Porsche has just unveiled something that’ll make every hypercar enthusiast’s jaw drop – the 963 RSP, a one-off street-legal version of their championship-winning Le Mans racer.
This isn’t your typical limited-edition supercar story. The German marque has essentially taken their dominant 963 LMDh race car – the same machine that’s been collecting trophies in IMSA and WEC championships – and made it road-legal for one very special customer: American motorsports legend Roger Penske. The RSP in the name? Those are his initials – Roger Searle Penske.
Design and Inspiration
The 963 RSP pays homage to a legendary moment from 50 years ago when Count Gregorio Rossi convinced Porsche to build him a street-legal 917. That silver beauty was driven from Stuttgart to Paris on public roads, wearing Alabama license plates because that was apparently the only place willing to certify such madness for the street.
Fast-forward to 2025, and Porsche has recreated that magic. The RSP sports the same Martini Silver paint as Count Rossi’s 917, but with modern touches that make it street-legal. The bodywork has been subtly modified – fender vents cover the open wheel arches, mounting points for license plates have been added front and rear, and there’s even a proper horn. The rear wing’s blanking plates have been removed since it doesn’t need to follow racing regulations anymore.
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Interior and Comfort
Step inside, and you’ll find this is still very much a race car at heart, but one that’s been given the luxury treatment. The single carbon fiber seat is now air-conditioned and wrapped in soft tan leather with Alcantara accents – a nod to Count Rossi’s original Hermès leather interior choice. There’s even a 3D-printed cup holder that can securely hold a Porsche travel mug, because even 88-year-old billionaires need their coffee.
The cabin maintains the race car’s essential character – you still need a laptop to start it and a Peltor headset to communicate over the carbon fiber body’s noise. But the attention to detail is extraordinary, with hand-stitched leather throughout and materials that would make a Bentley blush.
Performance and Engineering
Under the skin, the 963 RSP retains the race car’s hybrid powertrain – a 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 paired with an electric motor-generator unit. The combustion engine alone produces around 680 horsepower, and the whole system can run on electric power only for short bursts.
The big engineering challenge? Making it run on pump gas instead of race fuel – something Porsche describes as a “significant undertaking.” The hybrid system’s power delivery has also been remapped for smoother operation on public roads, making it more civilized than its track-bred sibling.
The suspension setup uses the same Multimatic DSSV dampers as the race car, but they’re raised to maximum height and set to their softest setting. It rides on 18-inch forged OZ wheels wrapped in Michelin wet-weather compound tires – grippier than racing slicks but still race-spec rubber.
The Penske Connection
Roger Penske’s relationship with Porsche goes back to 1972, and his team currently runs the factory 963 program that’s been dominating endurance racing. The 917/30 that his team campaigned in the 1970s remains one of the most successful chapters in both Team Penske and Porsche’s racing history.
“We felt it was time to create the most exciting car we could imagine,” Penske said. “Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible.”
Three-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard, who drove the 963 RSP on its maiden road journey near Circuit de la Sarthe, described the experience as surreal: “Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me – it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly – it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963.”
Exclusivity and Future
This is truly a one-and-done project. Porsche has made it crystal clear that the 963 RSP isn’t a homologated production car and will remain a unique creation. While officials haven’t completely ruled out future projects of this nature, they’ve emphasized this was always intended as a singular tribute.
The car will be displayed at Le Mans during this year’s 24-hour race before heading to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and later appearing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside the original Count Rossi 917.
Penske will take delivery of his one-off hypercar in August at Monterey Car Week, adding what might be the ultimate conversation starter to his collection. And honestly, at 88 years old, if you can convince Porsche to build you a street-legal Le Mans car, you’ve pretty much won at life.