Whale tale

Norbert Singer was convinced that a 935 could be created that would be capable of winning Le Mans outright

For GT racing, the 1970s were simpler times. The use of terms like balance of performance, sandbagging or waivers were still a thing of the future. Homologation was the key word then, and a level playing field was created by a minimum weight bracket that was related to the size of the engine. Manufacturers could request an exemption to be made, but unlike today’s waivers, these could then be applied to all cars. So engineers with a knack for reading and the gift of creativity were clearly at an advantage. Perhaps the most talented of these engineers was Porsche’s Norbert Singer.

Singer had been responsible for the all-conquering 934 and 935, which were raced in the Group 4 and Group 5 classes respectively. Both were based on the 911 Turbo, which was known internally as the Type 930. While the 934 and the various evolutions of the 935 were capable of class wins at best, another read of the regulations had Singer convinced that a 935 could be created that would be capable of winning Le Mans outright. To do so, it would have to beat the