Welcome to the Sarthe Cars and a rebuild of an original icon ....
Today’s high performance car manufacturers often apply motorsport technology to deliver amazing super and hypercars and arguably the zenith of motorsport performance is the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. Many manufacturers have launched assaults on this the ultimate motorsport event for over 70 years, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Audi, Peugeot, and Porsche each car tuned to perform in the most demanding environments.
Some cars that have competed have become absolute automotive icons such as the Bentley’s 30s, the Fords and Ferrari’s of the 60s, and Porsches of the 70s and 80s.
Provenance has value, and historical provenance value is the Holy Grail for automotive enthusiasts and investors alike. Ex Le Mans racing cars that have competed have become increasingly popular as investments and cars that have actually won are enormously valuable and are usually cosseted in private collections and rarely seen in public, and even less so on the street.
So, if you wanted to own an original period Le Mans race car to show off to your peers you will need extremely deep pockets and it will very likely not be street legal.
That said, there are a couple of exceptions for street versions and due to some interesting competition entry rules for Le Mans during the 90’s race-cars could be entered in the GT category as long as one street legal example had been created and registered. This allowed micro manufacturers to emerge and one such manufacturer was Dauer Sportwagen, a successful race team in the early 90’s and what they did was to bring the Porsche 962 to the street!
Every motorsport fan is aware of the Porsche 962 as arguably one of the most recognizable silhouettes and successful race-cars ever especially from its Rothmans livery days with it and its predecessor, the 956, dominating the Group C scene during the 80s and 90s by winning five World Sports car Championships and six Le Mans 24 Hours so this was a perfect candidate for a street version.
Dauer launched their 962 LM street version at the Frankfurt Motorshow in 1993 and with factory support from Porsche was entered in the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans and subsequently went on to win that year.
From 1993 to 1995 only seven Dauer 962 LM’s were produced, five reside in the Sultan of Brunei’s private collection, one is registered in Europe and the last one is intriguingly disassembled and unregistered.
So, what if this last car could be resurrected and what would it be like?
To answer this, let us introduce you to Sarthe Cars Ltd., Founder and CEO Ian Howe. ‘At Sarthe Cars we seek to create spiritual successors to iconic cars and to do this we have assembled a team and partners who have world-class motorsport and automotive skills and talent’.
Ian goes on to add ‘The Sarthe Dauer 962 Le Mans rebuild will be a celebration of the most successful racecar in Le Mans racing history’ he adds ‘this is a unique opportunity to bring this very special car back into ownership, but as a truly 21st century version’.
‘This project will combine period heritage and modern contemporary usability in a car that will be evocative for any petrol head and this is what Sarthe Cars intends to do with this unique ‘one off’ opportunity to own a piece of Le Mans history, for the street…’
‘I cannot underplay the uniqueness of this proposition, possession of this car will be something special with a matchless combination of historic provenance and a contemporary showpiece.’ ‘Moreover, this will not be a museum piece, this car has to perform on streets but also deliver a tangible investment for ownership and a showcase for the profile of Sarthe Cars.’
So, in terms of performance, what will this car do?
The heart of the Sarthe Dauer 962 rebuild drivetrain will be a specially tuned Porsche 3.8L flat six Twin Turbo coupled to a seven speed PDK sequential paddleshift also, with extensive experience Sarthe will employ the very latest in lightweight materials and motorsport technologies to make the Sarthe Dauer 962 extremely performance capable, but also safe.
‘A huge part of ownership has to be the driving experience so an owner will have access to the Sarthe Driver Experience Program that includes access to professional driver performance coaches and customers will be invited to special track day events and coaching sessions.’
So what of future products for Sarthe?
This car is a one off original, however Sarthe, with access to original tooling and are exploring the possibility to build totally new cars and would do so for customer commissions.
Ian says ‘We are also looking into other Le Mans icons to contemporise plus a super focused track-day car based upon LMP1 developments, but any car we build will have the same pedigree of skill and talent that will be employed into the Dauer 962 rebuild’.
Additionally, the lucky owner of the Sarthe Dauer 962 LM rebuild will, not only have access to the build, but also a direct input into the specification such as colour, interior and other options for this bespoke one off.
‘The Sarthe Dauer 962’s packaging, the details that you don’t see is going to be exceptional and will be delivered by our design partners whose clients include Porsche, Bentley and McLaren.’
‘The true motivation for us is to deliver this car back into ownership, but to do it in a way that truly respects the history of this car, but is exquisitely improved to allow an owner to enjoy the experience of ownership and to be part of the rebirth.’
So, who will buy this car?
Ian Howe prefers to consider customers as ‘partners’ and acquisition of the car will be through a private treaty that will set out the specification and desired configuration.
‘This ownership opportunity would suit a partner who is passionate about Le Mans, it’s history and place in motorsport evolution and the 962 was part of a significant era in the sport and someone who sees the value as a unique asset.’
Incidentally, the cost of this car is £750,000 ex taxes and will be ready for delivery seven months from agreement with the owner partner.
It seems that this is truly a one off opportunity to own and use a car that will not only be an asset but will be a super exciting driving experience.
To view the cars specification and to discover more visit HERE:
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