Porsche 911 Guide Archives - Page 4 of 4

Porsche 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’ (1978)

The 935/78 was the ultimate expression of the 911 factory race car before Porsche officially withdrew from motor sport. Raced under the Group 5 silhouette series, great liberties were taken with the design and the result was nicknamed ‘Moby Dick’ for its large size and huge overhangs. The 935/78 was built under Porsche's Chief Racing by Norbert Singer for high speeds at Le Mans. Due to the advanced shape of the car 227 mph or 366 km/h was possible.

Porsche 936

Porsche 936/78 (1978)

For the 1978 Le Mans, Porsche created two new 936/78. The first one was built using chassis 936-001, which had already served for the 936/76 and 936/77. The second car was built on a new chassis and numbered 936-003. Because of the new water-cooled 24-valve engine, the 936/78 came with huge NACA ducts on the sides for the radiators and a new rear end with hanging spoiler.

Porsche 935

Porsche 935/2.0 ‘Baby’ (1977)

The 935 ‘Baby’, based on the successful 935 Group 5 race sports car, was created in 1977, after only four months of development,, specifically for entries in the small division (up to 2000cc) of the German Sports Racing Championship. Compared to the Group 5 car, this little 935 had a six cylinder turbo engine of 370bhp, reduced to a displacement of 1.4-litres. A thorough diet helped ‘Baby’ meet the minimum weight of 750kg as dictated by the rules.

Porsche 935

Porsche 935/77 (1977)

The 935/77 was a result of relaxed rules and the car got a completely new suspension. The mirrors were incorporated into the front fenders and the rear window had a new angle. The 935/77 was visually very pleasing. While the 935/76 had a single turbocharger, the 2.85-litre engine of the 935/77 had two turbochargers. There was also a "baby" 935/77 built with a smaller 1.4-litre turbocharged engine to compete in the national German DRM series under 2 liter class.

Porsche 936

Porsche 936/77 (1977)

In 1977, Porsche returned to Le Mans with the 936/77. Its body was smaller, lower, shorter and further refined aerodynamically. The engine now featured two turbochargers and delivered 20 more horsepower. At one of the most dramatic races in history, Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood slayed the armada of four Renault works cars and two factory-supported “Mirage” with Renault motors. In the year 1981, the 936 celebrated a sensational comeback with another overall Le Mans victory.

Porsche 935

Porsche 935/76 (1976)

The Group 4 racer based on the 911 Turbo (930) was called 934 and the Group 5 Porsche was called 935. The first version of the 935 looked similar to the 911 Carrera RSR. The first customers for 935 were Martini Racing and Kremer Racing. The Martini car was a full factory development, while Kremer made its own enhancements already before the first race. By 1977, the 935 was sold as a customer car for these series to race against cars like the BMW CSL.

Model In Depth

Porsche 934/5 (1976 – 1977)

In 1967 Porsche prepared a small number of 934 Porsches with 935 Group 5 parts for the Trans-Am and IMSA GTO series. In the end, the 934/5 dominated the Trans-Am series by taking to top five positions in the championship. Ludwig Heimrath became the 1977 Trans-Am champion in his 934/5 by protesting Peter Gregg's highly modified car. Together they humbled the Corvette C3s and the Group 44 Jaguar XJS.

Model In Depth

Porsche 934 (1976 – 1977)

Using the 930 Turbo as a basis, Porsche built the 934 for Group 4 GT racing. It replaced the outgoing Carrera RSR while winning GT Championships in Europe and performing very well in America for Trans Am. Porsche built the 934 from a standard 930 bodyshell and production rear spoiler, but almost nothing else was left alone. The suspension was converted to solid mounts and nylon bushings with adjustable anti-roll bars.

Porsche 936

Porsche 936/76 (1976)

The Group 6 Porsche 936 was the successor to the 908/03 and the turbocharged 917. While the 917 had a 5.4-litre flat-12 biturbo engine, the 936 got a 2.1-litre flat-6 single turbo engine. The reason for the 2.1-litre displacement was to fit inside the 3-litre class (turbocharged cars had a coefficient of 1.4). Despite the small capacity, the engine developed more than five hundred horsepower. Imagine such power in a ~700 kg/1540 lb car!

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 (1974 – 1975)

For the 1974 racing season 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 (246 kW) and RSR Turbo 2.1 (338+ kW) were created - the 3.0L for the customer teams and the 2.1 turbo for Porsche’s own team. The Carrera RSR 3.0 was made in small numbers for racing. The 3.0 RSR would go on to become the most successful Group 4 racing car of its time thanks to its combination of low weight, immense Porsche 917 brakes, impeccable handling, and a 330+hp naturally aspirated flat-6.

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo 2.1 (1974)

For 1974 both the 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 and RSR Turbo 2.1 were created - the 3.0L for the customer teams and the 2.1 turbo for Porsche’s own team. The 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 developed 338-368 kW in power, but as the engine was small, the turbo lag was big and it wasn’t as easy to drive out of the corners as it was with the 3-litre normally aspirated car. Weight reduction measures included plastic hoods, fender flares and doors and an aluminium safety cage.

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 (1973)

Introduced in 1973, the RSR was a factory-built racing car based on the 911 chassis. The Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 was the first 911 to ever wear the RSR badge. Homologated for racing by the iconic 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, the RSR’s racing career got off to the perfect start thanks to Brumos Racing’s overall triumph in the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona, while a factory car won the latest ever Targa Florio road race. For the privateer in the mid-1970s who wanted to go sports car racing this was the chosen weapon.

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 S/T (1970 – 1971)

Porsche developed the S/T, of which 33 were built in 1970 and 1971, taking full advantage of new FIA rules allowing a two-inch wider track. Accordingly, wheel arches were widened to accommodate seven-inch front and nine-inch rear wheels. Weight reduction was even more radical, including thinner-gauge steel for the roof and floorpans. Heating ducts, seat slide supports, the glove-box lid, ashtray, sun visors and rear torsion-bar covers were deleted.

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 T/R (1968)

To homologate the 1968 911 for competition purposes, Porsche began with the Spartan 911 T which were a full 54 kg (118 pounds) lighter than their 'S' siblings. Porsche offered clients the opportunity to buy a 911 T outfitted with competition equipment directly from the factory, and the resulting cars have become known as the 911 T/R. They were built in low quantities to a range of specifications depending on their intended competition purposes.

Model In Depth

Porsche 911 R (1967 – 1968)

Based on the 911S, the 911 R was produced by Porsche to compete in the FIA’s GT 2.0 category. To make it competitive, the 911R was powered by a flat-six engine, Type 901/22 from the Porsche 906, capable of 210 hp. It went on a diet too, with weight savings coming from everywhere, getting the 911 R down to just 1,800 pounds dry. Four prototypes were constructed after which Porsche had coachbuilder Karl Baur build another 20 customer cars. In the end, because of the modifications to the 911R, the FIA refused to homologate the car.

Porsche Concept Cars

Porsche 965 (1984)

The Porsche 965 was an engineering mule, used to try and solve the tough problem of how to replace the 930's turbocharged, air-cooled engine to power a new sub-959, range-topping 911. Costs ballooned, the project floundered, and ultimately in its last throes, its engineers got desperate. The flat-six with water-cooled heads was too complex, and too expensive, to work. A water-cooled Audi V8 was tested out back, a last-ditch effort to find a cost-effective, power-dense solution.

Porsche Concept Cars

Porsche 911 2.0 Bertone (1966)

Southern California Porsche dealer Johnny von Neumann knew what his customers wanted, and a Targa top Targa 911 wasn’t it. With Porsche’s approval, he hired designer Nuccio Bertone to create a one-off 1966 Porsche 911 Spyder, in hopes of launching low-volume production. Just one example was constructed. The engine incorporated a vertically-mounted cooling fan, a 9.1:1 compression ratio and two triple-choke 40PI Solex carburettors. Peak output was 130bhp at 6100rpm and 174lb-ft at 4200rpm. Transmission was via a Type 901 five-speed gearbox and single-plate clutch.

Porsche Concept Cars

Porsche 901 (1964)

In 1963 Porsche introduced their seminal 901 at the 911 at the Frankfurt Motor Show which would be renamed 911 for the 1964 model year. The new car was sold alongside the 356C as an alternative with more power and room for a rear seat. At the 1963 Frankfurt show the public saw Porsches new direction. Compared to the 356 it had a longer wheelbase, a more compact suspension setup and much more power from the flat-6 engine.

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