Porsche’s 935 Racer Makes A Pit Stop In Canada
PORSCHE MOTORSPORT offered a spectacular birthday present to its fans by unveiling the incredible track-only 935 — a tribute to the legendary 935/78 featuring reminiscent bodywork, packing the potent 700-horsepower powerplant from the 911 GT2 RS, and limited in numbers to just 77 worldwide.
This new 935 was unveiled at the Rennsport Reunion motorsports event at Laguna Seca Raceway in California in September 2018 and one of these phenomenal racecars made a recent pit stop into Canada, displayed in the showroom at Pfaff Porsche in Vaughan as well as at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto last month.
Because the new 935 is not homologated for any race series, its engineers and designers didn’t have rules to follow and thus had complete freedom in its development. The 700-horsepower 935 is therefore perfect for club-sport events and private lapping, where its racecar technology clearly differentiates it from the 911 GT2 RS on which it is based.
Many details of the exterior are a salute to winning vehicles from the company’s motor-racing history. The aerodynamically capped rims echo those of the 935/78, with the LED rear lights on the rear-wing end-plates adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1 racecar.
Like its historic predecessor, the 935 has most of its body replaced or supplemented by carbon-fibre composite parts. With its streamlined, extended rear, the 935 pays tribute to the Porsche 935/78 Le Mans racecar, which fans dubbed Moby Dick due to its elongated shape, massive fairings and white base colour. The distinctive wheel-arch air vents on the front fairings, which also feature on the Porsche 911 GT3 R racecar, increase downforce at the front axle. Measuring 1,909 millimetres in width by 400 millimetres in depth, the rear wing lends aerodynamic balance.
Many details of the exterior are a salute to winning vehicles from the company’s motor-racing history. The aerodynamically capped rims echo those of the 935/78, with the LED rear lights on the rear-wing end-plates adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1 racecar. The side mirrors hail from the current Le Mans-winning 911 RSR, with the exposed titanium tailpipes modelled on the Porsche 908 from 1968.
These references are carried through to the cockpit. The knob on the gearshift lever has a laminated wood design and is reminiscent of racers such as the 917, the 909 Bergspyder and the Carrera GT super sports car. The carbon steering wheel and the colour display behind it have been taken from the 911 GT3 R from the 2019 model year. A massive safety cage combined with a racing bucket seat and six-point safety harness ensure maximum safety. A second seat for the passenger is available as an optional extra. Air conditioning provides optimal cooling of the interior.
The new 935 is powered by a state-of-the-art 3.8-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo engine, which is largely identical to the high-performance standard unit mounted in the road-legal 911 GT2 RS. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a seven-speed PDK. Like in the GT road models of the 911, the driver changes gears via the conveniently positioned shift paddles on the steering wheel. Six-piston aluminium monobloc racing calipers on the front axle, in combination with the internally ventilated and grooved brake discs are 380 millimetres in front, 355 millimetres disc in the back.
Like the road-legal 911 GT2 RS, the 1,380-kilogram 935 is equipped with PSM (Porsche Stability Management) including traction control as well as an anti-lock braking system. Thanks to a so-called map switch, these assistance systems can be adjusted separately or switched off completely, depending on the driving situation.
The price of this extraordinary 935 track-car tribute? Approximately $1 million. The optional passenger seat, just over $10,000. </>
