When chassis 962-012 first rolled out, it didn’t look like the Porsches that came before it. The familiar silhouette was there, but the details told another story. A towering standalone rear wing replacing the sleek integrated design, new bodywork shaped for downforce rather than sheer top speed, and updates under the skin that included higher output engines and improved radiator flow guides. It was Porsche’s prototype DNA evolving in real time, and it made this car one of the most distinctive 962s ever built.
Built for Joest Racing, 962-012 became the team’s primary entry for the 1990 World Sports Prototype Championship. Sponsored by Blaupunkt, it lined up at all nine rounds, with Bob Wollek and Frank Jelinski sharing driving duties. A best result of fourth at Silverstone helped Joest finish fifth in the team standings, proving that even without “official” factory backing, this was still one of the best-prepared 962Cs in the world.
The following season, 962-012 appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in full F.A.T. International livery. Driven by a roster that included legends Derek Bell, Hans Stuck, Bob Wollek, Bernd Schneider, Frank Jelinski, and John Winter, the car brought home a respectable seventh overall. It later contested the European Interserie Cup, with John Winter the pseudonym of German businessman Louis Krages handling most of its races in 1991.
Today, 962-012 remains one of the last factory-built examples of the legendary Porsche prototype era, and AO Racing continues to campaign it in historic events. Seeing it run again offers a rare glimpse of Porsche’s shift from the sleek, speed focused designs of the 1980s into the high downforce, big wing monsters that defined the sport in the early ’90s.
The influence of 962-012 hasn’t stayed confined to the past. Alongside it sits a modern counterpart, the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, finished in the same striking F.A.T. livery. Though not raced in period, this RSR serves as a rolling tribute to both Porsche’s history and the sponsor that became inseparable from it.
Driven by Ferdi Porsche in the GT Exhibition at Laguna Seca, this car links eras in more ways than paint. F.A.T. International, once a logistics company backing Porsche entries across the 1980s and ’90s, has evolved into a cultural brand for enthusiasts reviving the look, feel, and spirit of Porsche’s golden racing years. On the RSR’s broad hips and aggressive aero, the livery feels less like nostalgia and more like a continuation of the story.
Together, the two cars tell a rare story of heritage and homage. One is a late era 962 that pushed Porsche’s prototype design into its final evolution; the other, a modern GT machine carrying its colors into a new age of motorsport culture. Side by side, they show how Porsche’s past doesn’t just sit in museums it still breathes on the track.
