Porsche’s 935/78 is an iconic car in the history of the brand’s motorsport development. Perhaps the ultimate extension of the 911 silhouette, the long tail, huge wing, wide fenders, and long front overhangs make this car difficult to see as having come from a road car at any point, but the center section is pure street car-derived. Nearly 850 horsepower at full boost, this whale has some serious speed available, which was necessary to do well at Le Mans. The car only raced three races as a factory entrant, and to have become an icon in just those three short races is a massive feat.
This video below shows the car being driven during some cold and wet demonstration laps at the Goodwood Members Meeting last year. A few of those full-throttle pulls on the car, you can hear the engine jump up in revs quickly, which likely indicates a bit of wheel spin. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t like to try my luck at slaying the giant white whale in track conditions like these. That must have been an absolutely pants-wetting experience. Considering that this is the only such Moby Dick Porsche in existence, I wouldn’t want to be known as the man who destroyed it.
Jochen Mass, who won with the car in period, gets to drop back behind the wheel for this exhibition, and he’s got a huge smile on his face. Better him than me, I suppose.