You don't have to be a dyed-in-thewool Porschephile to understand the significance of the livery covering the 911 pictured on these pages. Indeed, most motorsport fans will realise it harks back to the Rothmans graphics used on a wide variety of competition cars in the 1980s. It'll take a little specialist knowledge, however, to know the number our star Porsche carries on its doors is a nod to the Type 953, the manufacturer's first four-wheel drive 911.
These days, there's nothing unusual about a supercar with all-wheel drive and a twin-turbocharged engine. In fact, it's not just supercars relying on the advantages of four-wheel drive — it's the blueprint for many performance cars, from sports coupes to super saloons, not to mention high-performance SUVs. All-pawed performance wasn't the norm at the dawn of the 1980s, however, which is why Porsche set the template for the future of high-output motoring when it revealed its Gruppe B concept at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show.
This particular design study took an excruciating three years before it was ready for series production, effectively missing its chance to shine as a Group B motorsport weapon, but the resulting 959 deservedly remains one of the most influential cars the world has ever seen. One of the reasons the 959 took so long to come to fruition, of course, was Porsche's development of then new electronic systems needed to realise the model's true performance potential.
Adding to the complexity, this was a car intended to push the boundaries of automotive technology, yet it needed to maintain Porsche's reputation for reliability. Additionally, while supercar performance wasall-wheel drive was deemed essential. It can be argued the idea of all-wheel drive in a Porsche preceded that of the 959. Factory engineering supremo, Helmuth Bott, held back on his designs for an all-wheel drive, open-top 911 until company chairman, Ernst Fuhrmann (a man known to be considering the 911's end of production), left the business in 1980. Bott convinced incoming boss, Peter Schutz, to allow him free rein on the development of the 911 Cabriolet, as well as a significant evolution of the 911 capable of competing under the FIA's newly formed Group B regulations. The design study was immediately prepared, but as far as turning it into a production model was concerned, there was a huge amount of work to do.
