Historic 1987 Porsche 962 IMSA Racer Car Debuts on Collecting Cars Global Auction Platform

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Collecting Cars today announces the global auction of a 1987 Porsche 962 IMSA racing car that has recently been recertified with an FIA Historic Technical Passport.  The auction will run through Monday, April 25.

 

The rare Porsche is powered by a 3.2-liter flat-six with a single turbocharger, which produces around 590hp, driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. A genuine IMSA racer with an updated composite Chapman tub, the 962 was raced in period, campaigned by Bob Akin with well-known drivers Vern Schuppan, James Weaver, and Hurley Haywood.

 

A true motorsports legend, the 962 marked a vast improvement on the 956.  A more rounded and manageable racer, it led Porsche to its sixth record victory at Le Mans in 1987 and notched 180 track victories over its racing career.

 

This 962 features the stronger tub designed by former Lola engineer Jim Chapman, which delivered a substantial increase in stiffness thanks to its sandwiched honeycomb structure and bullet aluminum rear bulkhead.

 

Legendary racer Bob Akin took delivery of this 962 in 1987, marking the last IMSA car he campaigned, but also the first team car that he would not personally drive. The car debuted at the Road America 500 in August 1987, where it was driven by James Weaver and Vern Schuppan – the latter no doubt familiar to Porsche aficionados, having created the roadgoing Schuppan 962CR in tribute to the legendary racing cars. At Road America, the car would finish 5th overall.

 

Six weeks later, the 962 competed in the Columbus 500, once again driven by James Weaver, partnering with Hurley Haywood. Having placed 13th on the grid, the duo finished 8th overall.

 

The 962’s third and final IMSA race was at the Del Mar 2-hour with James Weaver as the sole driver. Ending with a DNF, though not because of any accident, the car would retire unscathed from IMSA competition.

 

Akin retained the car until 1991, selling it to Dr. Tom Green of Saline, Michigan. In 2002, Green sold the car to Stan Wattles of Glen Cove, New York. Wattles engaged expert Sean Creech of Sean Creech Motorsport/Metro Racing Systems to restore the car to a high visual and mechanical standard.

 

Quick facts:

 

  • Collecting Cars is a 24/7 online auction platform. Unlike traditional auctions, cars are sold in 7 days in a safe, secure, and hassle-free process to a large audience of committed buyers. There are no selling fees — the seller receives 100 percent of the hammer price and keeps possession of the car until the successful buyer arranges to collect it.

 

  • To date, the global platform has sold more than 6,500 lots, with total sales value generated for sellers exceeding $285 million.

 

  • The global auction company has headquarters in London, alongside offices in Munich and Sydney, and now in Los Angeles and Toronto.

 

  • With registered bidders in more than 90 countries around the world, sellers can have confidence that their car is marketed to a truly global audience.

 

  • The best-selling brand on Collecting Cars is Porsche, with more than 900 cars sold since launch, including more than 670 examples of the 911 from every generation dating back to the 1960s.

 

  • More than 90 percent of sales since launch have been completed without a physical viewing, underscoring the significant trust that buyers have in the platform.

 

Adam Sinclair
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