Legends of Le Mans: Porsche 956 vs 962 – What’s their difference? – Sparky FEATURETTE
The model car manufacturer Spark has been supplying excellent models in all possible scales for many years, and has been doing so for more than 25 years since. Now, on the occasion of the company's 25th anniversary, Spark continues to deliver consistently and releases racing legends by the meter. Under the name Sparky we understand the models in scale 1:64, which Spark has also covered for several years. For us as collectors of model cars in this scale, this is a special welcome gift. Thanks to Spark, we collectors have the opportunity to place officially licensed vehicles with a very high standard of detail in our display cases. This includes the latest Formula 1 cars of the latest generation as well as classic GT3 cars or Le Mans legends from past decades. The Porsche 917K is and remains an absolute highlight in our collection, but the various Porsche 956 and 962 racing cars also make up a large part of it. Two legendary vehicles with the most special paintwork that look confusingly similar at first glance. In this article, we take a closer look at the two Le Mans legends Porsche 956 vs 962 and show you why these Sparky models are an absolute must-have for every collection!
Group C Monster:
In earlier years, the racing classes were mostly divided according to engine capacity. However, Group C was primarily a consumption formula: The vehicles were allowed to weigh a maximum of 800 kilograms, with no restriction on engine capacity. And they had to have a maximum tank capacity of 100 liters. During a 1000-kilometer race, five fuel stops were permitted, which corresponded to a fuel consumption of 60 liters/100 km. Group C was very interesting for the teams, as the same vehicles could be used in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans (and the World Endurance Championship in general) and various national series (such as the German Racing Championship). Ford, Porsche and Lancia were involved right from the start, later joined by Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Aston Martin and Mercedes (always together with Sauber). Chief engineer Norbert Singer had a clear goal: he wanted a short and long-tail version of the new racing car that could be converted with relatively little effort. And he achieved this, the conversion took just two hours in each case - the 917 had required two completely different vehicles.
Porsche 956 vs 962:
The Porsche 956 and 962 are actually exactly the same vehicles. The 956 came first, of course, in 1982; the 962 then had a few modifications, mainly due to the American IMSA regulations, such as a steel roll cage and pedals mounted behind the front axle. Although most drivers preferred the 956, only 27 of these were built, compared with a whopping 90 of the 962. There was also a major difference between the 956 and the 962 in terms of the engine. In contrast to the 956, the 962 only had one turbo, but a much larger one. And therefore, according to Mario Andretti, it was much less pleasant to drive than the 956. But because the regulations were constantly changing over the years, this version in particular was also constantly being developed further, the displacement increased first to 2.8 and then to 3.3 liters, and water cooling was permitted. These engines were never pushed to their limits, as they primarily had to be reliable (and relatively fuel-efficient).
Absolute dominance:
The Porsche 956/962 had the greatest advantage with its aerodynamics. The “ground effect” had long been known in Formula 1, but Porsche took this approach much more consistently than its competitors in sports cars. The plastic body, the underbody, the diffuser and, of course, the rear wing were designed in such a way that a massive negative pressure was created and the vehicle virtually sucked itself onto the asphalt.
Although this slightly restricted the top speed (“only” 350 km/h on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans), the cornering speeds were phenomenal.
But it was hard work for the drivers: no servo assistance for steering and brakes.
The first 956 was presented in Weissach in March 1982.
The first race for this car was in mid-May, the six hours of Silverstone, with Ickx/Bell at the wheel again.
At Le Mans, one month later, things looked quite different (also because the Lancia cars were no longer eligible to compete). Porsche competed with three cars, in the end all three Porsches were in front, and were even able to complete the last half hour in formation.
Exactly the same picture in 1983, Ickx with the drivers, Porsche with the marques. On May 28, 1983, Bellof also set a record time of 6:11.13 on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife in a Porsche 956, a time that would stand for 35 years.
In 1983, the Porsche 956 took the first eight places, while in 1984 the Porsche “only” took the first seven places. Sparky models in the collection include the winning car with Rothmans livery, plus 3rd place (Andretti with Kenwood), 6th place (Marlboro livery) and 7th place (Hugo Boss). Then there was the New Man Porsche in yellow, white and black with the number 7 from Sparky and the “Skoal Bandit”, which came third. In 1985, the Porsche 962 also joined them and drove to further victories. Matching models to 1985 are the Sparky Porsche 956 in Canon livery in second place and the 956 with Spirit of America in third place in 1986, because 1st and 2nd place went to the 962 Porsche. In total, the Porsche 962 achieved 54 victories in World Championship races!
The latest 962 models from Sparky:
With the latest sets, Sparky brings us two Le Mans legends on the racetrack in a double pack. Firstly, the 962C from 1988 in Shell livery, which unfortunately did not finish, and the Dunlop Supercup version from 1987. This 962C differs again from its other 962C colleagues in the rear section. Depending on the racing series, the vehicle could be converted within 2 hours.
Also available separately is the yellow Porsche 962C with Camel sponsors from 1988, which hasn't seen the finish flag either. In 1988, Jaguar was the driving force with the XJR-9LM. Also from Sparky: the two Porsche 962s from 1994, which went down in history as the Dauer 962 LM.
In 1994, only GT cars were allowed to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a Group C sports car, the Porsche 962 did not fall into this class. However, only one road-legal model was required to participate in the GT1 class. It was therefore possible for the Dauer 962 LM Sport to start, as the Dauer LM was street-legal. The two vehicles finished in 1st and 3rd place. While the previous double sets from Spark were still limited with collector's cards, this no longer seems to be the case with the latest double sets. Which doesn't really bother us, because everyone should be able to enjoy these great models and take a great piece of motorsport history home with them!
You May Also Like
The Story of AMG – FEATURETTE
TWOC MEMBERSHIP 2023 AMG PETRONAS F1 W13 E – Tarmacworks FEATURETTE
