Porsche Just Released Its Most Expensive Model Ever

Porsche has just released its most expensive model ever, breaking the record by a significant amount of money. The German sports car manufacturer wasn't likely attempting to break their own record just for the sake of saying so, but they've done so anyway, coming in with a price well over their previous most expensive model — the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 — which sold for $1.5 million in 2008.

The new Porsche 963 is the company's first consumer prototype in decades. A 4.6-liter V8 engine, based on the one you'll find in the 918 Spyder hybrid sports car, is fed by twin turbochargers and backed up by an electric motor. All of this makes its way to the wheels through a 7-speed pneumatically actuated racing transmission. The power train brings a whopping 670 horsepower to the table, and the whole vehicle weighs in at just over 2200 pounds. 

The design of the hybrid racer also has the environment in mind, and promises to run on renewable fuels which "enable a significant reduction in CO2 emissions." In terms of appearance, Porsche says their new racer is based on "the victorious 956 and 962 classics from the 1980s," along with other elements from the company's history.

Porsche's new vehicle is set to put a company that has won Le Mans 24 hours 19 times, the Rolex 24 at Daytona 18 times, and the 12 Hours of Sebring 18 times, back at the top of the world of endurance racing. The 924 is set to make its official race debut at Daytona in January next year. If you can't wait that long, Porsche says you could catch a glimpse of the 924 at the FIA WEC season finale in Bahrain in November.

The new Porsche isn't something you'll be driving to the grocery store. It's aimed at motorsport teams, and more specifically those aiming to compete in endurance races. The new 963 has already been sold to a few lucky customers for a whopping $2.9 million — almost double what the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 chassis sold for on release. Even if you adjust the Spyder's pricing for inflation, it would still be around $800,000 less than the 963. Porsche Penske Motorsport has two of the factory cars and will be using them to compete in various races across the endurance calendar. Minnesota's JDC-Miller Motorsports is the first confirmed buyer of the 963, with more high-profile racing names expected to follow. (via Road and Track)

Despite the fact that the price of the 963 is triple the price of Porsche's most recent road-legal hypercar — the 918 Spyder — the $2.9 million still does not get you everything, with spare parts and fuel likely to cost a small fortune. Porsche does offer an excellent included care package though, as their North America president and CEO Volker Holzmeyer explained to Road and Track:

"As long as the customer is running, our services are always available, we will have spare parts on-site, an engineering truck on-site, five, six, seven engineers, and we will figure out now with teams what is what they think it is needed," said Holzmeyer. "But that service is always there. And it's always for free."