VIN: the Martini Racing Porsche 935 chassis 001 R15
History of chassis 001 R15
Chassis 001 was the first of eight works Porsche 935s assembled between late 1975 and early 1978.
It was the first Porsche to carry a 930 VIN prefix (9305700001) and was also referred to as R15.
After completion, 001 was shaken down at Porsche’s Weissach test track. It was then trucked to Paul Ricard where it appeared alongside the Group 6 936 Prototype.
Whereas Prototypes and Grand Touring cars usually raced in the same series, for 1976, the World Championship was split in two. Group 4 and 5 GT cars like the Porsche 934 and 935 raced in the World Championship for Makes while Group 6 Prototypes contested the World Championship for Sports Cars.
During the opening five rounds of 1976 (plus the non-championship Le Mans 24 Hours), Porsche used a new 935: chassis 002 (R15).
As the season wore on, poor reliability and bad luck meant there was a real possibility that BMW could steal the championship. To try and avoid this, Porsche called up 001 for a two-car attack on the final pair of events.
001’s first competitive appearance was at the penultimate championship race of 1976: the Watkins Glen 6 Hours on July 10th.
It was allocated to Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti while 002 was on hand for Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass.
The Ickx / Mass entry started from pole with Stommelen / Schurti second.
In the race, Mass and Stommelen pulled away from the rest of the field to lead in formation.
However, when 001 picked up a puncture, it dropped to third.
Stommelen and Schurti eventually recovered their original position and looked set for the runner’s up spot until the lead 935 lost eleven minutes in the pits; its rear brake pads had worn down to nothing and the bare backing plate had welded itself to the calipers which locked the wheels.
001 inherited the lead and ran without trouble to the finish.
This victory meant Porsche and BMW went into the championship finale (the Dijon 6 Hours on September 4th) with three wins apiece and everything to play for.
In its first appearance since Le Mans, BMW’s unique 3.5-litre CSL Turbo took pole at Dijon with Ronnie Peterson behind the wheel. Ickx / Mass were second in 002 and Stommelen / Schurti lined up third in 001.
For the opening half hour, Peterson and Ickx engaged in a furious battle at the head of the field while Schurti held station in third.
On lap 34, the BMW retired with a locked differential which meant the race (and championship) was now Porsche’s to lose.
When the lead 935 underwent a precautionary pad change in the fifth hour (deemed necessary after its early chase), the longer than usual stop meant 001 inherited top spot and looked headed for another win.
Unfortunately, with 42 minutes to go, Stommelen came into the pits: the front brake line had fractured and lost all its fluid. A nine minute stop dropped 001 to third at the chequered flag.
Porsche finished the championship on 95 points compared to BMW’s 85.
001 was later sold to Vasek Polak as part of a package of cars for the Porsche collection at his Hermosa Beach dealership in California.
Polak retained 001 for around two decades before it was purchased by Kevin Jeanette of Gunnar Racing in southern California.
Jeanette in turn sold 001 to John Kotts of Houston and, in 2009, it went into the North Carolina collection of the late Matt Drendel.
Notable History
Porsche Martini Racing
10/07/1976 WCM Watkins Glen 6 Hours (R. Stommelen / M. Schurti) 1st oa, 1st Gr.5 class (#4)
04/09/1976 WCM Dijon 6 Hours (R. Stommelen / M. Schurti) 3rd oa, 3rd Gr.5 class (#3)
Sold to Vasek Polak, California
Sold to Kevin Jeanette, California
Sold to John Kotts, Texas
Sold to Matt Drendel, North Carolina
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
