Canepa’s Reimagined Porsche 959 Surpasses Expectations

Canepa of the Porsche 959

Porsche has built many extraordinary sports cars over the last century, but few of them can hold a candle to the Porsche 959 supercar. Besides being the fastest street-legal production car of its time, the 959 was also said to be the most technologically advanced sports car of that era. The 959 has had a major effect on all the people who have owned it, one of them being former NASCAR and 24 Hours of Daytona racecar driver Bruce Canepa. Canepa was actually the first person to own a Porsche 959 in the USA.

Canepa’s fascination with the car inspired the development of special custom-modified 959 cars dubbed the 959 Reimagined SC cars (the ‘SC’ stands for ‘Sport Canepa’). With an engine output of around 800 hp, Canepa’s 959 Reimagined SC is almost twice as powerful as the stock 959 supercar. The other upgrades include tweaks to the car’s electric system, suspension, exhaust, transmission, and several other areas.

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A Car with Immense Potential

The Porsche 959 is no ordinary car. When it was introduced in 1986, it was billed as the ‘car of the future’, and indeed it was. It was the answer to a question that the top guys at Porsche were asking during the 1980s, which was “is there a future for the Porsche 911?” 

Porsche was not doing well financially in the early 1980s, and so the top brass at Porsche was pushing for the discontinuation of the 911 and for the refocusing of resources towards newer, front-engine models like the 928. However, the entry of Porsche President Peter Schutz in 1981 changed all that. Discontinuing the 911 didn’t sit well with Schutz. Schutz supported Porsche Chief Engineer Helmuth Bott’s bid to build a car that gave a glimpse of the future of the 911. Bott spared no expense when building the Porsche 959, giving it a body and chassis made from aluminum and Aramid (Kevlar), and a floor made from Nomex. Bott also incorporated new technologies in the 959 like a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, an active suspension that adjusted the car’s ride height, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Also, Bott developed the 959 to compete in Group B rally racing, and because of that, he made its chassis strong enough to withstand engine outputs of well over 800 horsepower. Bruce Canepa understood all the above, and so his aim with his ‘Reimagined SC’ models was to bring out the 959’s full potential.    

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Engine

The stock engine of the Porsche 959 is a 2.8 L flat-6 engine with two sequential turbochargers, water-cooled heads, and air-cooled cylinders. It produces 444 hp at 6,500 rpm and 369 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm, and pairs with a 6-speed manual transmission. The 959 Reimagined SC features a significantly enhanced version of this engine that includes new BorgWarner turbochargers that facilitate way more thrust. Its engine also comes with new camshafts with upgraded camshaft housings; these help to increase mid-range power and low-end torque. Other upgrades include a new valve-train assembly, tungsten ceramic coated headers, Pankl titanium connecting rods, low friction bearings, and flex-fuel hardware/software that enables the engine to run on E85 fuel. The 959 Reimagined SC’s engine also benefits from a custom ECU tune that enables it to take full advantage of all these upgrades. The official output figures for the 959 Reimagined SC’s engine have not been released yet, but Canepa says that it makes at least 800 hp, thanks to which the car can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.  

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Transmission

With such a serious engine upgrade, the 959 Reimagined SC also had to get a transmission upgrade; a racing-grade transmission upgrade that is both strong enough and quick enough to handle the enhanced performance. The best part about the upgrade is that it remains manual.  

Photo Courtesy of Canepa.com 

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Suspension

For sharper handling and better stability, Canepa and his guys also upgraded the suspension of the 959 Reimagined SC, giving it custom-valved Penske shocks with titanium coil-over springs.

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Exterior

On the outside, Canepa gave the Reimagined SC upgraded headlights and new 18-inch magnesium wheels that look a lot like the originals. At the back, this car features a custom-built titanium/stainless steel exhaust system with dual outlets. Also, Canepa offers a wide range of paint color options for this car, and they are also offered with a variety of paint finishes e.g. Teflon, zinc, anodized, and powder coating.

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Interior

The 959 Reimagined SC also gets at least 400 hours of interior upgrade work. Canepa’s team meticulously handcrafts the interior of the car, upholstering it with genuine, soft-touch leather and rich suede material. This car’s cabin also gets LED interior lights and an upgraded sound system. Customers are also allowed to request a wide range of cabin customizations.   

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The 959 that Porsche would have built

According to Canepa, his 959 Reimagined SC is the 959 that Porsche would have built if it were to build it today. He and his team have gone to great lengths to modernize the car and bring to today’s standards in almost every aspect. However, the excellence of the 959 Reimagined SC comes at a price. One 959 Reimagined SC model that was up for grabs earlier this year was priced at $2.1 million. Canepa plans to build a maximum of 50 Reimagined SC cars.

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>>Join the conversation about this 959 SC right here in Rennlist.com.

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