The Porsche company, now 30 years old in 1978, had moved from being the small-scale manufacturing company to being a significant player, albeit in a niche market. The front-engined transaxle 924 model, introduced in 1976, was now selling twice the number of units that the 911 was selling. This had eased the financial situation for the company and given them some money to go … [Read more...]
Goodwood 76th Members’ Meeting
Set for this weekend, 17-18 March, the 76th Members’ Meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit is bound to be an absolute humdinger. If you are a Porsche enthusiast, then I hope that you have your ticket safely tucked away, ready for the weekend. But be warned to wrap up warmly, the weather forecast is for another cold blast from the east with possible snow on the … [Read more...]
Porsche at Le Mans Part IV: 1972 to 1981
The 1972 season broke, ushering in with it a new era of racing. The Porsche 917 had reigned supreme for two years, but the race authorities (read FIA) had had their fill of Porsche interpreting the rules their way, and for 1972 a 3-litre engine limit had been applied. This capacity limitation was also introduced in an effort to slow the cars down but this ruling played neatly … [Read more...]
Max Moritz Racing Team – Rennsportjahre 1970-1978
Without any doubt, one of the most exciting classes or motor racing during the 1970s was the GT class, which included the Group 4 and Group 5 or ‘Silhouette’ classes. It wasn’t just the cars that were exciting, but the gallant combatants had character and guts, making this one of the most colourful periods in motor racing. This was a time of innovation and … [Read more...]
The Old Warhorse
This is a story of the incredible career of Porsche 935 009 00030, one of the most amazing race cars ever, or as someone once said, the car of a thousand faces. Also known as the ‘Old Warhorse’, Porsche 935 009 00030 is one of the most storied cars ever to race. It has a long and distinguished history, racing in IMSA and World Championship events from 1979-1987. It has won some … [Read more...]
Porsche 935/84 at the Daytona 24 Hours 1985 – The Last Hurrah
By 1981 at the earliest, and for sure by the 1983 season of sports car racing, it had become clear to most that the Porsche 935 was reaching the end of its useful racing life. While it had been a great car, it just could not compete with the new ground effects prototype designs from Lola, March and subsequently Porsche’s own 956/962 design. The 935 was a production based car … [Read more...]
Not very “Aerodynameek” and a few too many – Le Mans 1982
The Garretson Developments Sports Car team entered two cars at Le Mans 1982, a March-Chevrolet and a Porsche 935. The March was an 82G, the March IMSA GTP car. The March was a fast car, but fragile. Most of the problem was due to the use of the Hewland DG300 gearbox in the original design. Used no doubt to save weight, it proved unable to handle the torque of the 6.0 liter … [Read more...]
1983 Sebring 12 Hour – David and Goliath
The 1983 Sebring 12 Hour was an epic event. Back then the race was run on the ‘old circuit’ which was over 5.2 miles in length, bumpy, in disrepair, and it was a real battle to even finish a 12- hour event there, being very hard on both driver and equipment. Since about 1971, it had been the domain of Porsche as they had repeatedly won there with cars from the 917 to the … [Read more...]
The 1979 Sebring 12 Hour – The Tortoise comes through
The IMSA season in the 1970s always started with the two toughest races on the calendar, the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours. Daytona was tough because back then, there was no chicane, and more than fifty per cent of the race was in the dark. The traffic was very difficult, as in the old days they would start with upwards of 80 cars on the 3.84-mile oval/infield … [Read more...]
