What Dreams are Made of: A Porsche 962 and 918 Spyder Together at Indy

Regardless of the model, any Porsche outfitted with the Rothmans livery is a special one, almost in the same way any Gulf-liveried racing car is iconic.

This incredible story was originally written by Sam Smith for Road & Track, and this is my rather short and sweet take on it as an Indy local and die-hard race fan. I invite you to read the entire 4,000 word story when you’re done.

The best way to describe a Porsche 962 is: old and expensive. Oh, and fast. How fast? When this speed demon tackled Le Mans in the eighties and early nineties, it could easily hit 230 mph at the Mulsanne straight. Not once, not twice, but lap after lap for 24-freaking hours. Just imagine the level of engineering that went into this thing, as well as the stamina of the drivers.

The 962 that Smith piloted on a rainy day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was chassis number 003. It belongs to an Ohio-based lawyer by the name of Stan Ross, who admits to having sold a Ferrari 250 TR to buy this Porsche, a decision that himself and his sons admit to be rather painful, as such Ferraris commend tens of millions of dollars nowadays. This Porsche 962 isn’t too far in value, but Ross says is much, much more fun to drive than the Ferrari. I’ll take his word for it.

For comparison sake, Road & Track brought along a modern-day hypercar—a 918 Spyder. And for the sake of legitimate testing, they invited Canadian, and overall cool Indycar driver, James Hinchcliffe. James eventually drove both cars, and so did Sam. I’ve never driven a 918, and much less a 962, so I can’t even begin to imagine what doing so at the Indy Motor Speedway must’ve felt like, but having witnessed a sixties Ford GT40 tear up the same road course; it must’ve been a glorious sight.

If anything, this story proves that Porsche, then and now, are committed to delivering the fastest, most reliable, and best-performing street and race cars in the world.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Story via: [R&T]

Photos via: [Joe Windsor-Williams]