We know the new Porsche 911 is about to be unveiled soon. We know Porsche is busy working on its electric car the Taycan. We know Porsche is still continuing its 70th-year celebrations. But, we DIDN’T know that Porsche Motorsport was busy making this beautiful surprise for us. It’s the new Porsche 935 track only race car which pays homage to the Porsche 935/78 racecar from 1978.
Nicknamed as Moby Dick for its white colour and long-tailed shape, the 935/78 was intended for the 1978 24 hours of Le Mans. With its twin-turbo 3.2-litre flat-six that produced 845bhp and 784Nm, it was the fastest car on the straight with a top speed of 367kph.
The new Porsche 935 was unveiled at the Rennsport Reunion being held at the Laguna Seca Raceway. It is based on the 991.2 911 GT2 RS with most of the body being replaced or supplemented by carbon-fibre composite parts and a streamlined extended rear. Measuring in at 4.8m long and weighing 1,380kg, the 935 is powered by a water-cooled six-cylinder 3.8-litre twin-turbo rear-mounted boxer engine that produces 690bhp which is sent to the rear wheels via Porsche’s 7-speed PDK gearbox. While heavier than the original Moby Dick, its weight distribution is focused on ensuring excellent traction and braking capability.
There are other exterior and aerodynamic details on the 935 that salute Porsche’s winning vehicles in motorsport: the capped rims echo those of the 935/78; wheel arch air vents on the front fairings from the GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 R customer car; the LED rear lights on the giant rear wing’s endplates being adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1; side mirrors from the current Le Mans-winning 911 RSR; and exposed titanium tailpipes modelled on the Porsche 908 from 1968. There is also the giant wing with all the extra vents and NACA ducts for improved performance on this track only customer race car.
To get inside the cockpit you will have to clamber past the massive safety cage to slide into the racing bucket seat and strap yourself in using a six-point safety harness. A second seat for the passenger is an optional extra but the air conditioning is standard. Even in here, there are a few hints and nods to other Porsche racecars like the laminated wood design on the knob of the gearshift lever is reminiscent of cars like the 917, 909 Bergspyder and Carrera GT. The carbon fibre racing steering wheel and colour info display though have been taken from the 911 GT3 R from the 2019 model year.
Porsche has also fitted the 935 with a couple of assistance systems like traction control and ABS which can be adjusted separately or switched off via map switches. Limited to just 77 units the Porsche 935 will have a starting price of EUR 702K plus taxes.
The Auto Loons 