Porsche Unleashes Its Most Expensive Car Yet, But Just Affording It Isn’t Enough

Image via Porsche

Luxury automaker Porsche has outrun itself with its priciest car yet. The price of the all-new hybrid 963 beats the marque’s former record holder, the US$1.5 million RS Spyder LMP2, by nearly double at an eye-watering $2.9 million.

Granted, this isn’t a vehicle you’d ride in for your errand runs. The Porsche 963 isn’t for the casual consumer with a regular driver’s license—that goes without saying—but for motorsports teams. In fact, the model will join the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race in January 2023.

The dashing racer, swathed in Porsche’s iconic red, white, and black palette, borrows elements from the classic 956 and 962 cars. It’s fueled by eco-consciousness, using far fewer CO2 emissions thanks to renewable power.

Image via Porsche

It’s got an optimized chassis and a 4.6-liter V8 engine with twin turbochargers, and it’s underpinned by an electric motor. The high-performance model yields a total output of 500 kW and goes up to 10,000 rpm.

Image via Porsche

All things considered, $2.9 million is hardly a steep amount for a ready-made racecar, says Road & Track. In contrast, the Porsche 963’s opponent at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar and the FIA World Endurance Championships, the Cadillac Project GTP, will set teams back at least $3.5 million.

Volker Holzmeyer, president of Porsche Motorsports North America, justifies with the car news outlet that $2.9 million is the all-in-one price, while vehicles of the ilk often have starting prices in the millions. Aside from offering buyers the racer alone, the company bundles service and customizations into the one-time payment.

The Porsche 963 has launched and has already been picked up by some customers.

[via SlashGear, Maxim, Road & Track, images via Porsche]