- Vern Schuppan’s take on a road-going Porsche 962 has unique styling and chassis
- Power comes from a 962-sourced 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six.
- The initial plan was to build 50 examples but reportedly only seven were ever made.
The second and final 1992 Schuppan 962CR is heading to auction, and as far as weird and wacky, motorsport-derived supercars come, few are as interesting as this.
For those that don’t know, the 962CR was built by Australian race car driver Vern Schuppan to celebrate his 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours victory. As the name implies, the supercar is another take on a road-going Porsche 962 race car and was built with support from the Japanese Art Sports Corporation.
Watch: The History Of The Stunning Porsche 962 And What It’s Like To Drive A Street-Legal Example
Underpinning the car is a carbon fiber chassis (in 1992!) while power comes from a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged and air-cooled flat-six designed by the famed Hans Mezger and built by American race team Andial. This engine was good for more than 600 hp and was enough to send the 962CR through to a dizzying top speed of over 230 mph (370 km/h), besting the Bugatti EB 110.
The company wanted to build 50 examples to meet homologation requirements to race it at Le Mans. Unfortunately, the Japanese economy collapsed in 1992, and Schuppan lost financial backing from investors. Production ceased with two track-only LM prototypes built, a single production LM, two prototype CRs, and two production CRs, of which this is one of them.
Schuppan sold the car to his neighbor, who kept it for almost 30 years. It’s been modified with a Motec engine management system, a collapsible steering wheel, polycarbonate side windows, and new tires. Mecum is selling it with original British registration documents, a letter of statement from the Porsche Club of Great Britain, the sales brochure, and a certification of authenticity.
The car retains its original black-on-black scheme and comes with several spare parts, including an extra driver’s seat. No pre-auction estimate has been listed for the 962CR, but when it was new, it commanded $1.5 million. That’s the equivalent of more than $3.3 million in today’s money.
