Porsche is restoring a 959 from Paris-Dakar 1986

The Porsche 959 that ranked 2nd in Paris-Dakar 1986 in the hands of Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur has been repaired by the manufacturer after a complete dismantling. That year, the manufacturer achieved double.

As if to accompany the launch of the 911 Dakar, Porsche brought back one of the three 959s entered in the Paris-Dakar in 1986. It won victory not in the hands of the Metge/Lemoyne tandem but of the car that allowed Porsche to achieve the double with Jacky Ickx at the wheel and actor Claude Brasseur as co-driver. ” We leave the winning car untouched and keep it as a time capsule “said Kuno Werner, workshop manager at the Porsche Museum. As a reminder, the third 959, which was first entrusted to Roland Kussmaul and Wolf-Hendrik Unger as a service car, finished sixth at the finish. Unfortunately, the 1986 Dakar was also marked by a helicopter accident that claimed the lives of five people, including Thierry Sabine and Daniel Balavoine.

A supercar for the sands

The 1986 959 rally-raid was very close to the road model, unlike the 1985 which kept mechanics close to the 953 (ultimate evolution of the 911 Safari) that preceded it, with its naturally aspirated engine. The 1986 car featured a 2.8 biturbo flat-six with mixed air/water cooling coupled to electronically controlled all-wheel drive. To accommodate the poor quality fuel (86 octane), its power was reduced from 450 to 400 hp. its turbochargers are activated sequentially. Its bare interior and many controls are clearly specific to the competition, as always its Kevlar bodywork to contain the vehicle’s mass up to 1,260 kg dry. A front cross member and perforated brake discs for weight issues, dual shock absorbers, fiberglass underbody protection and an engine computer located under the rear pillar are also some of the features that the teams carefully dismantled. who manages historic cars at Porsche to restore the car.

The 959’s close kinship with the 911 is even more apparent when the body is exposed.

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The body of the rally car is made of kevlar.

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Here is the “office” of the Ickx/Brasseur duo.

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The engine was released for the first time since 1986.

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A restart instead of a new one

The car has covered just over 18,000 km since it left the factory, including 13,800 in Paris-Dakar 1986. Meticulously maintained since then, it has not suffered any major rust attacks. According to the technicians, the mechanics, the ground connections and the bodywork need only a simple repair and only a few parts need to be replaced. Their disassembly, the first since the competition, released dust and sand brought back from Africa. Race-proof bodywork damage has not been corrected, and even a few superficial rust spots have been retained. “We want to keep the original condition of the car and only carry out a light renovation by eliminating technical defects,” explains Kuno Werner.

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The 959 is therefore in the best conditions today to dynamically testify to its history by participating in various events. After its restoration, it was entrusted to Jacky Ickx for its first laps. In the co-driver’s seat, replacing the late Claude Brasseur, he was joined by Timo Bernhard, twice winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including once in Porsche. The car’s restoration is the subject of a series of videos that will air in episodes from February 1 to 11, 2023 on the Porsche YouTube channel.

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