These 6 Porsche racing icons rocked the Goodwood Festival of Speed

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The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed was, as expected, a celebration of all things speed and performance. While BMW boasted the distinction of being the marque of the show, Porsche dropped a new chapter in its history of racing dominance with the debut of the new 963 race car.

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Designed to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMDh (hypercar) class – and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s new GTP class – the Porsche 963 will make its debut in January at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

However, it wasn’t alone at the show. Porsche brought out several friends for the 963 to drive up the hill with, and these carry huge legacies that truly helped build the brand over the past 70 or so years.

Porsche 917

Built between 1969 and 1971, the 917 is notable for giving Porsche its first overalls ever at the epic 24 Hours of Le Mans. It achieved it first in 1970, when the number 23 car revved its flat-twelve engine through 343 laps; and then the number 22 did the deed again in 1971 with 397 laps.

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It was enough for Steve McQueen to feature it in the movie Le Mans. These film cars (along with any other still surviving examples of the 917) are insanely desirable at auction, with one example pulling in over $14 million back in 2017. And why wouldn’t it? The 917 is often considered one of the greatest race cars of all time, and, most importantly, the one that set Porsche up to be the most winning-est name at Le Mans.

Porsche 956

One of the most fetching rides at the Festival was this 956, which was adorned in Rothmans livery. This car raced from 1982 to 1986 and made good use of a turbocharged 635-horsepower flat-six engine that channeled its output through one of the first dual-clutch transmissions ever made.

The automaker claimed the arduous distinction of finishing one-two-three in the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans. Perhaps the most impressive legacy of the 956 was its 6:11.13 Nurburgring lap record, set in 1983 by Stefan Bellof, which was cracked 35 years later by the 919, yet another Porsche legend.

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Porsche 962

Easily one of the most impressive race cars ever built, the 962 could only be described as “dominant.” It won 21 constructors’ championships from 1984 to 1989 in a variety of series. In 1985 and 1986 it won the World Sportscar Championships. From 1985 to 1988 it won the IMSA GT Championships. Interserie? Check. Supercup series? Check. It was even the All Japan Sports Prototype champion from 1985 to 1989. Of course, it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans! Twice!

Porsche RS Spyder

After the 962, Porsche jumped into racing Le Mans Prototypes with varying degrees of success. But the oft-forgotten RS Spyder helped take the company to the top in the most intense level of the sport. Debuting in 2005, and racing until 2011, the RS Spyder brought home several championships for the automaker. It set the standard for the next generation of race cars, establishing such dominance in the LMP2 class that it could even keep up with some of the LMP1 cars, like the Audi R18 (so long as a straightaway wasn’t involved).

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Its outright victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring marked 20 years since Porsche’s last win at the track and one of the few times in history that the non-premiere class won the race. All that speed from a relatively tiny 3.4L V8 that made up to 503 horsepower (depending on the configuration.)

Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 R Hybrid

Perhaps to showcase the legacy of electrified racing Porsches, the automaker also brought out its 911 GT3 R Hybrid. This little oddity debuted back in 2010, and made a pretty strong impression, though with limited actual racing duty. The vehicle utilized a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) similar to the era’s F1 cars, and featured a pair of electric motors combined with a naturally aspirated flat-six horsepower putting out 480 hp.

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Despite the limited time on the track, the GT3 R Hybrid raised more than a few eyebrows back in 2011, when it started in last place during the ALMS Monterey event; and still finished ahead of all other GT cars while also netting the fastest GT lap of the race. Standing next to the hybrid was the always recognizable GT3 RSR racecar.

Porsche GT4 ePerformance

While the 963 race car stole the show at Goodwood, the event also provided the public with its first glimpse of the GT4 ePerformance. Based on the chassis of a 718 GT4 Clubsport, the ePerformance uses about 6,000 bespoke parts to set itself apart from your typical Cayman. However, the trick here is that this racer swaps out the flat gas engines for electric power. There’s a motor on each axle, providing 1,073 horsepower in qualifying mode; and 604 ponies for up to 30 minutes in race mode.

The powertrain isn’t the only green aspect of the vehicle: the body is constructed from a natural fibre composite, while the Michelin tires are made up of sustainable materials. The GT4 ePerformance isn’t yet a vehicle that customers can buy, but after additional testing and demonstrations, there is an expectation that a fully electric Porsche racer will debut in 2025. For now, though, the automaker is happy with its 45-second sprint up the hill at Goodwood, good enough for second place in the overall rankings of the event.