headlights, a road-friendly suspension, and a leather and Alcantara interior. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n