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| 20/01/2003 Porsche 959  All the bells and whistles Text:Tony Dron Photos Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd advertisement Helmuth Bott, one of Porsche's greatest engineers and the leader of the team that produced the 959, said in 1986 that it was "a car which demonstrates the abilities of the Weissach development team in every aspect of automobile design". The essence of the extraordinary 959 was just that: every conceivable example of the latest technology was applied to it and the result was that, for some time, it was undeniably the undisputed top supercar. The all-wheel drive, 200mph, 911-based concept was first revealed at the Frankfurt Show in 1983, and 200 deposits were soon accepted. Because of problems, mainly the result of shifting internal policies, it was four long years before road cars began to be delivered to the patient customers. When that day came, in 1987, they were not disappointed. The 959 looked fabulous, it was outrageously quick and it did everything that had been claimed for it. Part of the fascination was learning how to get the best from it: the 959 drove like no previous rear-engined car, nor any previous road car for that matter. Already a proven winner, the 959 had won the daunting Paris-Dakar Rally first time out in 1984 and it was surprisingly successful even at Le Mans. It still commands genuine respect, to this day. In the end, 283 were made. 
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 All the bells and whistles  Under the skin  Driving  The facts:Porsche 959 (1987) |
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