Daily Slideshow: Porsche 962 Rules the Public Roads of Japan
Most of us can only dream of driving a legendary race car on the streets. But this guy is actually living that dream!
1. Race Car for the Street... Literally
Most of us can only dream of owning a car like the legendary Porsche 962. And even if you're lucky enough to own one of these incredible pieces of motorsports history, you aren't exactly going to drive it on the streets. But when you're Takeshi Moroi, owner of Japanese sheet metal fabrication company M’s Vantec, you can do whatever the heck you want, apparently!
>>Join the conversation about Takeshi Moroi's Porsche 962 right in the Rennlist Forum!
2. Leaving an Impression
Moroi owns an entire warehouse full of nearly 40 amazing cars just north of Tokyo. But among his host of incredible Porsches, Ferraris, and (7) Toyota 2000GTs sits a a Porsche 962 race car in Rothman's livery. Moroi grew up watching Group C racing, and has particularly fond memories of watching the 962 dominate the competition through the '80s and early '90s. That left an impression, along with a burning desire, to own one of these amazing cars.
>>Join the conversation about Takeshi Moroi's Porsche 962 right in the Rennlist Forum!
3. Legendary Body, New Materials
Porsche decided to end their support of the 962 as a works team in the late '80s. Privateers, however, had other ideas, grabbing up bodies and doing it on their own. Porsche’s 1983 Le Mans-winning driver Vern Schuppan was chiefly among them, and even came up with the idea to construct 962 bodies from carbon fiber instead of aluminum. Moroi managed to get his hands on one of only two of Schuppan's prototypes, making this an obviously rare bird.
>>Join the conversation about Takeshi Moroi's Porsche 962 right in the Rennlist Forum!
4. Japan Is for (Car) Lovers
Underneath that special bodywork lies a mix of 962 and 956 mechanicals. The dry sump, twin-turbo 935/82 2.65-liter flat-six and suspension are from a 956. With 630 hp on tap, the car is easily capable of 230 miles per hour. Despite all of this race car goodness, for whatever reason, Japan considers this a road legal vehicle. Did we mention that we love Japan? So Moroi does what any of us would do - he drives it on the road.
>>Join the conversation about Takeshi Moroi's Porsche 962 right in the Rennlist Forum!
5. Scary Good Daily
That's right, this incredible Porsche 962 even has its own license plate. Obviously, it's not the most practical daily driver, but that doesn't stop Moroi from contorting his body to fit inside and take off on a milk run every now and then. But hey, it has air conditioning, so what more could you want? According to Moroi, the car is quite easy to drive on the street, believe it or not. Just a bit scary. And what more could you want from a daily driver?
>>Join the conversation about Takeshi Moroi's Porsche 962 right in the Rennlist Forum!
For help with maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section this forum.