Feel like having a Martini, we have four for you…stirred not shaken!!
Up first is the 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1, a 500 hp, 300 km/h rocket. This car spearheaded Porsche’s turbo era, being the first turbocharged race car to compete at Le Mans. This car finished fifth in the 1974 Monza 1000 km in the hands of Gijs van Lennep and Herbert Müller. Later that year, the same drivers driving the same car finished a commendable third overall in the Spa 1000 km race and sixth in the Nürburgring 1000 km. For more on this car, you can read the full story here
Next is the Porsche 935/77 2.0 or ‘Baby’ as it became known. This car participated in the very popular domestic Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) at the Norisring on 3 July 1977, but it posted a DNF. Hockenheim was the next race where Jacky Ickx won, finishing nearly a minute ahead of the second placed car after just 20 laps of racing. In fact, apart from the second and third placed cars, the Porsche 935/2.0 ‘Baby’ had lapped the entire field when the chequered flag came down. For more on this car, you can read the full story here
Our third Martini is the Porsche 936/77 that won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1997. The car started the race driven by Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood, but a faulty rev counter made driving difficult. When Jacky Ickx’s own 936 failed, he was switched to this car and between him and Barth, and with a failing engine, they drove or ‘nursed’ the car across the finish line to win the race.
The last of the four Martinis is the Porsche 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’. Possibly one of the best known and a big favourite of Porsche enthusiasts the world over, Moby Dick holds a very special place in Porsche’s history. Moby Dick’s first race was the Silverstone 6 Hours on 14 May 1978, where Jacky Ickx qualified the 935/78 in pole position, beating the second-placed car, another Porsche 935, by two seconds. The car’s one and only race victory came in that race where Ickx and Jochen Mass romped home seven laps clear of the second-placed car. At Le Mans in ’78, Moby Dick had technical issues and finished eighth overall. At the end of that season, Moby Dick was rolled in the Porsche Museum. For more on this car, you can read the full story here
In closing, we would like to wish all our readers and their families good health and patience during this difficult time – stay safe!
Written by: Glen Smale
Image by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale
Interesting collection.
Will Martini be able to survive in coronatime with less supply to the entertainment industry? The colour scheme is a unique sight in motor sport.
Splendid racing cars and unlike today’s software-driven racers they can start and run as long as we are allowed to use petrol.
I love the shining paint jobs – nothing like the workady finish they had when they were works racers.