Porsche 935 Tribute (2019)
Homage To ‘Moby Dick’ Race Car – The New Porsche 935
Official photos: 2018 September 27 / Official premiere: 2018 September 27, Rennsport Reunion, Laguna Seca, USA / World market launch: 2019 June
The 935 tribute car was a non-street-legal collector’s car built in a series of 77 cars. It was built from the 911 991.2 GT3 R racing car, fitted with the engine and transmission from the 911 991.2 GT2 RS street car and with the bodykit showing some design details from the 935 cars. The problem: it was not as powerful as the 1978 935 was with even smaller engine and the modern car is much heavier, so the power-to-weight ratio was almost 60% better 40 years earlier.
Like a racing car, it has just the driver’s seat, but the passenger’s seat was optionally available. Brake discs have the size of 380 mm in front and 355 mm on rear axle. The safety cage is welded in, there’s the air jack system, the fire extinguishing system with electronic release unit and the 115-litre FT3 safety fuel cell.
The Press Release
World premiere: Exclusive new edition of the Porsche 935 –
Porsche has unveiled the new 935 on the occasion of the historic “Rennsport Reunion” motorsport event at Laguna Seca Raceway in California.
The 515 kW (700 hp) racer featuring a body reminiscent of the legendary Porsche 935/78 will be produced in a limited number of 77 units. “This spectacular car is a birthday present from Porsche Motorsport to fans all over the world,” says Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars. “Because the car isn’t homologated, engineers and designers didn’t have to follow the usual rules and thus had freedom in the development.”
The race car’s technology for clubsport events and private training on racetracks is based on the 911 GT2 RS high-performance sports car. Like its historic predecessor, most of the body has been replaced or supplemented by carbon-fibre composite parts (CFRP). With its streamlined extended rear, the 935 reaches a length of 4.87 metres. The width of the exclusive clubsport racer measures 2.03 metres.
The aerodynamics is a completely new development
The spectacular aerodynamics is a completely new development and pays tribute to the Porsche 935/78 Le Mans race car, 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 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 R customer vehicle, 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 endplates adopted from the 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car. 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 a 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 engine via a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) with rigid gearbox suspension at the 310-millimetre-wide rear axle. Like in the GT road models of the 911, the driver changes gears via conveniently positioned shift paddles on the steering wheel. Typical of the 911, the weight distribution ensures excellent traction and braking performances. Six-piston aluminium monobloc racing callipers on the front axle in combination with internally ventilated and grooved steel brake discs with a 380-millimeter diameter provide excellent deceleration values at the front axle. The rear axle is fitted with four-piston callipers and 355-millimeter discs.
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 (ABS). Thanks to a so-called map switch, these assistance systems can be adjusted separately or switched off completely, depending on the driving situation.
Launch Video
Technical Specification & Comparison to the Original
| Modification | Engine | kW | lb-ft | Nm | Gearbox | 60 mph | mph | lb |
| 2018 935 Tribute | 3.8T | 515 | 551 | 750 |
PDK 7-speed
|
3042 | ||
| 2017 911 991 GT2 RS Clubsport | 3.8T | 515 | 551 | 750 | PDK 7-speed | 2.7 sec. | 211 | 3307 |
Race Results
2019 Porsche Motorsport GT2 Supersportscar Weekend at Spa-Francorchamps
Held on July 26 and 27, 2019, the “Porsche Motorsport GT2 Supersportscar Weekend” was a one-off event. After practising on July 25, the 15 seven hundred hp cars (3x 935 + 12x 991 GT2 RS CS) had the chance for 30-minute races on both days, just before the 2019 Spa 24 hour race held on July 27-28. Among the 15 drivers were two Le Mans GTE-Am class winners, Egidio Perfetti and Christian Ried. On Friday, Perfetti crossed the finish line in first place in his 935 ahead of Jan-Erik Slooten and Klaus Abbelen in their 991 GT2 RS racing cars. On Saturday, Perfetti won again with Slooten second again. Third place went to Christian Ried (GT2 RS CS).
