SCHUPPAN 962CR FAILED SUPERCAR PROJECT RESURFACES IN DESIGN STUDY

## The Numbers Tell The Story 600 horsepower from a 3.3-litre Type-935 flat-six with twin KKK turbochargers. Final assembly at a 60,000 square foot facility in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Priced at over US$1.5 million in 1994. Those specifications defined the Schuppan 962CR, a road-legal interpretation of Porsche's dominant Group C racer that nearly bankrupted everyone involved. The 962CR weighs 1,050 kg and uses a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. Top speed slightly over 230mph, with a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. The 962CR briefly held the title as the world's fastest production car in 1992 before the McLaren F1 took the crown at just over 240 mph. Vern Schuppan won the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche's official factory team with Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood in a Rothmans Porsche 956, becoming only the second Australian to win the French classic. That victory became the foundation for an automotive venture that would consume £2 million in development costs and destroy his company. ## The Design Revolution Hidden In Plain Sight Schuppan commissioned three design studies before settling on a winning design from Mike Simcoe, then at Saturn. "Mike's design was streets ahead of the others. He was working for Saturn at the time in the US, going back and forth to England and not just designing the car but working on the buck, changing radii, spending all weekend on it." Michael Simcoe, born circa 1959-1960 in Melbourne, Australia, most recently served as General Motors' Vice President of Global Design. The 962CR featured an all-new body designed by Simcoe and incorporated styling cues from the fabulous 959, including a full-width hoop-style rear wing. The carbon monocoques were built entirely by Reynard Motorsport and the body by Schuppan. The all-carbon fiber chassis built by famed U.K. racing constructor Reynard was 2 inches wider to increase interior width. Ellipsoid headlights and a plunging neckline of a bonnet set between raised front wings. At the back, a hoop rear wing visually flows into taillights linked by a full-width reflector, much like the 959. ## The Japanese Connection That Doomed Everything Funding was provided by Japanese investors who supported Schuppan's race team that competed in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. Schuppan's company, Vern Schuppan Ltd., entered a joint venture with Japan's Art Sports Corporation, granting them exclusive worldwide distribution rights in exchange for backing a planned production run of 50 units. After delivery of the first production car they negotiated their commitment down to 20 cars on a "20-or-nothing" offer. VSL wobbled but survived, and a few months later AS sought to re-negotiate again, down to a 10-car commitment. AS dealt their 'coup de grace' and refused to take delivery of and pay for the next 2 cars. AS replaced the 962 CR badging with a Porsche crest and announced it had full worldwide rights to Porsche's supercar. As soon as Stuttgart heard the news, it immediately pulled the plug on its supply of parts, including 20 engines that were due to follow the five already delivered. Failure of payment from Japan for two cars, coupled with the high cost of construction and a worldwide economic recession, forced Schuppan to declare bankruptcy. Japan's "Bubble Economy" had all but burst by 1992, when the 962CR began assembly, effectively ending the production run at about 12 percent of the intended goal. ## The Engineering Truth Behind The Failure The only Porsche-sourced component was the engine, the same used in 962C North American IMSA car: the air-cooled, 3.3 liter, twin turbo version. Supplied by American race team Andial, the Mezger-designed, IMSA-spec, 3.4L flat-6 produced more than 600 HP, incorporated adjustable boost and promised a top speed of 215 MPH. Interior accommodations bordered on luxurious, incorporating plush leather upholstery, padded leather bucket seats, a sound system, air conditioning and a rear-view camera in place of the inside mirror. Unlike the minimalistic racing siblings, it was given air conditioning, parking sensors, power windows, rear mirrors, and an internal navigation system. After 2 years and $7 million in development only 6 out of an initially projected 50 Schuppans were made. Due in part to the worldwide downturn in the hypercar market, but also due to the astonishing $1.5 million asking price. The collapse of the Japanese economy combined with the car's sky-high production cost prevented the company from building the required units and led it to declare bankruptcy in 1994. Only six cars were built by that time. Unfortunately, one of the cars was eventually destroyed in a fire, and today, only five survived. ## The Legacy That Survived The Wreckage "Never," Schuppan laughs when asked about a continuation series. "I have no interest in getting back into that. It came close to destroying our lives." The 962CR remains as the only car Vern Schuppan has ever made. Schuppan reveals Porsche has sold models of the CR at its museum, so it's a pity the firm still doesn't officially recognise its illegitimate offspring. One of these cars was sold by a Chinese auction for over $5 million. Simcoe's design work on the 962CR became a stepping stone to his eventual leadership of General Motors global design operations. Following Ed Welburn's retirement announcement on April 8, 2016, Simcoe received the position of Vice President of Global Design, effective July 1, 2016. The failed supercar project that nearly destroyed Schuppan launched one of the automotive industry's most influential design careers. The 962CR stands as proof that the most interesting design stories emerge from constraint and failure. Six cars built instead of fifty. Bankruptcy instead of racing homologation. A design exercise that became automotive legend precisely because it couldn't survive the economics of its own ambition.