Porsche 935
Porsche 935K3 | |
---|---|
Porsche Carrera RSR (1974) | |
Successor | Porsche 961 |
The Porsche 935 is a race car that was developed and manufactured by German automaker
Beginning with the
Usually, no other make could challenge the 935, as other manufacturers did not supply customer cars as Porsche did. Each race, at the time, typically featured at least five 935s. The 935 used a
The second generation of the 935 started a limited-production to just 77 units, with customer deliveries in June 2019.
935/76
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Porsche935_%281976-early_version%29_pits.jpg/220px-Porsche935_%281976-early_version%29_pits.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Porsche_935_Coup%C3%A9_-_Rennwagen_im_EFA-Museum_f%C3%BCr_Deutsche_Automobilgeschichte_in_Amerang_im_Chiemgau_%287555139542%29.jpg/220px-Porsche_935_Coup%C3%A9_-_Rennwagen_im_EFA-Museum_f%C3%BCr_Deutsche_Automobilgeschichte_in_Amerang_im_Chiemgau_%287555139542%29.jpg)
For 1976, endurance racing had two world championships: the
Each championship had seven races, with only Dijon hosting both on the same weekend, while on two other weekends, the races were even run in different countries, which forced Porsche to divide its resources. Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass were the main drivers, when the F1 schedule permitted. Rolf Stommelen, who was recovering from his bad crash in the 1975 Spanish GP, was the backup, along with Manfred Schurti.
Under
In addition to the naturally aspirated 340 hp (250 kW) Carrera RSR introduced in 1974, Porsche offered a customer racing version of the 911 Turbo prepared for the more standard
After the second race, the CSI rule makers insisted that the "whale tail" hood of the road-going 930 must fit on the race car. The air-to-air intercooler setup under the rear hood had to be altered to a more compact air-to-water layout, which cost Porsche several weeks of testing and half a million Deutsche marks.[7]
The hastily modified 935 again won the pole and fastest lap at the
Initially, Porsche ran the 935 with the 911's original fender-mounted headlights, in two different guises: a sprint version with a wider version of its wheel arches, and a high speed version with modified aerodynamics. The sprint setup was rarely used. However, after carefully studying the rulebooks, Porsche engineers, namely Norbert Singer, discovered a loophole regarding the modifications of fenders that gave them the liberty to remove the headlights to reduce drag and create more downforce, to which the venting slits contribute. This "flat nose" (also known as the "slant nose") with headlights in the front spoiler, became the distinguishing feature of the 935 and was later offered on the roadgoing 930 as the flachbau, or "flatnose", part of Porsche's sonderwunsch, or "special wish" program. Also, the 935 now had extended "long tail" rear fenders, similar to the low drag setup seen years earlier on the Carrera RS. These fenders also offered more space for engine periphery and efficient cooling.
The 1,000 km Nürburgring, usually consisting of 44 laps, was run in 1976 as a 47 lap 1,073 km race, putting even more strain on the new Group 5 machinery. With Mass and Ickx being at the 1976 Monaco Grand Prix, Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti stepped in to drive the 935 which by now had the new look it became famous for. With the help of higher turbo boost, Stommelen qualified the 935 on the pole with a stunning 7:37.5[9] (see List of Nordschleife lap times (racing)), while the BMW turbo did not take part. The fastest of only nine race laps was just over eight minutes, though, as the engine was not sorted out, and vibrations caused ignition failure. Again, a reliable Schnitzer Motorsport-entered naturally aspirated BMW CSL took the win, with the customer 934 of Loos salvaging valuable second place points for Porsche.
The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans counted towards neither world championship, but Le Mans was often considered the real championship. For that race, it was possible to use the 935's well-tested original engine setup.[10] The main battle was between the sportscars, with a Renault Alpine setting the pole. The 935 driven by Stommelen and Schurti qualified third and, despite the weight and drag of a Group 5 silhouette, finished fourth overall, with one of the Porsche 936s taking the win.
At Zeltweg, Ickx was back, setting the pole, but the throttle link broke before mid-race.
In Dijon, the turbo of BMW Motorsport was back, now with the 3.5 L CSL, and this time the fast Swedes Peterson and Nilsson put it on the pole, half a second ahead of Ickx. Again the transmission was not as strong as the Bavarian Motor Works 750 hp engine, failing before the first of the six hours had passed. Three 935s plus two Group 5 spec 934/5s won ahead of the best normally aspirated BMW. The 935 and 936 had each won its championship, and Le Mans, too. The age of turbocharged engines had begun in endurance racing.
935/77
935/77A customer
Based on the 1976 version, thirteen Porsche 935/77A
The DRM was a drivers' championship, and with equal Porsche customer cars, no other competitor could dominate, which meant that despite the customer 934 of 1976 and the 935 since 1977 dominating their division, the championship was often decided in favour of a small division pilot. Kremer went on to develop yet another special 935, the K2, and also ran the optional 3.0L engine offered by Porsche, which was connected with sixty kg more minimum weight.
Porsche also sold slightly modified customer cars in 1978[13] and 1979.[14]
935/77 works
After having won both world championships in 1976, Porsche focused on Le Mans. Due to a lack of competition in 1976, Porsche decided not to defend its sportscar championship with the 936 in 1977, leaving it to the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33. The series would be demoted to a European series in 1978 before being discontinued.
In the
In the WCM season opening 24 hour Daytona, the old car was entered, but tyre failures caused a DNF, with an older RSR 3.0 taking the win in front of two customer 935's. The new car body was changed significantly to lower drag, resulting in a 10 km/h higher top speed at Paul Ricard, where it covered 3,500 km in tests at speed, lapping three to four seconds faster. The front fenders, which in 1976 had followed the hood, now protruded above the hood line, and also accommodated mirrors. The rear fenders were altered, but the biggest change was the addition of a second rear window above the standard one. This allowed cleaner air flow to the rear wing under which the single turbo was later replaced by two
The works 935/77 qualified sixth at the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans, behind the Renault Alpines and the 936s, but engine troubles ended their race early. As in 1976, a 936 won after the turbo powered sportscars chased each other into troubles. This time, a customer 935 finished third overall.
935/77 2.0
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Porsche_935-77_Baby_in_the_Porsche-Museum_%282009%29_IMG_7412.jpg/220px-Porsche_935-77_Baby_in_the_Porsche-Museum_%282009%29_IMG_7412.jpg)
The 935/77 body style was used also for winning one race in the small 2.0 litre Div. II of the DRM (predecessor to the DTM), to prove that Porsche could also compete in that class. In Div. I, the customer 935s raced each other, and German TV announced that at the Norisring, it would thus cover only the Div. II race. Porsche engineers were sent to the drawing boards to reduce the capacity of the air-cooled flat-six to 1,425 cc. The power output of the engine was 261 kW (355 PS; 350 hp). The weight could be lowered to 750 kg (1,650 lb) according to rules in this class. To achieve this, large parts of the chassis were replaced by a tubular aluminium space frame.
At the time, Zakspeed-Ford and Schnitzer-BMW were in transition from the naturally aspirated 2.0 L 4-cylinder engine rated at about 224 kW (305 PS; 300 hp) to 1.4 litre turbocharged engines rated at an excess of 261 kW (355 PS; 350 hp). These engines would later move on to Formula One, with the BMW powerplant winning the 1983 F1 Championship, and becoming the strongest F1 engine ever, producing up to 1,500 hp (1,119 kW; 1,521 PS) in qualifying trim.[15][16][17]
In the first outing at Norisring[18][19] in early July 1977, both the new car with Jacky Ickx behind the wheel had problems due to overheating. Skipping the Diepholz airfield round, Porsche sorted the car out for the DRM support race[20][21] of the 1977 German Grand Prix at the fast Hockenheimring (long version). In changing weather conditions, Jacky Ickx set pole by almost three seconds and won with 50 seconds, setting fastest lap in the process. With its mission accomplished, the Porsche 935/77 2.0 (chassis 935/2-001) was retired to the Porsche Museum.
935 L1
Following the factory effort of the 935/77, Porsche privateer Jan Lundgardh wanted to enter the 935/77 in the
935/78 "Moby Dick"
For 1978, a third and final version of the 935 was developed, the 935/78, intended only for Le Mans. Due to the head gasket failures of the 1977 version, Porsche parted with their air cooling tradition and introduced water-cooled cylinder heads in the 1978 engine, and equipped them with four valves as well. The capacity was enlarged to 3.2 L, increasing its output to 559–634 kW (760–862 PS; 750–850 hp).[2] The weight, which was less important on the Le Mans straights, had to be 1,030 kg now. As this track, like most, was run clockwise, the driver seat was moved over to the right side for better weight distribution and sight in right-hand corners, like Dunlop, Tertre Rouge and Mulsanne, another distinctive feature of the 1978 model.
The new car again took full advantage of a new loophole in the Group 5 rules, of which BMW took advantage of and cut the floor pan of their car to mount the exhaust system at the front of the engine. Keeping this fact in view, the whole floor pan of the 935 was cut away, and the body was lowered by 10 cm (3.9 in). The gearbox was mounted upside down to reduce the angle of the drive shafts. As the rules did not limit the forward extension of the rear aerodynamic devices, Porsche even added fairings to the doors, bridging the gap between the front and rear fenders. These were shortened later, covering only the front third of the doors. Because of its white color and long tail shape optimised for low drag, the 935/78 was often nicknamed Moby-Dick.
With this version, the pair of Mass/Ickx won the test race, the 6 hours of Silverstone Circuit, the pole (1:22,38) and fastest lap (1:23,98 or 202,519 km/h), being only 4 seconds slower than the corresponding times of James Hunt in the 1977 British Grand Prix, which covered only a quarter of the distance.
At the
Awaiting rule changes taking effect in 1982, Porsche did not officially enter in 1979 or 1980, granting only some limited support to customer efforts with the 935, 936 and even decade-old 908 and 917, mainly in form of spare parts, engines and know-how, which by then was rather dated. Factory racing was mainly done with the 924 turbo variants called the Carrera GT, with limited success.
Private non-factory-built replica cars of the 1977 body style and the "Moby Dick" were entered in DRM and IMSA in following years by Joest Racing, Moretti racing and John Fitzpatrick Racing.[citation needed]
935 K2, K3 and K4 by Kremer
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Wollek_Porsche_935_2007.jpg/220px-Wollek_Porsche_935_2007.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/1981_Porsche_935_K3.jpg/220px-1981_Porsche_935_K3.jpg)
As Porsche hesitated to sell their Evolution models, some teams developed their own ideas, especially Kremer Racing from Cologne, Germany. Parallel to the factory in 1976, they had built a 935 K1, and in 1977, modified their customer 935 to the K2. For 1979, they introduced the 935 K3 (for "Kremer Type 3"; the derivative of the successful K2). Driven mainly by Klaus Ludwig, it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, beating all prototypes, in heavy rain, which is usually considered a disadvantage for race cars with windshields. Coming in second was a factory spec model, driven by Rolf Stommelen, and supported by team owner Dick Barbour and actor Paul Newman.
A total of 13 complete K3 cars were built by Kremer Racing. Kits were also made available to allow other 935s to be updated to K3 specification.
Facing strong competition in the 1980 DRM by the
A 935 K2 was converted to street legal specification and featured identical to the 935/78 "Moby Dick". The 1986 K2 which was 1 of only 12 imported into the U.S. at the time is currently owned by Peter Lima of Real Muscle car of Miami.[28] Originally purchased by the owner of Golds Gym in 1986 from Auto Saloon 2000 in Miami for nearly US$200,000. The unrestored 190 mph+ Porsche has been untouched since 88' when he was indicted for the distribution of illegal drugs. The specific Kremer K2 was auctioned off at Mecum Monterey Auction 2015 for an unknown amount.[29]
Success and legacy
Through 1984 the 935 won over 150 races worldwide, including more than 20 class wins. It scored an overall win in the
In 1982
The Moby Dick engine was the basis for an all-watercooled 2.65 L engine intended for the Indy 500, but rule makers there, remembering the dominance of the Porsche 917/10 turbo and 935, limited its boost so it would not be competitive against domestic machinery. Instead, the engine was used in the 1981 Le Mans winning 936/81, and in the 956 and 962C which would dominate the mid-1980s. Starting in 1999, this engine block forms the basis of the successful motorsport GT, and Turbo models before being phased out completely in the 991 generation 911.
After Group 5 was discontinued by FIA after 1982, the 935 continued to race in IMSA's GTP category, usually entered by smaller privateer names, who were not permitted by IMSA regulations to race the new Group C 956 because of the footbox location relative to the front axle (footbox was ahead, in violation of the IMSA rule where it must be behind the front axle). Due to this, the 962 was introduced to the US market in 1984, fitted with the 935 air-cooled single-turbo engine. With the appearance of GTP cars in 1981, the 935 was still competitive through 1983. Later in 1984 the 962 appeared and wrote another history. By 1985 the days of the 935 were mostly over, as it could hardly be modified to a groundeffect design even with a tube frame chassis, with the rear-mounted flat 6 prohibiting a diffuser, an issue which also affects modern 911 race cars.[citation needed] Only a handful of 935's remained, and the car was no longer competitive with the already developed GTP cars. The last major victory for the 935 was in the 1984 12 Hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTP class against purpose built prototypes. The 935 was seen in two races in the 1986 season. The 935 can still be seen on the track throughout North America and Europe in historic racing and hill climbs.
The four-wheel-drive 959, and its racing counterpart 961, can be considered high-tech successors to the 935, but Group B never got a circuit racing series, and was only used in rallying before being banned there due to a fatal accident. The 1980s had few racing opportunities for turbocharged 911 cars, which often were fitted with 935-style bodywork. Being run by amateurs at the Nürburgring in VLN endurance and in the 24 hours race, they were often banned, or at least slowed down by rules.
The 1990s
The Porsche 935 is still raced in championships alongside more modern cars, such as the GT Cup Championship, in which Richard Chamberlain pilots a replica 935 for CTR Developments in the GTO class, which utilises a Porsche 962 engine on a 911E chassis.[30]
935 (second generation - 2019)
The second generation of the 935 based on the
The car has a gearshift lever with laminated wood design, a carbon fibre steering wheel and the colour display from the 2019
The vehicle was unveiled in 2018 at the
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Porsche 935 atLaguna Secain 2018
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Porsche 935 at 2020 Canadian International AutoShow
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Porsche 935 at 2020 Canadian International AutoShow
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Porsche 935 at the London Concours at the Honourable Artillery Company
References
- ^ "Porsche 935". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ a b c "Porsche Legenden der Leidenschaft - Porsche Deutschland". Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG - Porsche Deutschland. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14.
- ^ "RETROSPECTIVE>> TURBO TERRORS: THE PORSCHE 935 PT.1". Speedhunters. 2008-09-15. Archived from the original on 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Lothar Boschen, Jürgen Barth: Das Große Buch der Porsche Typen, Motorbuch Verlag, 1983, p. 700
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - World Championship 1976". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - Porsche 935 chassis numbers". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Lothar Boschen, Jürgen Barth: Das Große Buch der Porsche Typen, Motorbuch Verlag, 1983, p. 694
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - World Championship 1976". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - World Championship 1976". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "Porsche 935 1976 & 77 Seasons". Qv500.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-09. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "Porsche 935 77 Customer". Qv500.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "1977 Cars". Homepage.mac.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "Porsche 935 '78 'Customer'". Qv500.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "Porsche 935 '79 'Customer'". Qv500.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (14 April 2020). ""We had wheelspin in fourth gear": How to drive the most powerful F1 car ever". racefans.net. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- Autoevolution. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ Markel, Andrew (5 January 2017). "The BMW M12: One Horsepower Per One CC". underhoodservice.com. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "1977 DRM - round 6". Homepage.mac.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - DRM 1977". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "1977 DRM - round 8". Homepage.mac.com. 1977-07-30. Archived from the original on 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - DRM 1977". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ a b c d "Unique Porsche 935 L1 "Baby" for sale". RMD. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b "1980 Porsche 935 "Baby" L1". Artcurial. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "The 1981 Porsche 935 L1 « Baby » from the 24 Hours of Le Mans for sale". lookcharms.com. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ Leffingwell, Randy (2005). Porsche 911: Perfection by Design. Motorbooks. p. 155.
- ^ "1980-1981 GROUP 5 CARS: PORSCHE 935, BMW M1 Turbo, FORD CAPRI ZAKSPEED, FORD ESCORT TURBO, BMW 320 TURBO, etc". Imca-slotracing.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Lothar Boschen, Jürgen Barth: Das Große Buch der Porsche Typen, Motorbuch Verlag, 1983, p. 705
- ^ "Real Muscle car of Miami".
- ^ "Porsche Kremer K2 Monterey".
- ^ "The 1970s Porsche taking the fight to modern GT3s". Autosport. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Motorsport News, Clubsport race car with 700 hp at the anniversary of 70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars, Summary - World premiere: Exclusive new edition of the Porsche 935
- ^ New Porsche 935 Pays Powerful Tribute to the Past
- ^ New Porsche 935 debuts at Rennsport Reunion, based on 911 GT2 RS
- ^ World premiere: Exclusive new edition of the Porsche 935
External links
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