Canepa’s 1st Porsche 959 SC

Canepa is offering this Porsche 959 SC for sale.

1987 Porsche 959 “SC” – Reimagined by Canepa
VIN: WP0ZZZ95ZHS900033

• Porsche’s 1st “SUPERCAR”
• Chassis #01 of 50 Canepa 959 “SC”
• Bruce Canepa’s personal 959 SC, the first 959 reimagined by Canepa
• Only 8,691 miles covered since completion
• The culmination of 30+ years of Canepa development and engineering with the Porsche 959
• 850 horsepower, 600 lb-ft of torque
• 2.85L twin-turbo, 4-valve engine
• 6-speed manual transaxle, advanced all wheel drive
• Original Porsche Grand Prix White paint, bespoke brown leather interior
• Fully optioned including: SC suspension, full leather interior, brake system upgrade, 18” magnesium hollow spoke wheels, Michelin PS4 high performance tires, lighting and stereo upgrade, and much more

Canepa 959SC – The Porsche 959, Reimagined by Canepa

The Porsche 959 was a fantastic 80s supercar icon, but by the time the car was able to be imported into the United States in the early 2000s, Canepa saw the untapped potential in the car and sought to bring it up to 21st century levels. Over the course of 30 years Canepa developed numerous upgrades, yielding increased horsepower and torque, better handling and comfort, improved driveability and reliability, and overall safety. Today, the final evolution of that journey is here: Canepa’s 959 SC, the Porsche 959, “reimagined.”

A Canepa 959SC starts with an original Porsche 959, including its 2.85-liter air and water cooled engine, 6-speed manual transmission, advanced all wheel drive, Kevlar composite body panels, and more. The car is then meticulously disassembled where every part is cataloged for either restoration, replaced, or upgrading in the process. During this 959SC commission process over 3,500 parts are touched on the vehicle and over 4,000 hours are spent on bringing the car up to new “state of the art” specification. This example is especially unique with bespoke design elements, being Bruce Canepa’s 1st personal Porsche 959 SC, and was the development car for future upgrades, becoming chassis #01.

Over the past 30 years Canepa has experience with the Porsche 959 drivetrain, suspension systems, and mechanical systems overall. This experience with the 959 platform has allowed Canepa to pinpoint areas that could be upgraded, optimized, and sometimes simply replaced with improved technology. Each 959SC build includes a full engine rebuild using the finest components that have been optimized for performance and longevity. Pankl titanium connecting rods replace the originals, new CPI pistons are installed, the valvetrain is upgraded, an upgraded fuel system and new injectors are added along with coil-on-pack ignition for more power and better control are employed.

The sequential turbo system is eliminated and contemporary Borg Warner turbos are introduced, boosting power and torque, reliably, to 850 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque on pump gas. A state of the art engine management system and wiring harness utilizing Canepa proprietary firmware co-developed with MoTec allows for better overall driveability, data logging, and increased performance.

Other engine-related mechanical enhancements include upgraded camshaft housings with low friction bearings, E85/flex fuel calibration with auto-fuel calibration, upgraded high output alternator and lightweight gear-driven starter motor, bespoke equal-length tungsten ceramic coated headers with a two-stage titanium exhaust system with titanium heat shielding, and a proprietary “green” air filter system.

The legendary drivetrain of the 959, with its advanced all wheel drive system, has also been upgraded. A full transmission rebuild is done for every car, with REM isotropic super finishing on gears and shafts for increased durability and reduction in friction. Race-proven transmission reinforcement is added for increased differential reliability, and the clutch system has been re-engineered and optimized for a better clutch feel while increasing the clamping force required for the increased power. The result of the comprehensive engine upgrade and drivetrain upgrade is a proven reliable package that produces modern supercar levels of performance reliability, but is also an extremely capable and exciting daily driver that is a pleasure to enjoy.

Porsche 959s originally came in a very limited set of colors, most of production yielding silver and red, with some other colors in the mix. During Canepa’s 959SC commission process, an owner normally can choose literally any color. More often than not, Porsche’s own Paint-to-Sample colors are chosen and optimized by Canepa’s in-house paintshop using the newest paint technology for richer and deeper colors. A complete concours-level paint job is performed, where the original paint is removed to ensure a strong foundation for the new paint finish.

A number of body modifications are made, including the deletion of the hydraulic oil door that was normally used for the adjustable suspension on Komfort models. Once completed, the 959SC chassis looks better than new, enhanced by colors never available originally. This particular example is Canepa’s only Porsche 959 SC to retain its original Porsche factory paint, delivered from Porsche in Grand Prix White.

No car would be complete without a fantastic interior environment, and each 959SC is no exception. Canepa’s in-house upholstery department crafts a custom interior according to the owner’s specifications, where this 959 SC was spec’d with exquisite and specially-ordered brown leather to Bruce’s specifications. The highest quality leathers are used, using the original seat and headliner patterns, with the interior receiving the full leather treatment. A modern head unit is installed along with an improved stereo system to link your phone seamlessly.

The 2-stage exhaust system is controlled from the interior at the flick of a switch, either letting you be stealthy or letting everyone know you’re driving an 850 horsepower 959SC. This example, being the first 959 SC, has a unique rear package shelf with integrated storage that was developed for only this car. After said and done, over 400 hours are spent on each interior ensuring that it is just as wonderful sitting in the car than it is looking at it.

During the commission process every single 959 component is inspected in order to refinish, rebuild, or upgrade to ensure the highest quality for each piece. Suspension is upgraded with new components and bushings, parts replated with their respective coatings, and upgraded parts are installed. Towards the end of original 959 production, a 959 S variant was created which used a much simpler, lighter and performance oriented suspension system compared to the Komfort’s hydraulic adjustable suspension. The 959 SC takes this suspension and continues to enhance it even further.

All corners are rebuilt and restored with new parts as needed, wheel hubs are disassembled, restored and rebuilt, custom-valved Penske shocks with titanium coilover springs are employed and cryo-treated semi-floating brake rotors with upgraded brake pads are added. These upgrades end up producing a car that yields a smoother ride quality over all ride surfaces, elimination of the hydraulic suspension system which reduces weight and lowers the ride height 1”, the same as a 959 S, while providing ample ground clearance for real-world scenarios.

Modern supercar power levels require modern supercar tires, and Canepa devised a special solution for the 959 SC. Originally when the Porsche 959 was designed, it was intended to have 18” wheels but was unable to due to tire manufacturers which led the cars to use 17”. Canepa has taken the lead and created 18” magnesium hollow spoke wheels that keep the spirit of the original wheels, while allowing for modern Michelin radial tire technology to be used, substantially improving grip, comfort and style of the 959SC.

While upgrading over major components, Canepa developed a system that gives the 959 SC modern forward illumination capabilities while preserving the original housings to keep the original appearance and design. Forward visibility is dramatically improved using the latest in headlight technology with more powerful and reliable components.

The 959 SC is Canepa’s vision and dedication to the Porsche 959, bringing the cars to modern levels of performance, reliability, and comfort to ensure that they can be driven more and more. With a complete commission taking over 4,000 hours, the opportunity to own a 959 SC today is a rare one, even more so being the 1st 959 SC created and owned by Bruce Canepa with bespoke design features.

This Porsche Grand Prix White with bespoke brown leather interior 959 SC is a fantastic opportunity to own an 80s icon, brought to the 21st century by the Porsche 959 experts at Canepa. The Canepa 959 SC is the ultimate love letter to the 959, with each and every action taken only to enhance the original cars. Experience what put Porsche on the supercar map, and how Canepa has turned that supercar into an experience that you can’t live without.

About the Porsche 959

​​The Porsche 959 was by far the most technologically advanced sports car in the world when it was introduced in 1985. Timeless design, state-of-the-art systems, and superior driving characteristics make them one of the greatest sports cars of all time.

In the early 1980s, to the joy of race fans worldwide, FISA introduced its new Group B road regulations. To qualify for homologation, manufacturers would have to produce and sell 200 road versions of their cars. Only two stepped up to the challenge: Porsche with its 959, and Ferrari with its 288 GTO.

Porsche developed the ultimate powerplant; a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder boxer engine with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled heads, displaced 2.85 liters, about half a liter less than a contemporary 911 engine. The motor had originally been developed for the “Moby Dick” race car and then been redeveloped slightly for the short-lived Porsche Indy Car before being “tweaked” a last time for use in the 961, the 959’s racing counterpart. The water-cooled cylinder heads combined with the air-cooled cylinders, 4-valve heads and sequential turbochargers allowed Porsche to extract 450 hp (approx. 480 for the 959S) from the compact, efficient and rugged power unit. The engine was coupled to a unique manual gearbox, which was the first 6-speed manual transmission sold in a streetcar.

In an attempt to create a lightweight shell, Porsche employed aluminum and Aramid (Kevlar) composite body panels, instead of the steel normally used on their production cars. The vehicle’s weight of 3,190 pounds (1,450 kg) helped to achieve its high performance level.

Porsche also developed the car’s aerodynamics, with automatic ride-height adjustment and “zero lift” aerodynamics. The 959 also featured the most advanced all-wheel-drive system available in a production car. Capable of dynamically changing the torque distribution between the rear and front wheels, the PSK system gave the 959 the adaptability it needed both as a race car and as a “super” street car. Under hard acceleration, PSK could send as much as 80% of available power to the rear wheels. It could also vary the power bias depending on road surface and grip changes, helping maintain traction at all times. The magnesium alloy wheels were unique, being hollow inside to form a sealed chamber contiguous with the tire and equipped with a built-in tire pressure monitoring system.

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