Porsche Penske 963s Will Race At Sebring With '90s Throwback 911 GT1 Livery

It's a year of anniversaries for Porsche and Penske, and there's no better way to celebrate than drawing on decades of racing history to revive a beloved livery for its modern IMSA GTPs. Porsche Penske Motorsport's 963 prototypes will compete in throwback liveries harkening back to the 1996 Porsche 911 GT1 at this weekend's 12 Hours of Sebring. The team is certainly hoping to continue its success after winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

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While Porsche Motorsport marks its 75th anniversary and Team Penske commemorates its 60th anniversary, a third anniversary inspired the revival of this splashy paint job. It's been 30 years since Porsche first partnered with Mobil 1, and the 911 GT1 made its competitive debut that same year. The turbocharged flat-six-engined monster finished second and third at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only behind a privateer Joest Porsche WSC-95. Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, said in a release:

"The close and highly trusted partnership between Porsche and Mobil 1 has produced countless unforgettable moments and lasting innovations. We have always used competition on race tracks around the world to test technologies and push boundaries. Mobil 1 has accompanied us on this journey for 30 years as the ideal partner. This year's Sebring race and the special livery place this partnership in the spotlight. The anniversary also fits perfectly into our celebrations marking 75 years of Porsche Motorsport."

The Porsche 911 GT1 did eventually contest the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1998. The Champion Motors entry finished third with Thierry Boutsen, Bob Wollek and Andy Pilgrim sharing duties behind the wheel. That same year, Porsche was triumphant at Le Mans. However, the German manufacturer's effort at the French endurance classic centered around an all-new chassis known as the 911 GT1-98.

Alongside its racing exploits, many remember that Porsche was required to produce a street-legal version of the 911 GT1 to meet the FIA's homologation standards. While the regulation doesn't exist in any form for the contemporary top class of endurance racing, Porsche built a street-legal version of the 963 as a special one-off for Roger Penske. The true hypercar was produced for the 88-year-old billionaire as a nod to Count Rossi's street-legal Porsche 917. While the times change, some things just stay the same.