Daily Slideshow: The Secret to Success: The 1989 962ck6

One of the Greats

The 1989 Porsche 962CK6 racing car deserves to be mentioned amongst all-time racing greats like the Auto Union Type C Streamliner, the Ford GT40, and the McLaren MP4/4. It is based on the Porsche 962C, which boasts accolades like three wins at the punishing Le Mans 24 Hours, two victories at the World Sports Car Championship, and four wins in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) GTP Championship. The Porsche 962C also made many podium finishes in the Japan Sports Car Championship and the European InterSeries Championship, both of which ran through the latter portion of the 1980s. Therefore, it’s not hard to see why many people term the Porsche 962 as the most successful sports car ever made.   

The Porsche 962 was produced in 1984 as a successor to the legendary Porsche 956. Porsche only made a few models of the Porsche 962C Group C racecar, but it allowed third-party fabricators like Kremer Racing to perfect it in their own way. Kremer Racing made the Porsche 962CK6. The ‘K’ in its name stands for Kremer Racing. It is believed that only 11 Porsche 962CK6 racecars were ever built.        

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1. Powerful engine

The engine of the 1989 Porsche 962ck6, being well ahead of its time, played a big part in its overall success. It was a 3.0-liter Porsche flat-6 engine that came fitted with twin KKK turbochargers. This dry-sump, fuel-injection engine developed over 750 horsepower at 8,200 rpm, making it one of the most powerful race car engines of its time. This engine also featured 6 air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled cylinder heads. Thanks to these cooling innovations, this engine could endure hours and hours of competitive driving without overheating. Another thing that worth noting is that Kremer Racing also developed exclusive software for this engine’s Motronic 1.7 ECU that was designed to modify the engine’s RPM, boost, and throttle settings for enhanced performance. This software also helped to raise the compression ratio, resulting in increased fuel efficiency and reduced turbo lag. 

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2. Groundbreaking Design

The design of the 1989 Porsche 962ck6 also played a major part in its overall success. Its super-aerodynamic body design is revered for the high downforce that it achieved. It features a low-dipping, pointed front end that cuts through air resistance with ease, a low-crouching, streamlined body with flowing curves, a low roofline, and underbody paneling that enhances the smooth flow of air under the car. At the back, the Porsche 962ck6 features a large, raised rear spoiler and a large ground-effect diffuser that also helped to yield tons of downforce. Other design aspects that also contributed to this car’s stability and control includes its larger-than-life width of 78.7 inches and the low, mid-chassis position of its engine that helped to achieve a low center of gravity. The high downforce effect of its body design resulted in more road grip, which in turn enabled the car to accelerate through corners with excellent control. 

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3. Unique Chassis and Suspension System

Another strong suit of the 1989 Porsche 962ck6 was its chassis. The initial Porsche 962C featured an aluminum monocoque chassis that yielded a considerable performance advantage over its competitor's thanks to the fact that it integrated the body and chassis into one composite structure. This chassis was comparatively stiffer and lighter than those of competing cars. However, it was confirmed to have crash safety flaws when Manfred Winkelhock and Jo Gartner crashed their Porsche 962C cars in competitive racing. Kremer Racing went back to the drawing board, and they commissioned United Kingdom-based John Thompson to build a new tub that would wrap around the cockpit. Thompson delivered a new aluminum honeycomb tub that was safer and more rigid than the prior aluminum sheet tub. Some of the Porsche 962CK6 cars were also made with carbon-fiber tubs and bodies that were even stiffer, safer, and lighter, and this translated to quicker acceleration, improved stability, and higher fuel efficiency.   

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4. The Suspension System continued

The Porsche 962CK6 also featured a customized suspension system that was designed to withstand the rigors of 24-hour racing. In the front, it featured a double wishbone setup with Bilstein gas dampers and titanium coil springs, while in the rear it featured lower wishbones with inboard mounted titanium coil springs and Bilstein dampers.  

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For more information on this and other Porsche racecars, visit www.rennlist.com/how-tos.