Schuppan 962CR Prototype, 1992. A project by Australian racecar driver Vern Schuppan to build a road-going hypercar based on the  Le Mans-winning Porsche 962 race car. It was powered by a twin-turbo 600hp water-cooled 3.3-litre Type-935 Porsche flat-6 similar to the engine that powered the 962. It was designed by Mike Simcoe (who is now General Motor's Vice President of Global Design) with a carbon fibre monocoque chassis built by Reynard Motorsport. Priced at $1.5 in 1994 it is among the most expensive vehicles ever sold new. Funding was provided by Japanese investors but the global economic recession of the early 1990s and high cost of the car's construction meant that when the financing dried up Schuppan was forced into bankruptcy. Including the prototype, 6 cars were built in all but one has been destroyed in a fire.

Vern Schuppan (Gulf - Mirage GR7 #701) 1000 km du Nürburgring - Nordschleife 1974. © Rainer Schlegelmilch / Motorsport. - source Carros e Pilotos.

Porsche 962 CR Schuppan

The Schuppan-Porsche 962CR, a road-going version of the Porsche 962, was the brainchild of Porsche factory driver and 1983 Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan and Toshio Terada, Managing Director of Art Sports, the high-performance car import and marketing division of Art Corporation, Japan. ‍ The two had a shared ambition to create the ultimate supercar. Art Sports had the marketing vision and Vern Schuppan Limited (VSL) the capability in design, R & D and manufacturing. The 962CR was a wildly ambitious project, which swallowed millions of dollars of R & D costs before being cruelly struck down by the stock market crash of 1992. As a result, only four of a projected fifty 962 CR chassis were ever produced, and this car was the last produced by Schuppan's original company VSL. ‍ The 962CR featured high tech carbon composite bodywork and moulded monocoque and was fitted with 500hp-plus 962/71 3.2 litre, fully air-cooled twin-turbo engine with catalytic converters and silencers. Transmission is via a racing 962 type 5-speed synchromesh gearbox with limited-slip differential.

From the custom ‘Team Schuppan’ brake callipers to the CRT TV - which display a live feed from the reversing camera - to the leather-trimmed suspension arm gators and headlamp pod surrounds, the 962CR is packed to the brim with fascinating and well-considered detailing and high build quality. The Schuppan 962CR was truly designed to be a usable and luxurious road version of the car that Porsche designed to win Le Mans.  ‍

Spark Model S0311 Mirage M9 #10 'Jacques Lafitte - Sam Posey - Vern Schuppan' 10th pl Le Mans 1978

Daily Forza Car #7: Schuppan Schuppan Schuppan!

We're headed to a land down under, both in terms of the game where it takes place and where this comes from. In the "glorious" deserts and landscapes of Mexico, we drive the Schuppan 962CR, an Australian sports car made as tribute to Vern Schuppan's wins at Le Mans and the All Sports Japan Championship in a Porsche, itself being based upon the 962.

From the era of low production number, high performance sports cars, this car fits in perfectly with the others from this era. Only 6 of them were made, priced at one of the highest sale costs of any car released, close to $2 mil when they released onto the market. Four are left, with only one of such existing in an undriven state in the US. Unfortunately.

If the lack of Schuppan being a household name, or something close to it, like Koenigsegg or Pagani wasn't enough of a sign, the brand dissolved pretty soon after the cars were made. Lack of funding and the economy tanking killed it quick, almost as quick as the car itself. But, in the end, we got a beautiful tribute to a Porsche, itself not being too far from handling like one.

Vern Schuppan driving his Gulf Mirage GR7 Ford at Le Mans. 1974. 📷 Mark Bisset - Pinterest #endurofriday #friday #thundermotorsports . . . DM for credits or support. Welcome! . . . #endurance #enduranceteam #longdistance #lemans #lasarthe #mulsanne #racing #racingblog #racingcar #racinghistory #car #vintage #vintageracing #classiccars #classicracing #motorsport #motorsports #motor #gearhead #petrolhead #motorhead #welcome #photooftheday #photo #pinterest #tumblr #daily (em Le Mans Classic) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmziHKspQfp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I know the whole nuance but probably takes longer to explain but why does it attract so many drivers from Oceania and Scandinavia?

So the first and biggest thing that applies is money. It is undeniably much cheaper to do IndyCar.

Really, I think if you look at all of the current drivers of the IndyCar field -- the reason that they are driving in IndyCar ultimately comes down to money. Even the drivers who expressly love IndyCar and went through the IndyCar ladder with the intention of racing in IndyCar -- RInus VeeKay and Kyle Kirkwood are first who come to my minds, did ultimately choose this path because it was cheaper and the ladder was more accessible.

But there also is a history of success that both Scandinavia and Oceanian (I think that's the correct term?) drivers can look to -- the Scott Dixon effect is Real, there were also Aussies Geoff Brabham and Vern Schuppan. Kenny Bräck, a Swede won the Indy 500 in 1999.

But I think it really does generally come down to money (and in a similar vein, opportunities).

I think I might've made my original answer seem like there were more interesting reasons which I apologize for lol

💥1992 Schuppan 962CR Prototype💥 A project by Australian racecar driver Vern Schuppan to build a road-going hypercar based on the  Le Mans-winning Porsche 962 race car. A twin-turbo 600hp powered it water-cooled 3.3-litre Type-935 Porsche flat-6 similar to the engine that powered the 962. It was designed by Mike Simcoe (now General Motors' Vice President of Global Design) with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis built by Reynard Motorsport. Priced at $1.5M in 1994, it is among the most expensive vehicles ever sold new. Japanese investors provided funding, but the global economic recession of the early 1990s and the high cost of the car's construction meant that when the financing dried up, Schuppan was forced into bankruptcy. Including the prototype, six cars were built in all, but one was destroyed in a fire. • • Visit www.Story-Cars.com • • #storycars #conceptcar #conceptcars #prototype #porsche #962 #schuppan #962cr #schuppan962cr #mikesimcoe #vernschuppan 📸/📚: @bingo_international @bingo_japan https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnubop8pFLY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Rothmans Porsche boys acting completely unhinged as they try to cope with the humidity and heat | 800 km of Selangor, Malaysia, 1985

Featuring Derek stripping in the rain, Jochen shoving a tube in his crotch for ventilation and Jacky not appreciating the nosey cameraman.

Vern Schuppan / Al Holbert / Hurley Haywood Porsche 956 24 Hours of Le Mans 18-19 June 1983

Vern Schuppan (#33) drives away from Bill Whittington (#90) at the Indianapolis 500. CART PPG Indy Car World Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1981 Indianapolis 500

Arrêt au stand de Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (Gulf - Mirage GR8 #802) 3éme avec Vern Schuppan des 24 heures du Mans 1975. - source Carros e Pilotos.

A collection of attempts to change the Porsche 962 from an obsolete prototype racer into a street legal sports car.

1st: DP Motorsports DP62, one of several attempts to turn this Group C/GTP machine into a plaything for the road, by a German tuning company. 650 horsepower and only 1040 kg. Super schnell, indeed.

2nd: Dauer 962 LM, a successful attempt by Porsche to get the 962 back into competition by exploiting ACO homologation regulations and their lack of minimum production numbers. Won overall, because it was a Group C prototype running against normal sports cars.

3rd: Schuppan 962CR. Vern Schuppan wanted to celebrate a Le Mans victory from ten years prior, so he tried his hand at making a run of six supercars. Went bankrupt soon after. Unique because it’s the only one that got bodywork to make it not just look like a repainted race car.

4th: Koenig C62. The first of these race cars with license plates. Supposedly they could turn the wick up to about 800 horsepower if you wanted it, which sounds like a great way to die. Appropriate for a company that would also sell you a 1000 horsepower Testarossa if you gave them enough cocaine money.

Bonus: A normal 962 race car registered for road use.

Vern Schuppan recognised at Australian Hall of Fame Booleroo Centre in the Flinders Ranges, about 280km north of Adelaide, has never been home to more than a few hundred people, and none more famous than Vern Schuppan.

Vern Schuppan’s 962CR! 

Vern Schuppan recognised at Australian Hall of Fame Booleroo Centre in the Flinders Ranges, about 280km north of Adelaide, has never been home to more than a few hundred people, and none more famous than Vern Schuppan.