Daily Slideshow: How Bruce Canepa's 959 Changed the Game for Collectors
If not for one collector's unwavering commitment to change, cars like the Porsche 959 would never legally see U.S. roads.
Hero Among Men
It's hard to imagine today, but there was a time when many rare and exclusive cars like the Porsche 959 couldn't legally be driven on public roads. Cars that were either not built to U.S. safety standards or federalized because of the massive costs involved in doing so. Thanks to the Show or Display law, however, collectors are able to drive and enjoy these incredible cars today. But that law wouldn't exist without the efforts of one man - Bruce Canepa.
When All Else Fails, Change the Law!
Canepa is the founder of Canepa Motorsports and a hardcore Porsche 959 fanatic. He was fortunate enough to be able to purchase one of these amazing cars back in 1988 but quickly discovered that making it road legal in the states wasn't going to be easy. Initially, he simply tried to get the car EPA emissions passed and crash tested. But when that didn't work, he sought help from a lawyer in Washington, D.C. to try and change the very regulations that kept him off the road.
Making Dreams a Reality
Canepa and his newfound lawyer friend formulated a new regulation that allowed the public to register certain limited production and historic vehicles. It took a full decade, but the Show and Display law finally passed through Congress and became a reality. Now, 60 or so such vehicles can be imported and registered in the U.S. so long as they can pass emissions testing based on their year of production.
Improving upon Perfection
Though only 292 Porsche 959s were built, that didn't stop Canepa from working to make them even better. Now that he was able to modify his car to pass emissions, he also worked to make it more powerful and capable. Both the Canepa Gen I and Gen II cars, as they are known, featured notable power increases over stock, yet passed all U.S. emissions testing. But he's since perfected his formula with the Canepa Gen III.
Ultimate 959
The Canepa Gen III puts out an impressive 763 hp and 635 lb-ft of torque thanks to a new parallel Borg-Warner twin-turbo setup. Optimized cam timing, blueprinting, upgraded fuel system, new intake runners, and a modern engine management system all help contribute to these impressive gains.
The suspension of this special 959 has been upgraded to S spec, but also incorporates modern gas struts and titanium coil-overs. Specially designed Michelin tires provide serious grip, and the car even sports modern headlights under the original housings. It's quite simply the ultimate iteration of perhaps the ultimate supercar. And fittingly, it was built by the same man who made it possible to legally own one here in the U.S.!
For help keeping your Porsche running right, please see our how-to section in the forum.