1976 Porsche 935
Pilots: R. Stommelen, M. Schurti
Team: Martini Racing Porsche System
Race: 4th overall (1st in Group 5) at Le Mans in 1976
Ebbro - 43768 (diecast)
Published 07/05/17
For the victories at La Sarthe in 1970 and 1971, Porsche had abandoned the principle that their racing cars should at least be related to their road cars. As a comeback to that principle, Porsche developed the Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype of 1974, and the 935 was its direct descendant. Introduced in 1976, the 935 was developed for Group 5 racing. Under Group 5 rules (also known as “silhouette rules”) significant modifications were possible to the car as long as the basic silhouette of the car remained unchanged when viewed from the front. The chosen engine was a development of the unit from the 936 prototype, the 930/72. It was a boxer-6 with 12 valves and SOHC with 2856 cm³ of displacement, turbocharged by a KKK unit. Depending on tune, the engine could produce a massive 630 hp of power. Since the car had a curb weight of just 900 kg, the power-to-weight ratio was insane.
The Porsche factory team at Le Mans in 1976, Martini Racing, had two cars in the race. One was the 936 #20, overall winner, and the second one was this 935 #40 (chassis #935-002). That year was the first time a turbocharged car raced at La Sarthe. And achieved not only a class win but the overall victory as well. With one of the finest Porsche liveries ever, this “Martini 935 #40” is truly a great one by Ebbro. However, Ebbro makes two versions: this is the “pre-race version”. The race version doesn’t have the aero hubcaps on the rear wheels, so take stock if you’re looking to buy one. This one is not wrong, but I personally would prefer the “in race” version.