- Mecum will auction a road-going Schuppan 962CR this weekend
- Only six copies are believed to exist
- The ultra-rare exotic taps a twin-turbo flat-6 for about 600 hp
The Porsche 962 is considered by many, racing fans and experts alike, to be one of the most successful race cars in motorsports history. And now a road car that shares most of its design with the 962 is headed for auction.
Mecum will place a rare Schuppan 962CR under the hammer at its auction coinciding with 2024 Monterey Car Week in California.
Porsche's 962 race car was introduced in 1984 as the successor to the 956. It is considered one of the most successful race cars of all time. It remained competitive into the mid-1990s, dominating both Group C in Europe and the original IMSA GTP class in North America.
One of the people to successfully race the 962 was Vern Schuppan, an Australian racing legend who won the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche in a 956 and later in the decade competed in Japanese endurance racing with the 962.
Vern Schuppan (second from right) - Photo via Porsche
In the early '90s, Schuppan began development work on his vision of a 962 road car, to be built in a run of 50 cars and featuring a design by fellow Aussie Mike Simcoe, today head of design at General Motors. That vision was turned into reality with the birth of the 962CR and its more hardcore 962LM sibling.
Schuppan was backed by investors from Japan but the economic crisis in the country at that time meant funding dried up after just seven cars were built. They are estimated to have cost close to $2 million each.
The seven cars included three examples of the 962LM, of which one was a prototype, and four examples of the more luxury-oriented 962CR, of which two were prototypes. Only six of the cars are thought to remain, as one was destroyed by a fire.
Schuppan 962CR - Photo via Mecum
The version up for sale is one of the two examples of the production 962CR. Completed in 1993, it bears chassis number AS 962CR 05/50 and has just 91 miles on its clock. According to the listing, Schuppan sold this particular car to his neighbor in the U.K. who held onto it for 30 years. Another example was featured on an episode of "Jay Leno's Garage" in 2018.
The engine is a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-6 estimated to generate around 600 hp. It's mated to a 5-speed manual and drives the rear wheels. Carbon-fiber is used for the car's body and tub, the latter sharing many similarities with the tub in the 962 race car. Schuppan had Porsche's full blessing for the project.
The auction is scheduled for Aug. 16. Mecum will also auction off in Monterey a Shelby Cobra allegedly owned at one point by Steve McQueen.
