Aggressive, elegant, evocative, nostalgic and futuristic. The Porsche 963 already follows in the wake of another iconic car from Weissach, the 962, underlining the intention to continue to give prestige to the sports history of the German house, resuming that fairy tale that ended with the 919 Hybrid. The 963 was thus born under the banner of the number 19, the objective being very clear: to extend the record already held by nineteen absolute successes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
From the 917 to the 919, passing through the 936 and 956 projects, Porsche has always stood out for the development of cutting-edge engineering solutions, such as to teach competition on the track and the entire automotive industry. However, in spite of a great freedom of aesthetic interpretation, the LMDh regulations that dictated the creation of the 963 grant little space for aerodynamic freedom and the power that can be released by the engine. Load and aerodynamic efficiency must in fact remain within certain regulatory windows, while the power delivery curve is directly imposed by the organizers through the Balance of Performance. Hence, the engineering competition no longer plays on differentiation and radical innovation, but on aspects such as management, efficiency and optimization of what is allowed by the regulations.
Starting from the internal combustion engine, the 963 mounts a unit derived from the 918 Spyder. It is a V8 biturbo, thus denoting a different split with respect to the V6s of the future rivals Toyota and Peugeot, but settling on the same choice as the other LMDh presented so far, namely Cadillac and BMW. The displacement is also different, being the thermal of the 963 a 4.6 liters, therefore higher than the 3.5 liters of Toyota and 2.6 liters of Peugeot, without going however to the 5.5 liters of Cadillac. This is a choice that goes against the current preferences of the engineers, who are inclined to downsize their engines. It must be said that Porsche’s decision was also conditioned by the possibility of adapting to the competitive use of the models already available in the range, but the consequences can be drawn at the level of engine management. The greater displacement in fact implies that, with the same power, the average pressure in the combustion chamber is lower. All this guarantees less sensitivity to the phenomenon of turbo-lag as well as less risk of detonation, opening the opportunity to increase the combustion ratio to the advantage of combustion efficiency. On the other hand, the presence of lower average pressures in the chamber also implies a possible lower mechanical and overall efficiency, due to a greater importance of friction in relation to the power released.
Efficiency is a recurring theme in considerations on the 963, as well as on contemporary motorsport. Greater efficiency in fact, it corresponds to less energy dissipation, therefore less heat to be dissipated and therefore less weight as well as bulk and aerodynamic resistance of the radiators. On a car with hundreds of kW of power, even a single percentage point of efficiency can make the difference. On this front a hand will be able to guarantee it ExxonMobil, partner for the development of lubricants that already in Formula 1 with Red Bull has done a considerable job of reducing heat dissipation. The Porsche 963 as well as all LMDhs will also be able to count on an electric motor power of 50 kW, against the 200 kW of the cars born from the Hypercar regulations. This results in different times, powers and methods of use of the different engines of the power unit, implying a completely different cooling system from that used on the Hypercar prototypes.
For LMDh cars there is a single supply of the battery pack, entrusted to Williams Advanced Enginneringof the transmission of production Xtrac as well as an electric motor generator and inverter, made by Bosch. The electric drive power will be limited to 50 kW, while the regenerative braking power will be 200 kW. However, despite the mono-supply for the LMDh, Williams Advanced Engineering, Xtrac and Bosch will have to prove the goodness of their products as they will have to compete with those of the Hypercar competition.
Another difference between the 963 and the Hypercars is the traction, rear for the LMDh and integral for the hybrid LMHs announced so far. However, this has ensured greater freedom of action a Multimatic, which took care of the realization of the monocoque for Porsche without having to provide for the installation of a front powertrain, thus also managing to contain the moment of inertia of the car. In addition to this, the front end is able to convey a greater intake of air in the front channels towards the side radiators compared to what is seen on other cars. For the rest, at the level of general aerodynamic setting the Porsche 963 does not overturn the traditional canons as instead done by the Peugeot 9X8, but the Weissach technicians have nevertheless taken care of the external appearance to optimize the load and penetration levels by exploiting the regulatory freedoms. . It is also possible to notice some interesting details, such as the four small fins at the head of the passenger compartment and the triangular vent grille on the hood.
In the images previously published in the test phase, it was possible to glimpse the rear suspension scheme, with the anti-pitching element oriented longitudinally. The goodness of the suspensions will be among the factors capable of making the difference, as well as tuning, thermal and energy management, the latter strictly interconnected aspects, as well as obviously reliability. IS a new engineering competition that shifts the weight on management and efficiency more than on the initial design, which Porsche will surely be ready for.
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