VIN: the Martini Racing Porsche 935 chassis 004 R18
History of chassis 004 R18
Although Porsche ultimately prevailed over BMW in the 1976 World Manufacturers Championship, the ten point margin of victory was closer than it should have been.
Accordingly, for the 1977 season, Porsche developed an even more extreme 935 with a twin turbocharged engine, reworked suspension, improved steering, better brakes and superior aerodynamics.
Chassis 004 (R18) was the first of two such cars built. It was tested at Paul Ricard the week before it appeared at the Mugello 6 Hours on March 20th (round two of the 1977 World Championship).
Porsche took two cars to Mugello: 004 for Jochen Mass / Jurgen Barth and 003 (a single turbo 1976-spec. car) for Rolf Stommelen / Manfred Schurti.
004 had a lubrication problem in the morning practice session which ruled it out of any further running. However, it returned in the afternoon when Mass put it on pole by three tenths of a second over the sister car.
In the race, Mass sped away from the rest of the field despite a problem with the brake pedal not returning (he kept having to pull it back with his foot). Mass was also not feeling well as a result of something he had eaten and opted to come in after just over an hour at the wheel.
Barth then took over and led from John Fitzpatrick’s Kremer 935 while Schurti was third in the other works car.
At the 90 minute mark, mist and rain started to close in. Both Martini entries came into the pits for wets but Fitzpatrick stayed out.
Half an hour later, Barth had overhauled the Kremer 935 but, by this stage, 004 was beginning to suffer brake fade.
After 15 minutes back in the lead, 004’s alternator stopped charging so Barth came in for it to be changed and a new set of brake pads were fitted.
Barth roared back onto the track just as Fitzpatrick was flying by. Barth stamped on the brake pedal for the first corner but had forgotten to prime his new pads. He arrived at the corner brake-less and ploughed into the back of Fitzpatrick.
Both cars retired on the spot.
Fortunately, Stommelen and Schurti purred round in the single turbo entry and won by six laps.
004 was subsequently dismantled and stored at Zuffenhausen.
In 1990, American Porsche expert, Kerry Morse (who also owned the 1978 935 chassis 007), purchased an entire floor of the building to include many parts, projects and moulds. 004 was included along with practically all the parts to rebuild it.
004 was later restored by Freisinger Motorsport in Karlsruhe.
Notable History
Porsche Martini Racing
20/03/1977 WCM Mugello 6 Hours (J. Mass / J. Barth) DNF (#1)
Retired after Jurgen Barth’s Mugello crash
1990 sold to Kerry Morse, Southern California
Rebuilt by Freisinger Motorsport, Karlsruhe
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
