Yahoo Autos 2019 Porsche 935 Track Car Is Today's Bring a Trailer Auction Pick
Porsche revived the 935 name in 2019 for this 911 GT2 RS–based track car, featuring a 700-hp twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six.
This example recalls the Porsche 935 that won the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona with its black paintwork accented by red, orange, and pink stripes.
Porsche built just 77 units of the 2019 935. This one previously sold for $1,325,000 at an auction last year.
Before we delve into the history that makes this 2019 Porsche 935 extra special, just admire it. Run your eyes over the slinky profile, marvel at the colossal rear wing, inspect the intricate vents carved into the carbon-fiber-composite body panels, and allow yourself to get lost in the deep black paint. This is a truly stunning car, and this homage to the classic 935 race car is also exceptionally rare, with just 77 units produced. It's not every day that a 2019 935 comes up for auction, but this example is now being offered on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—and if you sell all of your worldly possessions, you just might be able to afford it.
Revealed in 2018, the 935 pays tribute to the dominant race car of the same name that triumphed at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the win in France has gone down as the 935's most iconic victory, the turbocharged, slant-nosed race car was even more unstoppable in the United States, where various 935s snatched top honors at the 24 Hours of Daytona for six years straight.
Even when Porsche didn't enter a factory-backed car in 1979, the 935 won in Daytona at the hands of customer team Interscope Racing. The number zero Porsche 935 was driven to the top step of the podium by endurance legend Hurley Haywood, Danny Ongais, and team owner Ted Field, who would later co-found Interscope Records with Jimmy Iovine. Their car, painted in jet black with flowing stripes in shades of pink and red, looked particularly resplendent as it led the field past the checkered flag.
The livery worn by this 2019 example is a direct callback to the 1979 Daytona winner, with eye-catching stripes that accentuate the sleek, curvy styling. This track-only tool is based on the beastly 911 GT2 RS and pays tribute to the original, with a smooth, flat hood and a lengthy "longtail" profile capped off by that ginormous wing. Under the carbon fiber lies a steel and aluminum composite shell, with power coming courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six that sends 700 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transaxle.
The 935 was also fitted with a limited-slip differential, slotted and ventilated Brembo brakes, adjustable dampers, a roughly 30-gallon fuel cell, and a welded-in roll cage. The side mirrors were borrowed from the 911 RSR race car and the 935 rides on BBS 18-inch center-lock wheels. The driver sits in a Recaro carbon-fiber race seat and controls the vehicle with a yolk-style carbon steering wheel. The 935 also includes air conditioning, a luxury in the track-car world, and a neat wooden shift knob.
Unfortunately, the modern 935 was never sanctioned to run in a racing series itself, meaning many of these track beasts have become works of art that spend more time under gleaming garage lights than tearing around the track. The original owner put just 17 miles of this 935, the 49th example built, before the selling dealer purchased it at the Pebble Beach Gooding & Company auction for $1,325,000. The dealer has since added 73 miles, bringing the total to 90.
This example is being sold with a factory-suppled spare parts package that was a $44,000 option when new. Along with the Daytona-honoring race livery, which cost a whopping $27,500, this 935 cost $1,048,080 when new. Bidding has already surpassed that, sitting at $1,050,935 with 10 days remaining until the auction ends on November 8.
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