1977 Porsche 934.5 Coupe

This Porsche 934/5 was the last of the ten examples built. It was sold new via Southern California Porsche dealer Vasek Polak, to Ron Brown of Lake Oswego, Oregon. It made its racing debut in May 1977 at the Trans Am race at Kent, Washington where it was driven by Brown. There were two additional outings (with its best result at Portland in June) before Brown returned the car to Polak, who quickly resold it to Clifford 'Clif-O' Kearns of Lake Elsinore, California.

Mr. Kearns raced the Porsche under his Desperado Racing banner in IMSA's GTO class for the remainder of the 1977 season, earning Top 10 finishes at Sears Point and Pocono. At the Daytona Finale, he placed 3rd overall while sharing racing duties with Milt Minter.

In preparation for the 1978 IMSA season, the 934/5 was updated with 935-style bodywork by Dan McLaughlin's American International Racing (A.I.R.). Its first race of the season was at the 12 Hours of Sebring where it was piloted by Kearns, Marty Hinze, and Stephen Behr. Most of the driving duties throughout the year were by Kearns and Minter, with highlights including a 2nd Place finish at Daytona in July and a 3rd Place finish at Mid-Ohio in August.

At the Daytona Finale in November 1978, the car received minor damage and was soon sold to Dan McLaughlin who had the tub stripped, with many of the original suspension and drivetrain components used to build a new 935-specification racing car for the 1979 season.

After a few years, 930 770 0960 was repaired and, in the mid-1980s, it was sold to Kevin Jeanette whose Gunnar Racing completely restored the Porsche and returned it to its proper 1977 specification and Desperado Racing livery. It made its post-restoration debut in Desperado Racing livery in 2013 at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and later sold to its current caretaker. Since then, the Porsche has participated in several historic races, including multiple editions of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Rennsport Reunion V and VI. In 2021, it was invited to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, where it was displayed in a class celebrating the Porsche 935.

This Porsche 934.5 is currently powered by a 2,994cc SOHC flat 6-cylinder engine with Bosch Mechanical fuel injection and a single KKK turbocharger. It produces 485 horsepower at 7,000 RPM which is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed transaxle. There are four-wheel ventilated disc brakes and an independent suspension with coil-over shock absorbers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023

The last of 10 factory 934.5s built to race in the US (the 935 was not yet IMSA eligible in 1977), the 934.5 ran 935 wheels/and tires, rear wing and removable fender flares. The car was campaigned by Cliff Kearns and his Desperado Racing team in IMSA and Trans-Am in 1977 and 1978. Milt Minter would co-drive with Kearns during both seasons it campaigned. The car would finish on the podium in IMSA 3 times: second at the 1978 Paul Revere 250 and third-place finishes at the 1977 Daytona Finale and 1978 Mid-Ohio 250. At the end of 1978, the team was building up a new 935 for 1979 with AIR bodywork and a majority of the parts from this car were used on the new car.