---
title: "High Costs Forced Porsche to Shelve V8 Super Turbo 911 Project"
description: "Designed to be an affordable version of the Porsche 959, the 965 project was halted during the prototype stage due to costs."
date: "2021-12-04"
modified: "2021-12-04"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin V. Shaw"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kristin-shaw"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/43384/high-costs-forced-porsche-to-shelve-v8-super-turbo-911-project"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Porsche News"
tags:
  - "911"
  - "Coupe"
  - "luxury"
  - "porsche"
  - "sports car"
---

# High Costs Forced Porsche to Shelve V8 Super Turbo 911 Project

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/12/Porsche-HERO.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

[Inside the super-modern steel-and-glass building of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany](<https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/11375/take-a-peek-inside-the-porsche-museum>) sits the “Black Bomber,” which is the last remaining prototype of the 965 model. Intended to sit between the Porsche [911 Turbo](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38940/this-normal-looking-nineties-carrera-is-the-only-bulletproof-911-porsche-ever-made>) and [959](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/36757/how-the-porsche-959-and-918-supercars-became-ultimate-test-beds-for-go-fast-tech>), the 965 was envisioned to contain a water-cooled V8 in the rear.

Known for its [flat-six engines](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37832/the-2021-porsche-911-gt3-keeps-the-4-0l-n-a-flat-six-and-weighs-3152-pounds-wet>), the German automaker went down the V8 path and called this car the 965 internally. According to [YouTuber Lee Sibley of *9Werks TV*](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY8S0CFYIpQ>), Porsche built 16 prototypes of the 965. However, the project was shelved due to high development costs, and only the Black Bomber remains.

![message-editor%2F1638651489805-porscheinline1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1638651489805-porscheinline1.jpg>)
**9WERKS TV screencap**

Porsche’s [impressive-but-pricey 959](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38391/behold-the-porsche-959-family-that-dominated-the-dakar-rally>) was to be supplanted by the 965, which was designed to be better aligned with the average Porsche buyer’s budget. It included some 959 features, like a self-leveling suspension and four-wheel drive. The goal: ultra high performance and still affordable. That’s a big ask.

Inside the G-body prototype, an engineer had made some notes about the heat system; it’s still displayed on the dash. At each point, the 965 looks like various Porsche models with influence from the 993 and 928 along with the overall 959 shape.

https://youtube.com/embed/GY8S0CFYIpQ

Development costs began to spiral past a comfortable point for Porsche bean counters, and in the end, the 965 project was shuttered in December of 1988 by then-CEO Ulrich Bez. It wasn’t a total loss, however. Later on, the 965 mule was used for the continuous exploration of water cooling with a rear engine design, with a particular reference to thermal efficiency, Sibley says in the video.

And ultimately, with a look toward the future of water-cooled Porsche models, the 965 showed what was possible on the 911 platform. [Vintage Porsche models from this era are selling for big bucks](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/14771/theres-an-ultra-rare-porsche-959-komfort-for-sale-for-1-3-million>), more now than ever. Meanwhile, this prototype is now irreplaceable and thus priceless.

*Got a tip? Comment below or send a note to kristin.shaw@thedrive.com.*

## Author
Kristin Shaw is the former Weekend Editor for The Drive and a current freelancer in both the automotive and aviation worlds. She’s a big fan of anything car-related and calls on her technology background on the corporate side to explain engineering and high-tech concepts. Now living in her sixth state (New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and now Texas), she is thrilled that working from home is now mainstream.

### Author social links  
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