1976 Porsche 934 Coupe

Thirty-one examples of the Porsche 934 were built and sold to private racing teams to compete in national and international series. This particular example was completed in December 1975 and was the second 934 built. Wearing an orange livery, it was sold new through Max Moritz to Egon Evertz who campaigned it in many FIA World Championship events and in the German DRM series, though it debuted in the US at the 24 Hours of Daytona in February 1976. Evertz and Leo Kinnunen raced it at Mugello in March of 1976 where they placed 3rd Overall and 1st in Class, securing the model's first win in a Group 4 race. Next, Evertz raced it at Vallelunga, and then at Silverstone where - fitted with a Group 5 conversion kit - it placed 3rd Overall. This was followed by a DNF at Nürburgring and disqualification at Zeltweg.

Evertz was supported by the Porsche factory for the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, as the Munich-based company had a slight lead over BMW in the FIA World Championship at the time, with 82 points to BMW's 78 points. Hoping to fend off the competition, Porsche entered a second works 935 which ultimately took the outright victory. Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx in the second Works 935 placed third behind Evertz's 934. The final race for the World Championship for Makes was at Dijon, with the top three positions being secured by 935s. Evertz and Kinnunen placed 4th Overall.

Evertz continued to race the 934 in local DRM races, often in upgraded Group 5 specifications.

After the 1976 season, the car was acquired by Swedish driver Kenneth Leim who had it painted white and campaigned it with co-drivers Kurt Simonsen and Lella Lombardi throughout 1978 and 1979. Near the close of 1979, it was purchased by Englishman Richard Cleare and had Porsche specialist Autofarm carry out a comprehensive rebuild to prepare it for further endurance racing. The freshened 934 made its debut at Brands Hatch in 1980, and captured class wins at Silverstone, Vallelunga, and Dijon with co-driver Tony Dron.

The car continued to compete with mixed results throughout 1981. For the 1982 season, Cleare had the cylinder heads modified to run mechanical fuel injection instead of the original CIS system. With this more potent configuration, the 934 won its class at Monza and placed 2nd in Class at Silverstone. The car's next outing was at the 24 Hours of LeMans where Cleare was joined by Dron, and Jones. After covering 2,466.97 miles at an average of 102.79 mph, it had won its class and placed 13th overall. Dron had a fast lap time of 4.04.08, the fastest ever recorded at Le Mans in a 934.

Following Le Mans, the 934 continued to expand upon its racing resume, placing 2nd in Class at Spa and 1st in Class at Brands Hatch.

In 1983, the car was sold to the U.S. and after passing through a dealership in Georgia, it was sold to California-based Porsche collector Dave Morse in 1985. While in his care, it competed in club events and was given an extensive, show-quality restoration. It made its restoration debut in 1989 at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in celebration of the Porsche 50th anniversary celebration.

Matthew Drendel acquired the Porsche 934 in the early 2000s. It was shown at the Rennsport Reunion II where it won Best in Class, followed by an appearance at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Since then, it has entered the care of two private owners before being brought to Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach Auction in 2022.

This Porsche is powered by a 2,994cc SOHC flat six-cylinder engine with Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection, a single KKK turbocharger, and produces 485 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. There is a four-speed manual transaxle and four-wheel ventilated disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2022