Schuppan 962CR
Encyclopedia
The Schuppan 962CR was a vehicle
built in 1994 by Australian racecar driver Vern Schuppan
. It was built as a tribute to Schuppan's 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
victory and 1989 All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
title. The 962CR is based on the dominant Le Mans-winning Porsche 962
race car of which Schuppan raced and owned with his own team.
The 962CR is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle weighing 1,050 kg (2,315 lb). Powering the car is a 3.3-litre Type-935 Flat-6 featuring twin KKK turbochargers giving 600 hp (about 182 hp/L) mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This unit was borrowed nearly directly from the standard Porsche 962 unit used in the North American IMSA GT Championship
with a slight decrease in displacement. The car's top speed is 230 mph (370 km/h) with a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 3.5 seconds.
The chassis and body were built entirely by Schuppan, although it featured design elements from the 962 race car. Assembly took place at the VSL 60,000 ft² race and production facility in High Wycombe
, Buckinghamshire
, England
. Funding was provided by Japanese investors who support Schuppan's race team that ran in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
.
At just over US$1.5 million in 1994, the Schuppan 962CR is among the most expensive vehicles ever sold new. Rumors circulated for several years that the 962CR was sold new for US$2.5 million, but this rumor was eventually dispelled by author and Porsche enthusiast Karl Ludvigsen
who listed a price of ¥
195 000 000.
It is unknown how many Schuppan 962CRs were ever completed, with the number believed to be either five or six. Payment failed to arrive for two of the vehicles after they were shipped to Japan. This, coupled with the high cost of the car's construction and a worldwide economic recession, forced Schuppan to declare bankruptcy, folding not only his car company but his race team as well.
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
built in 1994 by Australian racecar driver Vern Schuppan
Vern Schuppan
Vernon "Vern" Schuppan is a racing driver from Whyalla, South Australia. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing.-Formula One:...
. It was built as a tribute to Schuppan's 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 51st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 1983. It was also the fourth round of both the World Endurance Championship and European Endurance Championship. The win was fought right down to the line between the Rothmans Porsche 956s of Al...
victory and 1989 All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...
title. The 962CR is based on the dominant Le Mans-winning Porsche 962
Porsche 962
The Porsche 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with IMSA's GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European Group C formula as the 956 had...
race car of which Schuppan raced and owned with his own team.
The 962CR is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle weighing 1,050 kg (2,315 lb). Powering the car is a 3.3-litre Type-935 Flat-6 featuring twin KKK turbochargers giving 600 hp (about 182 hp/L) mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This unit was borrowed nearly directly from the standard Porsche 962 unit used in the North American IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
with a slight decrease in displacement. The car's top speed is 230 mph (370 km/h) with a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 3.5 seconds.
The chassis and body were built entirely by Schuppan, although it featured design elements from the 962 race car. Assembly took place at the VSL 60,000 ft² race and production facility in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Funding was provided by Japanese investors who support Schuppan's race team that ran in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...
.
At just over US$1.5 million in 1994, the Schuppan 962CR is among the most expensive vehicles ever sold new. Rumors circulated for several years that the 962CR was sold new for US$2.5 million, but this rumor was eventually dispelled by author and Porsche enthusiast Karl Ludvigsen
Karl Ludvigsen
Karl Ludvigsen . Cum Laude graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and attended both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying engineering, and Pratt Institute where he matriculated in industrial design...
who listed a price of ¥
¥
¥ is a currency sign used by the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan currencies. The symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke. The base unit of both currencies shared the same Chinese character pronounced yuán in Mandarin Chinese and en in Standard Japanese...
195 000 000.
It is unknown how many Schuppan 962CRs were ever completed, with the number believed to be either five or six. Payment failed to arrive for two of the vehicles after they were shipped to Japan. This, coupled with the high cost of the car's construction and a worldwide economic recession, forced Schuppan to declare bankruptcy, folding not only his car company but his race team as well.
External links
- Supercars.net - Schuppan 962CR