1986 962C

Porsche’s 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built as the successor to the 956, designed primarily to comply with IMSA GTP regulations while also competing in European Group C racing as the 962C. Introduced at the end of 1984, the 962 quickly established itself as a dominant force, achieving multiple Le Mans victories and championship titles across both IMSA, Group C, and elsewhere. Its success was driven not only by Porsche’s factory efforts but also by privateer teams, who continued to race and develop the car, keeping it competitive well into the mid-1990s. The 962 remains one of the most iconic endurance race cars, renowned for its remarkable versatility, longevity, and dominance on the world’s greatest circuits.

This 1986 962C was sold new to Japan’s Trust Racing where it was piloted to multiple podiums in the 1987 season. It was also campaigned by Trust in 1988 and 1989 before being sold to F1’s Bernie Ecclestone, who kept the car for the next 16 years. Following a looong weekend with Bernie, this 962C was refurbished and prepared by Bruce Canepa and has enjoyed a historic racing career ever since. The car comes ready to race with an engine overhaul by Dawe’s Motorsport Development in 2023 and includes a collection of spare parts along with plenty of documentation and random pics of “maybe” the owners wife in Ferrari’s F1 paddock. Huh? I don’t know.

Over the last few years, race-going 962s have traded on either side of $1m mark with race history and driver prominence being the deciding factors. On the low side, we’ve seen chassis 122, the 1986 Dyson Racing IMSA GTP car sell for $775,000* in April of last year and on the high side, the sale of the 1984 Coke car driven by Bob Akin and SML friend Jon O’Steen in the Daytona 24 hours and Sebring 12 Hours sell for $1,270,000*. Our Spotlight car sold at a final bid of $1,249,620, a solid price for what looks to be a well-sorted example but one that lacked notable drivers or US or European race history.

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