<< Prev Page 2 of 2 The prototype Porsche 934 was ready late in 1975 and one of the first people to inspect the car was IMSA's John Bishop. Having seen what a turbo-charged Porsche had done for the Can-Am series, he was understandably wary of the 934 and, also on the insistence of most of the IMSA competitors, decided not to allow the car to run during the 1976. Having sold ten cars, this left Porsche North America in a tight spot but they found the ailing Trans-Am series as a suitable alternative.
Bishop's concerns were quickly proven not without merit as the Porsche 934 quickly started racking up class and outright victories on both sides of the Atlantic. The car's formidable weight and the substantial turbo-lag were more than compensated by the sheer power of the flat-six engine. Toine Hezemans in one of the GELO cars won the European GT Championship, while George Follmer used one of Vasek Polak's five 934s to claim the 1976 TransAm title.
During the 1976 season, several Porsche customers modified their 934s to Group 5 specification and Porsche catered to their needs by producing a batch of 935s for the 1977 season. These were still not allowed to run in the IMSA series but the door had been opened for the 934. Accordingly, Porsche built a further ten 934s with wider wheel-arches and a much more substantial rear wing. Known as the 934½, these were raced with great success in North America.
While Porsche built no more 934s after 1977, the existing cars were raced with considerable success for many more seasons both in their original guise but also in modified Group 5 form. As a result, there are relatively few 934s that have survived in their original configuration. In total, Porsche produced 41 934s, including the ten examples constructed in 1977.
Although produced relatively briefly, the 934 remained the Group 4 racer of choice into the 1980s, winning its class at Le Mans as late as 1981. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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The prototype Porsche 934 was ready late in 1975 and one of the first people to inspect the car was IMSA's John Bishop. Having seen what a turbo-charged Porsche had done for the Can-Am series, he was understandably wary of the 934 and, also on the insistence of most of the IMSA competitors, decided not to allow the car to run during the 1976. Having sold ten cars, this left Porsche North America in a tight spot but they found the ailing Trans-Am series as a suitable alternative.