A Rare Opportunity: 1987 Rothmans Porsche 962C Up for Sale
Images via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO
This 1987 Porsche 962C was successfully campaigned by Richard Lloyd Racing, driven by Porsche works driver Jochen Mass and has been restored to its iconic period Rothmans livery. It’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton ROFGO.
The car, Chassis 106/B, was originally run by Richard Lloyd Racing and contested the 1987 World Sportscar Championship, running in Liqui Moly livery for much of the second half of the season.
It first tasted victory on the Norisring, where it was driven by Mauri Baldi and Jonathan Palmer. The 200 Miles of Norisring ran in a somewhat unusual format and was made up of two 100-mile races, each driven by one member of the two-man driving team. Mauri Baldi won the first race, which was dominated by Porsche 962Cs. Raul Boesel pushed his Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8 ahead of teammate Jonathan Palmer in the second race, but Palmer was able to secure second, at the head of four 962Cs, and give the Liqui Moly Equipe team victory.
When the car made it to Brands Hatch for the Shell Gemini 1000 Kilometers Brands Hatch, Baldi and Johnny Dumfries would qualify third and return to the podium, finishing a well-fought second. With some fierce 962s contesting the championship, the team were beginning to build a reputation for their well-developed car.
Pole position for the 1987 1000 km of Nürburgring demonstrated outright pace, but Baldi and Palmer would slip to fifth on race day. Palmer put the car back on pole for the 1987 1000 km of Spa, setting a new sportscar lap record on the iconic circuit and breaking the 200 kilometer an hour barrier in the process. The race would be more difficult, however, with the pair leading comfortably until they were forced into retirement when transmission gremlins made their presence felt.
The championship concluded in Japan with the 1000 km of Fuji. Baldi paired with New Zealander Mike Thackwell for the race and 106/B ran under Matsuda Collection colours with joint Liqui Moly support. The team was again quick in qualifying and would finish the season on the podium with a third place.
Chassis 106/B had one more race in it for 1987 – the 500 Kilometers of Kyalami in South Africa, and this is where it would pick up its Rothmans Racing livery. The car was entered by Richard Lloyd Racing and sponsored by Rothmans. Porsche works driver Jochen Mass handled driving duties, and the team was assisted by the Porsche Factory, who also provided a works engine. Mass won the race in front of an appreciative South African crowd and ahead of some very fast Porsche 962 competition.
The car has been recently restored to the specification and livery it raced under that day at Kyalami. Both engine and gearbox are fully restored and have had no time on them since the completion of work. As part of the restoration, the car was crack tested to ensure that it’s in good racing shape.
Porsche 962C Chassis 106/B will be sold with an extensive history document that originally came from the Lloyd family, including contracts between Richard Lloyd Racing and sponsors Rothmans and Liqui Moly, as well as trophies earned in period. It’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton ROFGO, and you can find the full details on their website here.
Images via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO
