Canepa and his 800-horsepower Porsche 959 SC

The Porsche 959 was the greatest supercar the world had seen when it was first put on sale in the mid-1980s. Yet here in America, it wasn't possible to buy one — at first. Enter Bruce Canepa. With help from a friend, Canepa was able to purchase one and drive it in the states on a tourist Visa, and the rest is history. Following that fateful year, he embarked on a journey to federalize the 959 with customers including Bill Gates, and since then has worked tirelessly to make 959s legal here for whoever can purchase one — and also modify them to be the best that they can be. In the video above, Canepa talks about what he did to bring the 959 onto our streets plus what he is currently doing to boost the power output while keeping them street legal. Watch what it's like to be the forerunner on the Porsche 959.