JOTA Sport, winners of the most recent round of the World Endurance Championship at Spa, will be represented at Friday’s Le Mans preview ‘Evening with’ in the shape of its spectacular looking Porsche 963.
Scramble goers will have seen the six-hour scrum around the car in Sports Purpose’s building in April 2023, but this will be a rare opportunity to see it in exclusive company.
Since that appearance, Will Stevens and Callum Ilott scored the pre-Le Mans round win and JOTA's first in the Hypercar category of the WEC, leaving a raft of works teams in their wake. The win has left the privateer in charge of the teams' championship, and the two victorious Brits second overall in the drivers' standings.
The car is dressed in the striking gold of Hertz race cars of old, recalling the Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s. The car-hire firm had a fleet of Shelby Mustang GT 350s, or specifically 350Hs, that could be booked for $17 a day – ‘the alliance between Shelby and Hertz has eliminated the necessity of owning a sports car’, reckoned Car and Driver. You had to show an ‘I drive stick’ card to book them… Black with gold stripes came as standard.
The number on the side, including the cult-hero 38, was designed by our good friend Jake Yorath. Which makes the Motorsport Assembly mascot and the JOTA sort of cousins.
The fin wears the script of good friend and former Bicester Heritage resident Singer Vehicle Design, who coincidentally provided a Turbo Study for last year’s Porsche 911 @ 60 ‘evening with’ display.
You’ll see the JOTA Porsche 963 by the stage in Hangar 113 at the ‘Evening with’ on Friday 24 May, where Nick Trott will interview former racer Peter Dumbreck and Radio Le Mans commentator John Hindhaugh. Due to unexpected testing requirements in America, Harry Tincknell will no longer be on the panel.
A Jaguar C-type, two vintage Bentleys from Kingsbury Racing and the NIO EP9 record car will also be on display.
