At its Rennsport Reunion event held at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California, Porsche revealed its new 935, a high-strung track car that pays homage to the Le Mans racer of the 1970s bearing the same model number. Porsche plans a limited production run of 77 units, with each car selling for 701,948 euros ($817,000.)
The original 935 race car was derived from a contemporary 911, and this new one is no different. Based on the current 991 GT2 RS, the car’s bodywork and interior have seen extensive modification. The 700 horsepower turbocharged flat six on the RS, however, remains mostly unchanged. The 935 gets its own unique carbon fiber body panels that extend both the vehicle’s width and length. It also gets accouterments like turbo-fan style wheels, a massive rear spoiler, and wing mirrors from the 911 RSR race car. Braking is handled by massive six-piston 380 millimeter discs up front, and 355 millimeter four-pistons out back.
Inside the 935, the driver is able to run through gears using the same seven-speed PDK box found in the GT2 RS. A wood-wrapped shift lever pays homage to the 917 and Carrera GT, while the steering wheel and gauge cluster display are directly borrowed from Porsche’s upcoming 911 GT3 R. The 935 features a single six-point harness racing seat, with a passenger side seat being an optional installation. While low on amenities, the car does have air conditioning to keep its driver comfortable on those sweltering track days at Willow Springs or Road Atlanta.
Though its namesake ran at Le Mans, this new 935 is not intended for any racing series, and is instead made as an ultra-exclusive track toy for private owners.
“This spectacular car is a birthday present from Porsche Motorsport to fans all over the world. Because the car isn’t homologated, engineers and designers didn’t have to follow the usual rules and thus had freedom in the development,” according to Porsche Motorsports Vice President Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser.
Still, the 935 packs in all the safety equipment expected in a modern race car, including a full roll cage, roof-mounted escape hatch, fire extinguishing system, and emergency engine kill-switches both inside and outside the vehicle. On the car’s digital instrument cluster, the driver is able to set a custom lap timer, fine tune the 935’s suite of electronic driver assists, or just switch them all off.
Porsche hasn’t given any details in its press release on when or where to buy the 935, and that’s probably because you have to know somebody who knows somebody to even get a chance at owning one of the 77. For such a rare car, the $817,000 price tag seems like a relative bargain, but these 935s could be re-sold at auction for astronomically higher prices.