Prototype Porsche 959 Sport: The Fastest 959 EVER? | Henry Catchpole - The Driver's Seat

For Episode 15 of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole drives and reviews the amazing Porsche 959. But it gets better because this is the rare Sport version as opposed to the more usual Comfort variant. And then it gets even wilder because this is F9, one of the very first prototypes of the 959. Currently for sale with Girardo & Co it is a very special car indeed.
There is an argument that this could actually be the fastest 959 ever to leave the factory (as opposed to others, such as those from Canepa, that have subsequently been further tuned up from stock). The Sport variants of the 959 were already said to be some 100kg lighter than the standard, Comfort variant of the 959 and in addition, or rather subtraction, this lacks the Sport’s roll cage and various pieces of trim. Some have estimated that this might be as much as 200kg lighter than standard.
It certainly feels mighty quick when the second of the sequentially boosting turbos kicks in above 4000rpm. The Sport variants had an uprated engine, taking power from 450bhp up to 508bhp, so the official 0-60mph time dropped to just 3.6 sec, with 0-100mph taking an even more impressive 8.2 seconds. Despite being almost 40 years old, this car certainly felt good for that.
There is also something wonderful about the fact that the 959 was designed to compete in such diverse events as the Paris Dakar Rally and the 24h hours of Le Mans. That it was successful too is just incredible. Some of that vast breadth of ability is baked into the road car, with things like the gearbox, which only says it goes up to five, but is really a six-speed.
Of course the fiercest competition took place in the pages of magazines. The Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40 were iconic (justified use of the word) sparring partners in the late 1980s. In Porsche’s corner was a huge amount of new technology and processing power. In Ferrari’s corner was lightweight and a bonkers power delivery. It felt like something of a digital v analogue battle. Given that this prototype Sport version of the 959 has unassisted steering and passive suspension, it was interesting to see whether it would feel closer to the analogue spirit of the F40.
Which would you rather have? F40 or this 959? Or would you rather have the equivalent Porsche 911 Turbo of the time? Let us know in the comments down below. And if you spot any other cars in the background at Girardo & Co that you would like to see more of, then put in a request and we’ll see what we can do! Thank you, as ever, so much for watching.
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[@neillaw9867]

In 1993 when i was in my first car (1ltr mk2 fiesta) i saw a 959 in deep purple for sale in a garage in Guildford for £250,000. I had to go in and look at it expecting to be asked to leave soon as i did. But the garage owner not only let me in he let me sit in it and dream. Never had the money to own one, but thanks to that guy i can still dream.

[@user-rf7le2ki4b]

That was likely Peter Grant's 959 (Led Zeppelin), bought by Trevor Baker. Not sure he was able to fit in the car!

[@neillaw9867]

@@user-rf7le2ki4b Wow, thanks for the info and sorry he had my scruffy 17 year old back side on the seat. 👍

[@althejazzman]

Probably the cheapest they've ever been!

[@AndrasMihalyi]

@@althejazzman it was £145000 in 1987.... So no 😊

[@althejazzman]

@@AndrasMihalyi But that money was worth more then.

[@fruitycigar]

The 959 is an immortal machine. May Helmuth Bott's legacy live on for centuries to come.

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

Deutschland will never understand, Putin Gaz ...... Needs an EV upgrade ! Freaks !

[@jonpaul1437]

I was privileged to work on the related F7 959; the Ruby red Vasek Polak car shown briefly in video, prior to it being exported to the US. The prototypes had many differences to the production cars as Henry mentioned - additional sensors; additional undocumented wiring and other mysteries - not least with F7 a 930 VIN! F7 was a cold weather and climate testing model and the amassed history was fantastic. I believe Bruce Canepa has the car now or at least has been over the car making further improvements. It's great to see the 959 still being 'discovered'

[@Mantenner]

Very interesting insight!

[@stankovic.bojan1]

Could i say it is underrated? When you see how many Testarossas, F40s, Countach get posted, 959 really does not get enough attention!

[@krusher74]

not the "underrated" comment already!!!!

[@McLarenMercedes]

To OP. That's because it was always the *smart people's* dream car. And most people aren't smart.

[@Emira_75]

@@McLarenMercedes no its because the italin icons listed are intrinsically passionate and stunning looking. I'm a Porshe person, i have a GT3 poster on my wall. But you cannot fail to realise Ferraris, Lamborghinis etc are infinitely more poster-worthy to most people. And even i agree the italian cars are more interesting/exciting to look at.

[@seanmcd72]

@@McLarenMercedes I must be a GENIUS then!

[@flacjacket]

Because it's ungainly. It's proportions are awkward and the side scoops are blobby. I love Porsche, my grandfather's '87 911 got me into cars as a child and I currently own one, but even as a Stuttgart fanboy the 959 just isn't pretty, whereas the F40 is to my eyes one of the most beautiful cars of all time.

[@hughoxford8735]

Captured my imagination hugely as a child, such a leap forward. That wrap around spoiler, and that 3.6s to 60 time. So much tech as well, very prophetic car. It has dated very well indeed, only really details like the headlight glass gives its age away. At the time, I wrote to Porsche in Germany, asking them to send me information about the car. They sent me back a beautiful fold out silver brochure in German. I wish I still had it.

[@LewisRhymes]

Indeed. Yeah would be nice to see that brochure I bet it would be worth a pretty penny aswell!

[@ilandman4evr]

Thanks Henry for validating why these were the cars we all loved reading about in car magazines and plastered on our walls when we were younger. They all were built with love for cars and true passion. I really appreciate you and your team for the trip. It made my day.

[@stephanematis]

As much as I loved the F40, the Dakkar 959 is top among supercars for me. What a legend!

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

Africa, muhahahaha, Putin Gaz Porsche ......

[@Marthaviews]

When l first saw the Dakar 959s, l fell in love with them. It's an emotion that is as strong today as it was in 1987. Thanks for an in depth review.

[@sickjohnson]

Even today for me the 959 was the one for me Henry...the F40 looked good on a poster and a Magazine, but the 959 I obsessed over by the new tech it was bringing forward. Today I still don't desire an F40, but the 959 is one I would like to experience big time! Thanks for the videos.

[@taquito1561]

The 959 was just kind of bad timing, being overshadowed like cars like the F40, which is a shame really, just because of how unbelievably ahead of its time this car was and how special it was to the brand. Great video, thanks for shedding light on this wonderful piece of engineering and history.

[@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961]

You ARE RIGHT . FOR ME 959 WAS ALWAYS Better THAN THE F40 .I KNOW F40 IS A FERRARI BUT EVERYTHING IS NOT ABOUT TRACK TIMES OR BRAND NAMES

[@taquito1561]

@@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961 You say that, but I'm pretty sure (I may be wrong though) the Porsche would beat the F40's times o most tracks, because of the technological difference between the cars but also the size of the balls you need to drive the Ferrari to the limit lol

[@mariojakel5544]

i am not so sure about the bad timing(sold out 1983, first Rally Victory 1985) my opinon was after first Tests Porsche know it was not the right concept to be successful in group B to long to heavy and than Porsche take enough Time to say its to late for group B. The F40 celebrate only 40years of Ferrari from 1947 to 1987 and was not the answer to the 959, Ferrari has his own group B car the 288GTO.

[@user-jf8gd3lv7q]

"Bad timing"...? There wasn't any bad timing or "big mistake" from Porsches side, dude! The FIA group B rules had been changed for some other reasons at this time and Porsche couldn't do anything against it. It was just unfortunate for this amazing car. "Overshadowed" by the F40? Not really, because for all these car enthusiasts "who knew from the beginning" what an automotive technological masterpiece the 959 was, the Ferrari F40 shrinks down to just a small, light and red Italian turbo sports car "for little boys", which was totally inferior to the Porsche 959. Compared to the Porsche, the F40 had absolutely NO success on racetracks, whereas the 959 in its short era had some very important racing successes in the most different races like Paris-Dakar and Le Mans. The Porsche 959 was just too smart for some too dumb and just too superficially "fanboy" nerds from the 1980's, who kind of thought that the color red alone makes a superior sports car... LOL. The Porsche 959 was technologically too far ahead for its time, period! Today a lot of these people are still thinking in a quite primitive black and white / kind of little boys categorie of "a red car which is simply faster". The F40 at that time was just the "40. anniversary Ferrari" model, whereas Porsche wanted to show with the 959 what's technologically possible in the early 1980's. Today the F40 still is just kind of a fast red shitbox with just a big turbo compared to a technologically totally sophisticated Porsche 959. I don't know in which dumb and superficially part of the world you're living, but the Porsche 959 has never been "overshadowed" by the F40 here in Germany, because we KNEW from its beginning how far ahead the Porsche 959 was compared to this quite simple car from Ferrari!

[@user-jf8gd3lv7q]

@@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961 "Track times"...? WTF are you talking, dude??? The Porsche 959 was just the faster car on tracks! The F40 had ZERO racing success, whereas the 959 won some of the most important races in its very short era. Le Mans and Paris-Dakar, which is quite astonishing, for "the same car".

[@WD40Gaming]

The editing on these videos is absolutely insane! Love all the content here guys keep it up.

[@SevCars]

Why?

[@krusher74]

@@SevCars its like they have not seen tv or a movie before.

[@sachintharavindu3356]

Go back and see his RS6 video on carfection. you'll be blown away.

[@melbguy1]

The Bruce Canepa modified 959 shows what potential that car still has today, given modern technology and tuning

[@davew5167]

Yeah those things are incredible!!!

[@melbguy1]

@@davew5167 800HP and 4WD. Nuts.

[@alexander1485]

@@melbguy1 AWD not 4WD, different system.

[@melbguy1]

@@alexander1485 That's true. Ta

[@911aircooled5]

Brilliant, both Henry's review and the car. One of Porsche's best ever. This was my poster on the bedroom wall as a teenager, not the others mentioned. Achieved my first Porsche only 3 years later, from that dream to now a Porsche nut.

[@DeuceDeuceBravo]

All the innovation in the 959 is really astounding. It's been my all-time favorite car ever since it was released. The looks, the speed, the tech, and very, very Porsche. Brilliant.

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

Africa, muhahahaha, Putin Gaz Porsche ......

[@trance9158]

​@@lucasRem-ku6eb is that all you can say?? You babble jabberwocky

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

@@trance9158 Nope, we build them, so they last ! Jabber, are you Allah, oil enough ?

[@romulus_]

I'm almost 40. I wasn't aware of this car until adulthood but can easily see it's the coolest Porsche of all time and perhaps the most major inflection point for the company in terms of technology. Hope to spot one in person sometime soon.

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

You have seen them in the old days, Germany, Europe, the US. Hope you need, Obama guy? EV, or too old now ?

[@masterchinese28]

I had a 959 poster on my wall as a teenager. It was so ahead of its time and so much of the tech that made it special at the time has become common in cars now. It was beautiful and revolutionary.

[@gouldnj]

Stunning! Been waiting FOREVER to see you behind the wheel of a 959. Amazing video!

[@williamfischer3990]

I’ve read different articles from the period of people comparing this car with the F40 and they all come to the same conclusion. They were a turning point for the history of car development as a whole. The Ferrari was old fashioned raw and somewhat frightening. The 959 was a laptop on wheels and was calm but very fast. They are two of the greatest cars of all time and legends that supercars of today can trace their roots back too.

[@princesssolace4337]

.....and few years later, Japan gave the world NSX , the first affordable supercar feel that anyone can buy and maintain like an Accord

[@fraserwright9482]

I would disagree on a couple of points. The 959 was a very expensive and soft car. So in modern terms it was like you owning a Cayenne GTS Coupe instead of a GT3 today. We raced 944 turbos and 930s in the late 80s in group A. You had RUF a year later in 1987 sidestep the 959 in speed. You also had Japanese cars executing electronics in cars to another level and Nissan showing it was a race car in the R32 GTR or even a Honda Legend. This crippled Porsche financially and you can see why they stepped away from the complicated stuff. This to me is like the Jamara, a Lambo that was a Maserati, an old man's car and they were leaning towards the Mercedes ethos of tech which they aren't good at. The best Porsche is always the smallest one not the most complicated one

[@ramoncoppens3781]

Simply gorgeous

[@leosheepman]

Henry is so great at these types of history lesson! Glad to see he's with Hagerty now.

[@maggotpudding]

Well, that was absolutely brilliant. I love learning these snippets of info from the greatest cars ever made.

[@MrBfeboi]

Now this is an amazing piece of journalism. thank you Henry and hagerty. love content like this

[@quadrantxx]

EPIC VID! Thanks Henry and Hagerty Team! Keep them coming!

[@qasimalsaidi]

Is it just me that I would pick the 959 any day over the F40?

[@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961]

YES 959 IS THE BEST

[@RazoE]

Yeah, it doesn't seem as fragile and seems like it'd survive actual roads

[@ALMX5DP]

959 everyday, except for the occasional track day when I’d take the F40 nine times out of ten.

[@lorenzosguaitamatti]

Ferrari is always the answer!

[@RRacer1980]

F40 for sure ❤

[@oscsun]

Top work Henry. I just love the unapologetic deepdiving facts about the cars. As most other swiftly brush over the interesting bits you can count on Henry to deliver.

[@timc924]

Henry is such a great story teller and his direct, educative way of sharing the finer details of his subject. For me, being slightly one-eyed as a Porsche driver, I love the 959 and its idiosyncratic perfection, its legacy and innovations it delivered for future road and race cars. Thanks for posting.

[@andresluzunaris1084]

Sometimes, the story behind it is better than the car itself. As always, it's an incredible video by Henry. Well done, sir. 👏🏽

[@MrRawnch]

From what I've learned -- the 959 was designed to compete against the Ferrari 288 GTO in Group A/B events but, Porsche's forward thinking allowed the 959 to compete with a variety of Supercars at the time. I remember seeing posters with the word "Alleskonner" which in German means "All Rounder" because it excelled in many racing events.

[@davew5167]

Very lucky man to drive this machine Henry. Definitely a bucket list item for me. Have sat at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart in awe of the 959. Absolutely love them. Great review.

[@jasonb4988]

From the first time I saw one in London, to the one Champion Porsche had in its showroom for display only, I’ve been long connected to this super / Uber car ! Still amazing today and as it’s been mentioned, Canepa has been improving what I thought couldn’t be improved upon. Bravo and thanks for such a great classic car lesson ! 😉👍🙏🏻

[@thedrivebygg]

Well that was awesome video, well done Henry. One of my all time favourite Porsche models, still looks great today, what a shame it missed the group b era.

[@matsleight]

Great video, thanks Henry and team!

[@sidneybilski]

Thanks for agreeing to a photo with me at Goodwood this weekend, especially since you were with your son. You're a real mensch and your attitude confirms everything me and my driving friends thought about you - a phenomenal motoring journalist and all around great guy.

[@goosegog]

Another excellent video from Henry. Nice and technical, factual, interesting and it puts you in the driver's seat. I was privileged to drive a 959 in my late teens in the early '90s, but only to the MOT station up the road and back

[@scottleech9571]

Never Stop Making These Films !!!

[@Nicrobeeld]

Thanks Henry, great story, outstanding automotive banquet of interesting tidbits.

[@martynrollinson]

Great work from Henry again!!

[@bertlzansinger]

What a lovely made and narrated video. Cheers. 🙏🏼

[@The888Redlich]

Brilliant article by Henry as usual. Fascinating cars

[@1FastLPTVolvo]

What a well-told and captivating story about a piece of automotive history.

[@markastor6740]

I’d take the 959 over the F40 all day long. Henry, another terrific piece of automotive journalism.

[@paulmurden7621]

Well you've done it again. Cracking video!

[@jamiebeckf]

I have a huge love for all of the supercars of this era. Why have a favorite. 959, F40, Countach. Its like trying to pick the best looking supermodel. They are all fantastic. And i love that they are all so different.

[@barfmeister8509]

Great vid, even greater seeing Henry back on screen 😘

[@terryeustice5399]

The 959 Porsche is impressive. Thanks for sharing !💯

[@WillSatchwell]

Love the 959. The Canepa spec 959SC is my dream car!

[@Rolundingo]

Great storytelling of a legendary car.

[@smurf9857]

Enjoyed that and learnt lots. Can’t ask for much more really!

[@martindouglass3248]

The 959 did Dakar, Le Mans, etc and brought a mountain of tech decades ahead of it’s time.The F40 had plastic seats and straps for the windows and door handles. Case closed. (Great video. Beautifully shot. Now maybe have a Porsche fan do a video on the F40 to you know, even things out on the obvious bias part lol)

[@Wazootdrifts]

The cinematography on all of these videos always impress. Keep it up y'all.

[@jamieoconnor1916]

Love it just an awesome machine 😮 lucky you Henry driving the ultimate porsche great work sir respect 🙏

[@KnowPorcelain1]

Most of my mates at the time, had a Testarossa or an F40, or a Countash poster on the wall, I had a mag centre spread from a magazine, of a 959, I just loved the look, and the fact a few years later Boris Becker crashed one, and lived, made it all the better in my mind. Fast forward, I am now 53, had a 911, and loved it, but now days love an old Merc, a big old 5 litre plus wafter, but still would buy a 959, if I could afford one.

[@lukethompson2589]

What a captivating story. Love these cars.

[@DaveAdams222]

Porsche owners everywhere just walked over to their vehicles, got in, and just sat there, looking around. Amazing video!

[@sachintharavindu3356]

Henry Catchpole is a great presenter and a journalist. We lost his fire when he left Carfection.

[@sidbobby3233]

Love these, ever informative. Many thanks 😎😎✌✌👌👌👍👍

[@feliscorax]

The 959 is the sort of car that, once seen, is never forgotten. For me, it was always The One, the itch that couldn’t be scratched, a sort of love at first sight cliché with four wheels and all the right junk in the trunk. Unsurpassed to this day.

[@dkim5341]

that was beautiful, well put.

[@dieterkahsnitz5921]

What a brilliant film. Thank you

[@ariliff]

Thank you so much for the 21:9 content!!!

[@matthewdufty606]

Great video. I really enjoyed watching it.

[@mikelyon5595]

An engaging video and a fascinating bit of history!

[@althejazzman]

My favourite car reviewed by my favourite reviewer.

[@binggotd]

Hagerty knocks it out of the park, again! Excellent.

[@DanMosqueda]

Great video. The history is fascinating.

[@AndyRRR0791]

The 959 was my boyhood dream car and I still have the Tamiya model that I built up in 1987. This one would have to be one of the most desireable examples to drive as prototypes often are. Working on the Mk1 Focus RS project, I know that the early AP3 development car was one of the most fun to drive.

[@nzos14]

Wherever this is looks amazing, dream garage/library

[@shift-lightneil7283]

Great video Henry!

[@institutmorningkiss]

Fantastic review

[@vandalorianvandalorian4769]

When the F-40 and 959 debuted, I was definitely on team F-40. As an artist, it’s the one that appealed to my early 20’s aesthetic. I still love the F-40, but I’ve now owned two Porsches, one being a 2001 Turbo, which is the 959’s child. Now, if given the choice of which one to own, 959 hands down!

[@lucasRem-ku6eb]

Africa, muhahahaha, Putin Gaz Porsche ......

[@trance9158]

​@@lucasRem-ku6eb go play in the road and make yourself useful kid

[@TheBuntajames]

This is some amazing content.. Thanks Haggerty for rustling up some serious metal!!

[@GS-bx5hd]

What a beauty 😍. Fun fact: The Mercedes 500e W124 was built by Porsche on the 959's assembly line once they had finished building all the 959's 👌.

[@jjshobbypower9091]

That is one piece of amazing engineering!! 😊💪🏽

[@chrisjohnston2252]

Yahoo Henry's back !

[@Kreeber]

I’ve always loved this car. It was fun just reviewing the GT7 version.

[@KeithKman]

This exact car was sitting in SF with the windows down and the keys sitting on the passenger seat. Videos of it from today can be found on Reddit.

[@sideways.scallop]

Beautifully told. Great video

[@julian987r4]

Great to see Catchpole back after the demise of Carfection

[@rembrantro]

Thanks you for trying to bring even a little part of emotion to people, who cannot afford or even drive it once....

[@DouglasJWalker]

not many would do a video on this car. Bravo

[@violinmiata]

One of the posters in my room as a kid was a 959, still love this car

[@davidbarnsley8486]

I remember back in the day we used to have a show beyond 2000 And one of the people on the show went and did a review and they said at a time it was the most advanced car ever built And even today it looks absolutely beautiful 😍😍

[@MonkeyDolphin]

Still love the Countach, F40, and all the other poster cars of the eighties, but the 959 was my number one dream car. Oddly enough, it was for the same reason I loved ordinary Hondas of the same era - I admired the engineering.

[@sidewayssam]

Brilliant vid as ever, I have sat in a few 959's, amazing cars. Mr Catchpole is a luck man.

[@redgt3244]

Best videos on KZbin period.

[@solarfinder]

I miss the days of true analog dream cars. It's easy to lose the true driving thrills through the digitized pursuit of speed. The simple calculation of man+machine+road can truly bring elation and ecstacy. Good video!

[@u187146]

Another brilliant production of a true supercar which was more about the engineering and racing, than flogging silly expensive cars to rich Arabs and Oligarchs. More of Mr Catchpole please !!

[@PorscheRacer14]

When I look back on the F-40 and 959 I see them as bookends to car building. The F-40 being the best of the old ways of building cars and the 959 being the best of the new way of building cars. When you think about it; getting a new vehicle today, you are pretty much driving around a 959. All modern cars have TPM, a lot have self levelling, sensors all over, etc.

[@SA-zoom1]

I had a poster on my bedroom wall of a 959 with the reg plate 1 DOL. Couldn't agree more.

[@JoeEngineer]

It's refreshing to see modern footage of a 959 being driven on a track rather briskly instead of just static or puttering along.

[@filipegil8752]

That 1970 512S in the room...😎 959 is very cool, better still in Dakar guise. Awesome video as usual

[@pommycalva]

My Favorite SUPERCAR.Thanks!

[@timmason5230]

Thanks Henry!

[@emanonnoname5409]

Now we are waiting for a video with my second favorite car in the world ruf ctr 2 sport thx for all the good content and all the best to you guys from the land of vampires

[@Gramps83]

The only Porsche I've lusted after and day dreamed about owning.

[@dth2brny121]

To me, the 959 is the HOLY GRAIL of Porsches, regardless of whatever spec it came in. PERIOD.

[@alwoo5645]

Still looks new today what a car!

[@nolanohana]

Wow, just wow, ultimate drive.

[@MrAaronb400]

A 959 with the turbofan style covers for the wheels ticks all the boxes for me as shown on the silver one on the photo near the start

[@RickS95AtYahoo]

35 years later and it’s still my favorite car.