2018 Porsche 935 Coupe

When Porsche decided to create a modern-day tribute to 'Moby Dick,' the famous 935 Group 5 racecar, they did so by building a genuine era-defining racer. The clandestine project was known internally as 'Project Flatnose' and it was officially unveiled in 2018 at the Rennsport Reunion meeting at Laguna Seca.

Group 5 racing witnessed some of the wildest production car-based racers of all time. Porsche's 935 would take advantage of every loophole, though at its core it began as 930-generation 911 Turbo. The signature vertical headlights were abandoned, the rear fenders were elongated, a 3.2-liter air-cooled flat-six engine was fed by a pair of turbochargers, with 845 horsepower at its disposal. A powerful engine, low weight, and finely honed aerodynamics allowed the 935 to reach speeds of nearly 230 mph.

The unmatched performance of the 935 allowed it to win the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring six times, and it won the 1,000-kilometer event at the Nürburgring. In 1979, the 935 became the first GT-based car in three decades to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The modern Porsche 935 had LED lighting on the rear wing endplates adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1 prototype. The side mirrors were sourced from the 24 Hours of Le Mans class-winning 911 RSR, and the titanium exhaust pipes mimicked the distinctive style used for the 908 from 1968. The 911 GT3 R donated its quick-release carbon fiber steering wheel and digital instrument display, while a wooden knob atop the shift lever was a nod to the legendary 917, 909 Bergspyder, and Carrera GT supercar.

Production of the 935, which was based on the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport racercar, was limited to just 77 units. Seven optional tribute liveries were later unveiled by Porsche.

This particular Porsche 935 is the 70th of the 77 examples built and left the factory wearing an Agate Grey Metallic exterior. It was then wrapped in a predominantly white and blue color scheme with red pinstriping as an homage to the period sponsorship by performance parts supplier Sachs.

The most significant 935 from the Sachs partnership was chassis 23 wearing race #70. Dick Barbour acquired a customer 935 from Kremer Racing and, along with Brian Redman and John Fitzpatrick, raced it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1980. By the halfway stage of the race, chassis number 23 was in the lead, but heavy rain and a misfire ruined their chances of outright victory. With just five cylinders in operation, they would finish 5th overall and secured class honors.

This 935 completed production on September 10th, 2019, and was sold to the White Collection via Porsche Motorsports North America of Carson, California, and delivered new to Atlanta, Georgia. It was later acquired by its current Miami-based owner.

Along with the heritage livery, this 935 has a black leatherette-upholstered stripped-out race interior and fan-style wheels. It has a spare set of BBS wheels, an additional Recaro race seat and six-point Schroth harness, a carbon fiber front splitter replacement kit, Brembo brakes, scale models of the new 935, and a matching Porsche Design titanium watch from a limited series of 500.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2024