The best Porsche 963 finished the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours in ninth place. The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team was unlucky in what was very close and intense competition for long stretches at the 100th anniversary of the long-distance classic. All three hybrid prototypes were thrown back by incidents or technical defects. As a result, they were unable to compete for overall victory with the Porsche 963, which had an output of over 515 kW (700 hp). The identical vehicle of the Hertz Team Jota also went unrewarded after a strong performance. In the GTE-Am category, the Porsche 911 RSR of the customer team GR Racing finished third on the podium.
Hybrid in excellence: the Porsche 963
Optimized perfection. At the heart of the new car is a multimatic chassis derived from the LMP2 category. While the design of the 963 race car is based on Porsche classics of the recent past, its interior values set new standards. These include the optimized chassis and a 4.6-liter V8 engine with twin turbochargers, including support from an electric motor.
Weighing around 1,000 kilograms, the race car is powered by a total output of 500 kW (680 PS). The engine’s maximum speed is 10,000 rpm. With a maximum of 110 decibels when passing, the LMDh Porsche still produces a rich sound. The engine is based on the high-performance 918 Spyder hybrid sports car. The powerful engine is designed to run on renewable fuels. They enable a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
Technical Specs
Engine Twin turbo V8 combustion engine
Displacement 4.6 litres
Performance 500 kW (680 PS) at 10.000 1/min
Gears Single specification hybrid system, 7-speed racing transmission, pneumatically actuated
Weight ca. 1000 kg (2204.62 lbs)