Petersen automotive museum showcases Porsche 956 and 962 in second celebratory Luftgekühlt Exhibit

In partnership with Luftgekühlt — the name given to the world-famous annual Porsche event founded by founded by two-time Le Mans class winner, Patrick Long, and creative designer, Howie Idelson — the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has opened Prototype Giants, the second of two exhibits celebrating historically significant air-cooled Porsches. As the name suggests, this second event focuses on the history and legacy of legendary Porsche prototypes: the mighty 956 and its successor, the 962.

The 956 was built to comply with the 1982 FIA World Sportscar Championship (WSC)’s new Group C regulations and was the first racing Porsche to feature an aluminium monocoque chassis and ground effect aerodynamics. The 956 was heavily inspired by the independently developed, Porsche-powered KMW SP20 sports prototype, which you can read about on page 78. Factory 956s won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on their first outing, leading every lap and taking first, second and third place overall. A year later, in 1983, a 956 driven by Stefan Bellof set the overall lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, an achievement which stood for an amazing thirty-five years until a modified 919 Hybrid Evolution driven by Timo Bernhard slaughtered Bellof’s time of 6:11.13 with an eye-popping 5:19.55.

There was, however, trouble in paradise. The 956 was designed to compete in both the World Endurance Championship and the North American IMSA GTP Championship, but IMSA’s regulations effectively outlawed the 956 on the grounds of safety, chiefly because the driver’s feet were ahead of the front axle centre line. To make the 956 eligible for IMSA use, Porsche extended the 956’s wheelbase, thereby moving the front wheels ahead of the pedal box. At the same time, a steel roll cage was added and the engine was modified — in place of twin K27 turbochargers, a single K26 was used in response to IMSA’s GTP rulebook stipulating a ban on dual turbo setups.

The resulting 962 (962 C for Group C entrants) became one of the most dominant race cars of all time, winning the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and 1986, the IMSA championship every year from 1985 through 1988, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986 and 1987 and, somewhat controversially, the French enduro in 1994.

“We are delighted to share our second Luftgekühlt exhibit, which features some of the most iconic 956s and 962s ever produced,” said Petersen Automotive Museum’s Executive Director, Terry L. Karges. “This gallery will explore the rich history of these amazing race cars and shed light on why they were so dominant against stiff competition.”

Cars on display include a Leyton House 962 C built by Kremer, the 0123-numbered Art 962 C (pictured above) driven by Hurley Haywood, the Copenhagen-branded 962 campaigned by A.J. Foyt, the Miller High Life/BF Goodrich 962 which won the 1989 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and a three-time race-winning, Rothmans-liveried works 962 C driven by Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass. Additionally, the Coca-Cola livered 962 driven by Bob Akin and Hans Stuck will also be on display.

Pleasingly, in the present, most of these vehicles participate in historic races, aided by the stellar work of marque specialists and the continued support of event organisers, such as Peter Auto.

This must-see exhibition concludes the Petersen Automotive Museum‘s two-part series in partnership with Luftgekühlt. The first, Pfaffenhausen Speed Shop ― The RUF Gallery, opened on May 15th and highlighted the work of celebrated German sports car manufacturer and Porsche tuner, RUF Automobile.

Prototype Giants opened to the public on August 25th and replaced the RUF exhibit in The Vault, presented by Hagerty. Prototype Giants will leave the museum on November 19th. For more information about Petersen Automotive Museum display cars and exhibitions, including the forthcoming Bond in Motion, Supercars and Reclaimed Rust (the collection of classic cars reimagined by Metallica frontman, James Hetfield) hop online and visit petersen.org.