First came power, then exquisiteness
The Porsche 959 has been sitting on a very high pedestal in every gearhead’s (us included) hall of fame, Porschephile or not. But what Canepa can squeeze out of Porsche’s supercar is a different story.
We’re a walking radar for old Porsches in general, but whenever 959-related bits of news surface, our antennas are pointing in that direction. And it happened again thanks to the Canepa 959SC.
Now, officially, Porsche only built 292 examples of the 959. We’d happily go through the car’s resumé all over again, but here’s a video that does a pretty good job in that regard.
Canepa’s affair with the 959 sparked in 1993 with the Gen I engine upgrade. Power went up to 576 horses, but a Gen II pack came a couple of years later, bumping that to 640 hp and finally, the Gen III kit settled the score at 763 hp and 635 lb-ft back in 2016.
But Canepa wasn’t done with the 959, hence the latest upgrade, dubbed the 959SC (Sport Canepa). This time, it’s less about performance and more about bespoke character.
Production will be limited to just 50 units said to deliver concours-grade as far as finish and restoration levels are concerned thanks to thorough work that touches every aspect: mechanical, visual, and tactile – the whole nine yards, basically.
The interior alone requires 300 man-hours while the body takes a toll of 500 man-hours. Here’s a quick description of just a small fraction of the magic:
“Beginning with a quality preowned 959, the car is completely stripped of every panel and system, down to the last component part. Once all items are removed and catalogued, the tub is then prepared extensively for its concours-level paint work. All of the painted suspension components are stripped and recoated using the latest powder techniques, giving the components extra longevity. Each and every part that originally was plated is stripped of its old coating and set out to receive a fresh zinc coating, restoring the lustrous metallic shine that they would have had from the factory.”
It gets better:
“The Kevlar-expoxy body is then prepped for its concours-level paintwork. Each and every square inch of the car is looked over and inspected, ensuring that no surface is missed. Parts of the tub with rubber sealant are prepped by hand, ensuring the new paint adheres to every surface without fail.”
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