1979 Porsche 935 K3

Coupe
Chassis number: 009 00015

As with the Group 4 competition 911s, the Group 5 Porsche 935s were delivered to private clients and heavily campaigned. As the cars became increasingly modified, other individuals and companies began to build 935s, the most notable of which was Kremer. In 1979, Kremer had designed and built a number of twin-turbo 3.2-liter cars that boasted from 740 HP to 800 HP depending on boost.

The overall winner of the 1979 LeMans, this K-3 is considered by some to be the most important 911 Porsche ever. It was a production-based racecar that was upgraded to racing specs necessary for the 24-hour endurance race.

With Porsche already dominating the racing scene, Manfred and Erwin Kremer ran a Porsche dealership and believed they could improve the factory-built racecars. Their main focus was on shedding weight. To achieve this, over 100 changes were incorporated to make it more race-efficient, including replacing the water intercooler system, relocating the oil cooler and fuel tank, and replacing most of the body panels with high-tech composite components.

Literally just hours before the 1979 LeMans, this works car was sold to Don and Bill Whittington, and along with co-driver Klaus Ludwig, the Twin-Turbo, 700 horsepower, four-speed captured the 24 Hours of LeMans overall win.

After the last 30 years in storage, the 935 has recently been refreshed with a complete tear-down, nut-and-bolt restoration by Canepa Motorsports. To ensure the 935 would look and drive as it did in June of 1979, all components are original and once again, Race Ready.

1979: 24 Hours of LeMans - 1st

1979: Brands Hatch - 2nd

1980: 12 Hours of Sebring - 3rd

1980: Nurburgring - 1st

1980: Six Hours of Watkins Glen - 1st

This Porsche 935 was the only 911-based Porsche to win overall at Le Mans and one of just two production-based cars to win overall in postwar years. It continued to succeed through that season and into the next with a second at Daytona, third at Sebring and a top ten finish a the Glen World Championship.

Though the 935 is a purpose-built race car for the track it is not unusual to see the owner driving the Le Mans winner around the busy streets of Los Angeles.

Coupe
Chassis number: 009 0004

This 935 was delivered to the Whittington Brothers Racing Team at the beginning of the 1979 IMSA season, minus the engine and gearbox. After completion, the car would first compete in IMSA at the 1979 Road Atlanta 100, with Don Whittington finishing third. Don would go on to finish fourth at the Laguna Seca 100 before Bill Whittington took over driving duties for the car. Bill would not finish the fall Road Atlanta IMSA event in 1979 but would win the IMSA Finale at Daytona in November but would be involved in a multi-car crash at the finish. It was then stored in an airplane hangar for the following 39 years. The car was purchased in 2018 and fully restored.

Like the Porsche 911s that competed in the Group 4 category, the Porsche 935s that contested the Group 5 category were delivered to private clients and had an extensive international racing career. Several companies and some individuals modified 935s, the most notable being Kremer.

The Porsche 935 K3 (Kremer) was the third variation of the legendary 935. It was created by the Kremer brothers using a factory tub and fitted with a 3.2-liter engine. Large KKK turbochargers were adapted along with an air-to-air intercooler system bringing horsepower to around 800 with 1.7 bar boost. With bar boost turned down to 1.4, a still very impressive 740 horsepower was created. Other differences between the 13 K3 models and the factory 935's were the lowered chassis and high downforce carbon fiber Kevlar composite body design. The interior was given a stiffened and extended roll cage in order to handle the extra horsepower created from the finely tuned engine.

The Porsche 935 K3 is the only 911-based Porsche ever to win outright at La Sarthe. The Porsche 935 K3 competed in numerous endurance races around the world, attaining many podium finishes.

by Dan Vaughan

In 1976, Porsche introduced a racing version of the Porsche 930/911 Turbo which they dubbed, the 935. It was designed for FIA-Group 5 competition and was constructed in a similar fashion to the Porsche 934, which was used in Group 4 competition.

The works team, with sponsorship by Martini, entered the 935 in the FIA World Championship for Makes with team drivers, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass in one car and Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti in another car. The Porsche 935 was an evolutionary process, as its original nose was later replaced with more aerodynamic versions better suited to high-speed competition. The bodywork changed and a large wing was added to the rear of the vehicle. The rear fenders were expanded and the car was given a wider axle. The Porsche 935 won all of the major endurance races that included LeMans, Nurburgring, Daytona, Sebring, and Watkins Glen.

Group 4 competition was created for production-based GT cars and the Group 5 was for race cars based on production models. For the 1976 season, the FIA declared that the World Champion of Makes would be won from the Group 5 class, which Porsche won with their 935.

For the 1977 season, the Porsche 935's were sold to privateer teams, such as Georg Loos and Kremer Racing. The single turbo was replaced by two KKK units and the body was again changed. The privateers were using the older cars while the factory raced with the newer machines. This left the privateers unhappy, but since the Porsche 935/77 machines were not as reliable, they could be beaten.

In 1978, the famous 'Moby Dick' styling of the Porsche 935 appeared. The Porsche 935/78 had a long tail and a frontal area that had been lowered by 10cm. The car had been optimized for low drag and its appearance earned it the nickname, Moby Dick. Powering these cars was a 3.2-liter, water-cooled, four-valve cylinder head engine capable of generating 895 horsepower. The cars reached speeds of 360 km/h at LeMans and were capable of passing the prototype cars such as the Renault and their own Porsche 936.

Throughout the seasons, the FIA, SCCA, IMSA, and CSI continued to modify the rules, which had the teams struggling to maintain a compliant group of cars. The 935, over the years, came in many different configurations powered by a wide variety of engines that included a 2.0-, 2.2-, 3.0-, and 3.2-liter size.

Factory development of the 935 slowed and eventually stopped, and tuner development continued where it left off. The most famous iteration came from Kremer Racing of Cologne, Germany. They were powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine capable of producing 740 horsepower.

In 1982, the FIA discontinued Group 5 competition. The 935 continued its racing career in the IMSA GTP category. They continued to race until 1986, though their racing career had ended in 1984. Privateers entered the car in 1985 and for two races in 1986.

From 1976 through 1984, the Porsche 935 won over 150 races which include over twenty class victories. The 935 was the overall victor at the 24 Hours of LeMans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

by Dan Vaughan