The interesting thing about racing is that nothing is certain. You can prepare yourself and the car perfectly, but then another car hits you or pulls out in front of you, and there is little if anything you can do to avoid the inevitable contact. The unpredictability of racing is unlike most sports, in that besides the weather and the fact that you are strapped into a missile … [Read more...]
Porsche’s fabulous 904/8 – chassis #008
F.A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche, the eldest son of Ferry and Dorothea Porsche, joined the family business in 1958 having shown great interest in the field of industrial design. Working under the direction of Erwin Komenda, F.A. Porsche set about learning the business from the inside, and was soon given the task of ‘working’ on the new shape of the 718 racer for the ’61 season. Showing an … [Read more...]
The many lives of the 935 K3/80 Red Baron
In the mid-70s, Porsche developed the 935 model, a race car homologated on the 930 road car and aimed at the Group 5 ‘silhouette’ series created by the FIA for the 1976 season. As the records will show, the 935 was a formidable race car and it quickly dominated the Group 5 class, becoming the weapon of choice for numerous privateer teams. Because of the flexibility of … [Read more...]
Kremer’s Uber 935 – the ultra-rare K4
In the mid-1970s, Porsche developed the 911 for racing, and in the process, it created the all-conquering 935. In 1978, Norbert Singer was responsible for building the ultimate factory 935, the Moby Dick 935/78, and although this race car had a very short active racing life, it has gone down in history as one of the most iconic 935s of all time. Despite winning only one race, … [Read more...]
Porsche 911 Cup 3.8 RSR – last of the breed
There were just thirty Porsche 911 Cup 3.8 RSR (Type 993) race cars produced for the 1997 season. This model was the last of the breed of air-cooled, naturally-aspirated 911 race cars to come from the Weissach race department before the introduction of the Type 996 water-cooled cars. To find a 993 3.8 RSR that participated in some of the world’s toughest endurance races in … [Read more...]
Porsche 356 B Carrera GS/GT ‘Dreikantschaber’
The Porsche 356 B Carrera GS/GT ‘Dreikantschaber’ is one of the lesser-known racers to come from the Stuttgart company’s Racing Department. This may be due to the fact that there were only two of them made, or it might have to do with the fact that this was only intended as an interim model. Unlike the Porsche 550 family of racers which preceded it, or the spread of ‘plastic … [Read more...]
1978 Porsche 935 T-Bird Swap Shop
The Porsche 935 was the Stuttgart manufacturer’s answer to the FIA’s Group 5 class regulations, making it eligible for the World Championship of Makes. The first Porsche car in this so-called ‘Silhouette’ series, was introduced for the start of the 1976 season. The factory entered 935s in both the World Championship of Makes and the World Sportscar Championship, winning both … [Read more...]
Double victory for Porsche at Sebring
There was a double victory for Porsche at Sebring, as the #91 Porsche 911 RSR of Gianmaria Bruni/Richard Lietz won round six of the WEC in Florida on Friday. Not to be outdone, Nick Tandy/Patrick Pilet/Frédéric Makowiecki also grabbed a win in the #911 Porsche 911 RSR in round two of the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship, the 12 Hour of Sebring. WEC Round 6, 1000 Miles … [Read more...]
Porsche and the Triple Crown of endurance racing
There are three Sports Car endurance races that have been run over the past sixty-plus years that have been referred to as the ‘Triple Crown’. Arguably, some can say other races should also be included, but these three have withstood the test of time, and they are the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, and the Daytona 24 Hours. The Le Mans 24 Hours started in 1923, … [Read more...]
My first race as a crewman – Sebring 1978
In the early to mid-1970’s I had been working part time (race weekends) as an IMSA tech inspector at some of the races, mainly the ones that I could fit into my work schedule of my day job as an engineer. At some point, I had decided that eventually I wanted to race myself, but I realised that I needed to work first with some team to learn what was required to actually go … [Read more...]
