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An image of a reimagined Porsche 959 produced by Canepa Motorsports.

Reimagined $2 Million Porsche 959 Makes 800 HP and Tops Out at 230 MPH

The Porsche 959 debuted in the 1980s and still remains one of the most important supercars ever made. Since some of these Porsche models have been on the road for over 35 years, some owners opt to restore and upgrade their cars. This is where Canepa Motorsports steps in with its “Reimagined” program. According to …

The Porsche 959 debuted in the 1980s and still remains one of the most important supercars ever made. Since some of these Porsche models have been on the road for over 35 years, some owners opt to restore and upgrade their cars. This is where Canepa Motorsports steps in with its “Reimagined” program.

According to Bruce Canepa, owner of Canepa Motorsports, these reimagined examples undergo a massive restoration and upgrade process. As a result, owners get a unique chance to modify exterior colors, interior materials and even add tech features.

Why would anyone modify a Porsche 959?

An image of a reimagined Porsche 959 produced by Canepa Motorsports.
Porsche 959 | Canepa Motorsports

Aside from being a 35-year-old car, the Porsche 959 is limited by the performance technology available when it was created. According to Canepa, his company had the very first 959 examples brought into the U.S. As a result, he’s been working and developing this platform since its release in the 1980s.

Part of the appeal of this process is that you essentially get a brand-new Porsche 959. According to Canepa, the process requires a donor car that gets completely disassembled. As part of the restoration process, the car gets repainted. As you’d imagine, this opens up the possibility of doing a complete color change.

Once the Porsche 959 is painted, Canepa reports that every component that goes back on the car is brand new. This includes all of the hoses, nuts, and bolts. Given the extensive restoration process, one of these reimagined cars costs around $2 million.

Here is what you get for $2 million

Since Canepa has been working on the Porsche 959 for decades, his reimagined cars get tons of upgrades. For starters, Canepa ditches the car’s old hydraulic coilover suspension. The best part of this setup is that it bolts into the same location as the stock components.

Since the Porsche 959 was originally built in the 1980s, its A/C system is far from ideal. To this end, Canepa takes the stock system apart and rebuilds it to meet a brand-new car’s standards. In terms of the interior, every surface gets reupholstered completely in-house. Like with the interior, this allows for a color change. In terms of tech, you get a brand new touchscreen radio which featured Apple CarPlay functionality.

In terms of performance, Canepa developed a larger 18-inch version of the stock Porsche 959 wheel. Aside from providing room for larger brakes, this upgrade allows for larger and wider tires.

The final upgrade resides under the hood. This is because the standard 450-hp output gets bumped to over 800 hp. As Canepa explains, Porsche intended to race the 959. As a result, its drivetrain is built to handle around 825 hp. Thanks to the upgraded brakes, tires, and suspension, the reimagined car can easily handle the extra power.

No two cars are the same

An image of a reimagined Porsche 959 produced by Canepa Motorsports.
Porsche 959 | Canepa Motorsports

Since you’re spending around $2 million on a Porsche 959, chances are you won’t want someone else to have the same car as you. To this end, Canepa explains how he works so that no two cars have the same color scheme. As a result, all of the creations that come out of his shop are unique.

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