Go to Ultimatecarpage.com

 groupc Ultimatecarpage.com  > Cars by brand  > Germany  > Porsche
Racing cars  > Group C / IMSA GTP
     962 BM
Car search:
Quick Advanced 


  Porsche 962 BM      

  Article Image gallery (88) Chassis (4) Specifications  
Click here to open the Porsche 962 BM gallery   
Country of origin:Germany
Produced from:1987 - 1990
Numbers built:8
Internal name:962
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:December 26, 2014
Download: All images
Page 1 of 1
Click here to download printer friendly versionAlong with several other privateer teams, Brun Motorsport prolonged the Porsche 962's racing career by building and racing extensively upgraded copies of the venerable Porsche Group C design. The most substantial change was the use of a bespoke chassis, which followed the same lines as the original design but was built in stronger and lighter materials. Porsche approved and perhaps even encouraged this process as the team's would still buy much of the running gear straight directly from the German manufacturer and it also meant that Porsches would still race at the sharp end with little or no investment required from the company itself.

Walter Brun's quest for a stronger chassis came after the hugely successful 1986 season, which had seen his team place second overall at Le Mans and win the World Sportscar Championship ahead of accomplished rivals like Joest Racing and TWR Jaguar. In John Thompson of TC Prototypes, Brun found a suitable supplier. Thompson had previously upgraded the chassis of one of David Lloyd's Porsche 956, so he had sufficient experience. The main area of improvement was the material used for the aluminium monocoque. Porsche's own tubs were constructed from simple sheets of aluminium whereas the TC Prototypes chassis featured panels that were reinforced by a honeycomb core.

Most of the necessary parts to complete Brun's new 962 were sourced directly from Porsche, including the latest engine, gearbox and suspension components. As before, the engine was an evolution of the four-valve, double-overhead-camshaft first used in the Porsche 956. By 1987, it had grown in size to 2.8 litre, while even more powerful 3-litre units were also used. With Group C races being fuel limited, it did not always pay off to run the biggest and/or most powerful engines during the races. In its original guise, the Brun Motorsport 962 featured a standard Porsche supplied body with integrated rear wing. Later in its life, a higher downforce body was also created with a separate rear wing for the sprint events.

The first Brun Motorsport 962 debuted in March of 1987 when Walter Brun and Frank Jelinski finished seventh overall in the World Championship round at Jarama. Ironically, it was beaten by both of Brun's factory 962Cs. A second car was ready by the summer of 1987 and eventually eight examples were constructed for Brun by Thompson, who also supplied the Kremer Brothers with stronger 962 chassis for their CK6s. As newer cars became available, Brun sold the earlier versions to customers and each of the eight examples were raced extensively on both sides of the Atlantic. Sadly, they were not as successful as the earlier 962Cs as although they were certainly an improvement, they were no match for the even more sophisticated Jaguars and Mercedes-engined Saubers.

Page 1 of 1

  Article Image gallery (88) Chassis (4) Specifications