Porsche's return to top-class prototype racing after more than two decades away from factory LMP1 competition arrived in January 2023, when the 963 made its race debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Eighteen months later, on 15–16 June 2024, two factory 963s lined up at Circuit de la Sarthe for the centenary running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This 1:18 die-cast by IXO Models captures one of those cars exactly as it appeared that weekend.
The Porsche 963: LMDh Architecture and a Loaded Name
Developed jointly by Porsche AG and Multimatic, the 963 sits at the top of the LMDh ruleset, homologated for both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Its 4.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8, internally coded 9RD, produces approximately 500 kW combined with the mandatory Bosch/Williams Advanced Engineering hybrid unit. The designation 963 is deliberate: it references the 956/962 dynasty, the 963 cc displacement of the first Porsche engine, and the 1986 Porsche 959 — three pillars of the marque's identity encoded in a single number.
Car No. 4, Circuit de la Sarthe, June 2024
Porsche Penske Motorsport — the factory programme run jointly by Porsche Motorsport and Team Penske — entered two 963s for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. Car No. 4 was assigned to Mathieu Jaminet (France), Felipe Nasr (Brazil) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain), all contracted Porsche works drivers competing across WEC and IMSA. The trio ran their 963 in the white and red Porsche Penske Motorsport livery with prominent Porsche and Penske corporate branding throughout the 24-hour distance.
IXO Models Renders the 963 in 1:18 Die-Cast
IXO Models is a long-established producer of motorsport replicas across multiple scales, with a catalogue spanning decades of endurance racing history. This 1:18 scale model car is constructed in die-cast metal and depicts the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry as it ran at Le Mans in June 2024 — Jaminet, Nasr and Tandy livery markings included. The choice of 1:18 gives sufficient real estate for the Porsche wordmark, race number graphics and the sponsor identification that define the car's visual identity at a glance.
Placing the 963 in a Porsche Endurance Collection
With 19 outright victories at Le Mans, Porsche holds the record for most wins at Circuit de la Sarthe — and this model represents the factory's current-generation contender at the race's centenary edition. It pairs naturally with replicas of the Porsche 919 Hybrid No. 1 (Bamber/Bernhard/Webber, the 2017 outright winner) and classic 956 and 962 entries from the 1980s. For collectors who focus on driver careers, it also links to Jaminet, Nasr and Tandy's IMSA programme in the same Porsche 963 platform, offering a cross-series narrative within a single marque collection.
