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| 20/01/2003 Porsche 959  Under the skin Back in the mid-1980s, the 959 gave a clear look into the automotive technology of the future. Rear-engined, with 450bhp available, it had variable four-wheel drive, complex traction control, variable ride height on the standard model, superb aerodynamics and anti-lock brakes. There simply wasn't anything else like it. Advantages of the design included superior safety in accidents, the 959's ability to turn into corners much more sharply than any front-engined cars could, its amazing traction and the fact that it remained extraordinarily stable in the corners. Despite all that power, it did not want to spin out. advertisement A steering column stalk enabled drivers to select one of four transmission modes of traction control: Dry, Wet, Snow or Traction. Basically, 80% of the of the drive went to the back wheels in normal, dry conditions. Working through these modes, a greater percentage of the drive was sent to the front until you got to 'Traction', in which everything was locked 50:50 front/rear to let the car crawl out of a slippery spot. The system was designed to ensure a smooth shift from one mode to another on the move and many foolproof systems were built into the 959's electronics to stop drivers damaging the machine by their mistakes. To ensure a positive turn into corners, drive to the front was always reduced under braking. An automatic/manual ride height control was fitted to the Comfort model but not to the Sport which sat permanently on the low setting. Further, to make it as light as possible, the Sport model did not include air conditioning, electric window lifters or electric seat adjustment. It also had less sound-proofing material. Accounts vary, but all these deletions from the specification produced a weight saving in the Sport model which was probably close to 100kg.  |
 All the bells and whistles  Under the skin  Driving  The facts:Porsche 959 (1987) |
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