965 The story of Porsche’s sub-959 supercar
The early 1990s was something of a purple patch for performance cars. In 1989, Nissan launched the third-generation (R32) Skyline GT-R, a turbocharged giant-killer packed with motorsport hardware. A year later, Honda delivered the NSX, a visceral mid-engined supercar that was as docile to drive as a Civic. Then came the Ferrari F355, complete with the first production paddle-shift gearbox and a feral 8,500rpm V8.
These cars burned bright, but hidden in a secret warehouse near Zuffenhausen is one that could have extinguished them all. According to Dieter Landenberger, head of corporate history at the Volkswagen Group, it was planned as “a cheaper successor to the 959” – and a standalone replacement for the 930 Turbo.
The 965 story is one of admirable ambition and cruel commercial reality, of game-changing technology and thinking outside the box (the single surviving prototype, for example, has an Audi V8 engine). However, both the 964 and 993 Turbo owe something to this failed hero. In this article, we’ll explore the 965’s
