RACE HISTORY
FIA WSPC Suzuka, April 1990, Wollek, no. 7 (DNF)
FIA WSPC Monza, April 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (5th Overall)
FIA WSPC Silverstone, May 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (4th Overall)
FIA WSPC Spa, June 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (7th Overall)
FIA WSPC Dijon, July 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (7th Overall)
FIA WSPC Nürburgring, August 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (6th Overall)
FIA WSPC Donington, September 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (7th Overall)
FIA WSPC Montreal, September 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (6th Overall)
FIA WSPC Mexico, October 1990, Wollek/Jelinski, no. 7 (6th Overall)
Interserie Brands Hatch, July 1991, “Winter,” no. 7 (2nd Overall)
Interserie Most, August 1991, “Winter,” no. 7 (3rd Overall)
Interserie Siegerland, September 1991, “Winter,” no. 7 (1st Overall)
FIA WSPC Mexico, October 1991, “Winter”/Schneider, no. 14 (3rd Overall, 1st in Class)
Interserie Zeltweg II, October 1991, “Winter,” no. 7 (3rd Overall)

PROVENANCE
Joest Racing, Wald-Michelbach, Germany (acquired from Porsche AG in 1990)
Jerry Seinfeld (acquired from the above in January 2006)

LITERATURE
Karl Ludvigsen, Porsche 956 & 962: Immortal Endurance Racers 1982-1994, pp. 102-103
Jürgen Barth and Gustav Büsing, The Porsche Book: Porsche Race Cars, p. 351

THIS CAR
The Porsche 962 and its predecessor, the 956, are among the most important models in the history of endurance racing, ranking alongside other motorsport icons such as the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, Jaguar D-Type, Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, and Ford GT40.

The success achieved by this series of Porsches is unrivaled in the history of sports car racing. Between 1982 and 1987, the Porsche 956 and 962 won Le Mans six times, finishing 1-2-3 every year except 1987, when they were a mere 1-2. In North America, the Porsche 962 won 48 of 68 IMSA GTP races between 1984 and 1987, including 1-2-3 finishes at both Daytona and Sebring for three consecutive years.

Campaigned by the Porsche works team and well-funded private entries, the 956 and 962 captured the World Endurance Manufacturer’s and Driver’s Championship (1982-1985), the World Sports Prototype Manufacturer’s and Driver’s Championship (1986-1987), the IMSA GTP Manufacturer’s Championship (1985-1988), and the IMSA GTP Driver’s Championship (1985-1987), along with numerous other important victories and series championships.

Following a pattern set by the 956 program, 962s built for the works team began with chassis 962-001 and benefited from many technically advanced features, while customer cars, starting with chassis 962-001, were more standardized. Like their predecessors, factory 962s typically wore the famous Rothmans colors, though for the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans the works team cars donned a new Shell-Dunlop livery. Even after withdrawing as a factory entry in 1988, Porsche built additional 962C chassis, 962-011 through 962-016, for the works-supported Joest Racing Team.

Founded by former Porsche works driver Rheinhold Joest, Joest Racing of Wald-Michelbach, Germany, has been at the forefront of international endurance racing since 1978. The team’s first major international victory came at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1980, a feat that was followed by DRM Championships in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Joest Racing scored the first of its 13 wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and, the following year, their NewMan-sponsored 956 became just the second car in history to score back-to-back wins at Le Mans. Even today, the team competes at the highest level of motorsports, operating as Audi Sport Team Joest.

Despite having officially withdrawn as a factory entrant, Porsche continued to work in tandem with Joest Racing, and for the 1989 FIA World Sportscar Championship a new 962C, chassis 962-011, served as the team’s lead car. With a revised front suspension, high-downforce nose, and shortened tail section with a separate rear wing, 962-011 was pitted against factory teams from Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Nissan, Aston Martin, and Toyota. After eight championship rounds, the Joest Racing Team captured a win at Dijon and placed second in the championship standings behind the Sauber Mercedes C9s.

In cooperation with Joest Racing, Porsche constructed new 962Cs for the 1990 season, including this car, 962-012. Built and developed at Weissach, this late-production Joest Racing 962C is a works chassis. The result of continuous development at the height of international endurance racing, the 1990 962Cs featured highly tuned engines and aerodynamic improvements including radiator flow guides and a large, center-mounted rear wing.

This car was sponsored by Blaupunkt and campaigned as Joest Racing’s primary car for the 1990 season, with former Porsche works team member Bob Wollek and German F3 champion Frank Jelinski as its drivers. According to Joest Racing’s records, 962-012 raced in all nine rounds of the 1990 World Sports-Prototype Championship season; its best result was a 4th Place finish at Silverstone. At the end of the season, Joest Racing placed 5th in the team championship standings, with 8.5 points, while 962-012’s drivers, Wollek and Jelinski, tied for 13th in the drivers’ championship.

In 1991, 962-012 participated in the European Interserie Cup with Sachs sponsorship. In three of these four Interserie outings, the 962C was driven by “John Winter” – the pseudonym often used by German businessman and racer Louis Krages, who had been part of the Joest Racing Team during its victories at Le Mans in 1985 and Daytona in 1991.

Even after 962-012 was retired at the end of the 1991 season, Joest Racing continued to campaign 962Cs in Europe and the US. In fact, in late 1991, Porsche engineer Norbert Singer led a radical program of aerodynamic development, resulting in two purpose-built 962Cs equipped with the now famous Doppelflügel – or Double Wing. This dramatic carbon fiber bi-plane rear wing, coupled with revised rear bodywork and other aerodynamic advances, produced considerably more downforce than any previous 956 or 962. According to Joest Racing, the Double Wing cars were capable of about 370 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans and could lap the circuit approximately seven seconds faster than the classic longtail 962.

The Doppelflügel 962Cs were the fastest and final versions of the legendary Group C cars from Stuttgart. In the end, it was these highly developed workssupported 962Cs that scored the last important victories for a model that had been virtually unbeatable throughout the 1980s.

In 2001, while part of Joest Racing’s private collection, 962-012 was restored to as-new condition and fitted with the famous Singer-developed Doppelflügel and revised bodywork. Five years later, Jerry Seinfeld acquired 962-012 directly from Joest Racing. Over the past decade, the 962C has been carefully maintained by Joe Cavaglieri and has seen only occasional track use during private outings at Willow Springs Raceway.

Presented today in pristine condition with just two owners from new, 962-012 is an outstanding example of the ultimate Porsche Group C sports racing car. An eligible and competitive entry into an increasing number of important historic events, this exotic double-wing 962C is a magnificent prize for forward-thinking collectors.