As a young man, I spent countless hours dreaming of blasting down the Mulsanne in a Rothman’s 962 Group C car chasing Hans Stuck. But I was not alone; the dream of driving the legendary and most successful Group C car was that of many across the world. Some of those who dreamed had the means to make it happen, too – and in one of the strangest prototype twists I think ever, multiple road going versions of the 962 saw the light of day from different tuner companies. There was the DP Motorsports version – effectively, just a race-going 962 with some tread on the tires. There was the “Derek Bell Signature Edition 962, too – which looked the part but built on chassis numbers alone with a GT2 motor. Then there was the ex-Porsche racer Vern Schuppan’s version called the 962CR. The most radical, it looked like a 962 had spent a drunken night with a 959. There was also the very interesting tale of the Dauer 962 – ironically, turned into a road car so that it could exploit a loophole in the rule book to be turned back into a race-winning car at Le Mans. Indeed, for several years during the supercar boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it seemed that a new version of a road going 962 came out every few months. But the first of all of these was from reviled tuner Koenig Specials, who in a departure from their typical formula of “just add Testarossa slats everywhere” introduced a thinny veiled race car for the road:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Koenig C62 on GooNet Exchange
Year: 1991
Model: C62
Engine: 3.6 liter twin-turbocharged flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 1,000 km (620 mi)
Price: Not Listed
features:classic model,new,need to ask price,large displacement,simple equipment,professional,right handle,smoke free,ordinary engined,commonly used,not smart key,need a key,regular seats,no airbags,regular steering,no Parking Camera,no air conditioner,no ABS,no ESC,vivid color,no repaired
It’s now or never.
Though the stylists at Koenig Specials managed to resist the side-strake addition, those familiar with the 956/962 shilouette will immediately realize that something isn’t quite right. That’s because in order to make the 962 German road legal, the C62 had a completely new body with higher headlights and taillights. In typical Koenig fashion, the result looks somewhat amateurish in execution – but underneath, few changes were made to the race winning chassis. With a reported 800 horsepower on tap from the mildly detuned twin-turbo flat-6 yet still sporting the ridiculously light race weight of 2,400 lbs, this car was easily the king of whatever road you wanted to drive it on in 1991. 0-60 was dealt with in a still fast 3.3 seconds and it was gear limited to a reported 235 m.p.h.. This example has been further modified from original specification by loosing the BBS wheels Koenig specified and replacing them with some 5-spoke wheels that evoke images of some of the early 956 racers. Outside of that, this is a bare-bones street fighter more suited to the track that it will likely never see. Though not the prettiest creation, it certainly has its appeal and should eclipse the original selling price of around $1,000,000. Exclusivity is guaranteed.
-Carter
