The Schuppan 962CR was built in 1994 by Australian racecar driver Vern Schuppan. The car was built as a tribute to Schuppan’s 1993 victory at Le Mans. The 962CR is essentially a modified, street legal version of the Le Mans-winning Porsche 962 racecar.
The 962CR is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle weighing 2,315 lbs. The car is powered by a 3.3 liter flat 6 Porsche engine fitted with two turbochargers, and it is operated via a 5-speed manual gearbox. The car’s top speed is 214 mph (345 km/h), and it has a 0-60 mph acceleration time of three seconds.
The only element of the car manufactured by Porsche is the engine, which was, incidentally, assembled in the United States. The chassis and body were built entirely by Schuppan. The car was built in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England with Japanese backing, and at least two of the cars were shipped to Japan.
It is hard to pin a specific nationality to the car, since it was built by an Australian racecar driver in England with Japanese money, and powered by a German engine assembled in the United States.
Only five of these cars were ever built. At just over US$1.5 million in 1994, the Schuppan 962CR is the most expensive vehicle ever sold new. (The 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR roadster comes in a close second at US$1.5 million. Like the Schuppan 962CR, just five CLK-GTR roadsters were ever built.)
Rumors circulated for several years that the 962CR was sold new for US$2.5 million. This rumor was eventually dispelled by author and Porsche enthusiast Karl Ludvigsen.
The 962CR is the only car Schuppan ever made. Payment failed to arrive for two of the vehicles after they were shipped to Japan. This, coupled with the high cost of the car's construction, forced Schuppan to declare bankruptcy.
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