LE MANS OR BUST
For years, Porsche had contested FIA sports car events with machines that were largely – or more correctly, loosely – based on their road cars. Historically there had been no problem with this for as far back as 1976, Porsche had been dominant in Group 5 with the 911 Turbo-derived 935. This legendary car had been developed for the FIA’s Group 5 championship, otherwise known as the Special Production car category. This was a class open to all production-based models eligible for the strictlycontrolled Groups 1 to 4, but with the rules relaxed to allow further more radical modifications. However, most importantly, there still had to be clear links between a production car and the racer.
The 935 appeared towards the end of 1975 and was based on the central ‘tub’ of the mainstream 930 (911 Turbo). It was equipped with coil-spring suspension as pioneered in the Turbo RSRs of 1974, but the aluminium semi-trailing arms were now those of the production 911, rather than the fabricated design featured on the earlier cars.
Wording of the Group 5 regs stated that while the original profile of the bodywork should be retained, the material and shape of the wings (as in fenders, as opposed to spoilers…) were free. In a bold move, Singer’s team chopped off the upper part of each front wing, including the headlights, thereby reducing the aero drag at a stroke. The rest, as they say, is history. The 935 went onto become the dominant force in Group 5 competition, with numerous victories – both in class and overall – at many of the world’s major events. Most importantly, it was still identifiably a 911…
But Porsche then turned to other areas of motorsport, concentrating on the development of full-on race cars, such as the
