The 80s, both reverently and disgruntledly remembered for dated synth music, the overuse of the word “dude” and an outrageous display of fantastical budget Sci-Fi films, was an undisputably major decade in a step towards modern society (in today’s relative terms). Similarly to this, the 80s was the decade that Porsche started to produce more outlandish models and experimented with advanced automotive technology that now comes to define the company.

There’s no better example of this than the shortly ran Porsche 959, considered then to be one of the most radical and forward-looking cars ever created when it came towering into the consumer market in 1986. 

In 1981, Helmuth Bott and Peter Schutz agreed upon the concept of a new 911 model that could be developed as time went on – which was ultimately the start of the creation of the Porsche 959 (which had the name Gruppe B at that time due to Bott envisioning the car being used extensively in Group B rallies). The extravagant, internally beefy vehicle was later announced at the 1983 Frankfurt motor show, where it was remarkably still having major touch-ups done to it while on display.

The 959, unsurprisingly shared many of the same aspects that you would expect to find in the 911 – for instance, both bestowed a rear-engine (which was also a low hanging engine) and similar external designs; however, the 959 possessed notably different suspension to the 911 and, regarding the difference in bodywork, aluminium was used for the doors and boot (the remainder of the exterior being Kevlar) on the Porsche 959, a major contrast to the Porsche 911s all steel foundation. These followed subtle aesthetic design alterations that had a differing effect on the driving experience of the 959.

Unsurprisingly the Porsche 959 was still marketed as an entirely different breed of model to the Porsche 911 – which is quite easily deduced by simply glancing at the difference in names of the two models; one can assume this was mainly because it was far more precocious than the 911, especially in terms of the components of the time, if nothing else.

Some of these newly implemented features included fitted air vents in both corners of the wheels housing alongside air “suctions” added to the rear wheels, twin turbos conjoined with water-cooled cylinder heads, a flat-six power plant and a 2.85-litre engine with sequential turbos. If that wasn’t enough to take in, incredibly sophisticated hardware also led to recorded speeds of 197mph, making it the fastest production car created at the time.

So why did it only run for seven years, up until 1993?

Well, it’s often argued that the similar 911 turbo model of the mid-80s felt remarkably similar to the 959 when behind the wheel – this was despite the fact that the Porsche 959 carried a price tag of almost triple its closest relative’s. 

Not only this but, as touched on before, the Porsche 959 was developed around the idea of Gruppe B track racing. 

Unfortunately, the trackside of Gruppe B was never actualised; this was the moment that figuratively put the 959 back into its cage, mainly due to the fact it had no other real consumer avenues to explore and no loosely gravelled roads to rip up. 

As if that wasn’t enough, there was also an extreme lack of manufacturer interest – making maintaining the model almost impossible over the years for Porsche, especially with profit in mind.

Unsurprisingly though, the legacy of the Porsche 959 lives on. Considered today to be one of the most novel, ruggedly charming and utterly bizarre models to ever skid out of the Porsche factory doors; putting up a fight to get your hands on one is almost a given today.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at a few of our various esteemed components that will maximise the performance, aesthetic and driving experience of your Porsche 959.

Sports Steering Wheel

No classic car is complete without a newly fitted steering wheel. Aesthetically cleaning your Porsche 959, this leather-covered steering wheel with guards, red stitching and an embossed Porsche logo is the perfect start to reliving the true 959 experience and reviving your beast. 

Boss fitting kit is also included.

This part fits the Porsche 911 (1974 to 1989) and the Porsche 959 (1987 to 1988).

Temperature Sensor

A temperature sensor is one of the countless modernised features the Porsche 959 included when it came rolling in, in 1983. 

A temperature sensor identifies the temperature emitted from the thermometer or cooling system which then gets transmitted to the control panel. The car, taking into account these readings, then looks to whether or not it needs to change some of its settings, for instance starting the cooling fan. A thicker oil mixture may be produced, or airflow may be improved via the opening of the exhaust in some cases.

Either way, it’s important to the novelty of the Porsche 959 to have all of the original specs in place and in perfect working order.

Find it here.

This part fits Porsche 944 1985-91, Porsche 968 1992-95 and the Porsche 959 1987-88.

Bypass Valve Repair Kit

Bypass valves are unsurprisingly installed in the bypass pipeline. Bypass valves are a generalised category of valves that perform an array of different functions.

There’s no way to sugarcoat the description of a bypass valve but the importance of them is paramount, so this repair kit is a no brainer.

This part fits the Porsche 911 Turbo (1975 to 1989), Porsche 924 Turbo (1979 to 1985), Porsche 964 Turbo (1991 to 1994), Porsche 959.

Final Thoughts

The Porsche 959 is one for the dreamers out there. A car that never made it in an economical sense but that certainly lives on within the Porsche universe and is held in remarkably high regard, perhaps even more so today.

Falling in love is hard, sometimes you find yourself chasing the unobtainable, however, our modern-day part solutions make your chances of vehicular wedlock with your favourite Porsche classic extremely easy. 

Have any queries about parts for your track Porsche, need some information about your Porsche, want to chat with a specialist or need help with a problem to do with other Porsche car service/parts? Don’t hesitate to contact us, visit our shop to see items on offer or enquire about our services – we’ll be happy to help with any category of Porsche!

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