Need for Speed World Porsche 959 contest - a bit about the car

Submitted by Kirk Pedersen on Mon, 2010-04-12 15:09

We announced the Need for Speed World Create-a-Porsche-959 contest last week, and so far we haven't had too many entries, so here's a little more about this legendary car, written by yours truly. By the by, for rules and regulations, click here.

In accordance with FIA rules for allowing the 959 into the Group B Rally, 200 examples of a production model needed to be built.

In motorsport, the car was successful at the Paris-Dakar rally, winning in both 1984 and 1986.

In the end, 337 Porsche 959s were built, and it’s arguably the finest Porsche ever constructed, despite not being street legal in the United States.

The 959 appeared in Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed in 2000 and will make its return in World with your help.

With a 444-horsepower twin-turbo H6, the 959 runs 0-60 in only 3.7 seconds. For a time, it was the fastest production car available, with a top speed of 317 km/h, a mark broken by the Ferrari F40 in 1987.

959 was also one of the first sports cars to use an all-wheel drive system, which is common in high-performance cars today, from the Nissan GT-R to the Audi TT.

Billionaires Paul Allen and Bill Gates both own 959s, with Gates’ model being kept at the Port of Seattle until regulations were passed allowing him to import the car with severe restrictions on its use, known today as the "Show and Display" law. 

Comedian and noted Porsche collector - he's up to nearly 50 - Jerry Seinfeld also owns one.

The Porsche 959 has recently grown to legendary status in the sports car world, with Sports Car International magazine naming it the top sports car of the 1980s. High praise for a decade that included the Ferrari 288 GTO and Lamborghini Countach, among others.

Photos are courtesy of Porsche Classic World.

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