Proton reveals retro-inspired livery for Porsche 963 in WEC

Proton will run the red, white and black colours of new sponsor F.A.T. International on its customer LMDh car this year, bringing back an iconic Porsche paint scheme to the top echelon of sportscar racing.

The livery entered the racing folklore in the 1980s and 90s when it used to adorn one of Joest Porsche’s works cars on both sides of the Atlantic, competing in classics such as the Daytona 24 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours.

More famously, F.A.T. International, then a French logistics company, sponsored the Dauer 962 that scored an outright victory at Le Mans in 1994 with Yannick Dalmas, Hurley Haywood and Mauro Baldi.

The Dauer 962 had a radical story behind it, as it was originally conceived as a road car based on the legendary Porsche challenger. Later on, a racing version of the Dauer 962 was developed for the post-WSC era with support from the German manufacturer, bringing the car to a full circle.

The F.A.T. International company, which dictated the livery as part of its sponsorship agreement, is no longer present in the same form, but the brand name has been revived to host events and promote an automotive culture.

It’s this new company that is sponsoring Proton and lending the iconic livery to the squad, which will be one of the two customer Porsche teams on the Hypercar grid this year along with Jota.