Connect with us

Historic

REVIEW: The Ultimate Almanac for the Porsche 962

Sportscar365 reviews Serge Vanbockryck’s extensive, three-volume book on the Porsche 962…

Photo: Porter Press International

2022 was an important year for Porsche’s sports car racing history. For one, it finally saw the 963 hit the track ahead of a highly anticipated racing debut in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

There was, however, also a historical anniversary as it marked 40 years since the introduction of the now legendary Group C formula for sports racing prototypes.

Comparisons between Group C and the LMDh ruleset have been drawn frequently over the last few years and with good reason: increased manufacturer presence, larger grids and top-level talent battling for overall victories on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s no coincidence that Porsche opted to name its new creation ‘963’: a direct reference to the all-conquering 962 that dominated much of the Group C era.

The figures speak for itself: world championships in 1985 and 1986, Le Mans victories in 1986 and 1987 as well as dominant campaign in the U.S. and Japan for many more years to come.

Serge Vanbockryck, author, former journalist, PR specialist and motorsport historian, has studied both the 962 and its equally dominant 956 predecessor since the late 1980s, spending hundreds of hours pouring over documents as well as interviewing key figures involved with both cars.

After releasing the critically acclaimed ‘Ultimate Works Porsche 956 – The Definitive History’ in 2019, he has now followed it up with a second installment focusing solely on the 962.

Clocking in at a staggering 1,400 pages, ‘Ultimate Works Porsche 962 – The Definitive History’ is spread across three volumes, each dedicated to a specific part of the 962’s history.

Volume 1 goes in-depth on the unique political circumstances leading up the 962’s inception. Eagled-eyed readers might even spot a few similarities to events unfolding in sports car racing in recent years.

It subsequently highlights the creation of the car, spearheaded by legendary engineer Norbert Singer, followed by an in-depth look at the car’s maiden race outing in the 1984 Daytona 24 Hours and each round of the World Sportscar Championship contested by the Porsche works team from 1984-1988.

The second volume then focuses on the period described as the ‘Joest years’ from 1989-1994, when factory involvement lessened but victories nonetheless remained frequent.

Statisticians will particularly treasure the third and final volume, which provides an in-depth history of every chassis. This includes results, recaps of both race and test outings, period photographs and more.

Finally, it focuses on the people involved in the project with a career biography on the likes of Singer, Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck and many, many more.

Furthermore, it covers the ground-up restoration of three of the works 962Cs and multi-page photoshoots of eight cars, while exclusive documents, artworks and behind-the-scenes photographs can be found throughout each of the three volumes.

Available in three editions, ‘Ultimate Works Porsche 962 – The Definitive History’ is exactly what it says on the box: the most in-depth, extensive almanac of the Porsche 962 you are likely ever to find.

Time will tell if the 963 will one day warrant a similar publication.

Ultimate Works Porsche 962 – The Definitive History
ISBN:978-1-907085-92-5 (Limited Edition), 978-1-913089-31-3, (Collector’s Edition), 978-1-913089-64-1 (Owner’s Edition)
Serge Vanbockryck
Porter Press International

Davey Euwema is Sportscar365's European Editor. Based in The Netherlands, Euwema covers the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, among other series.

Click to comment
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

More in Historic