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Meet the Heroes of Le Mans Mission 2014. Our Return.
Legendary race cars Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 1
Model Highlights from 1951 – 1998 The Milestones
Porsche racing cars have been in the starting line-up every year since 1951. Selected high- lights from Porsche's long history at the Le Mans race can be found here.
Porsche 356 SL Coupé Jahr/Year 1951
Motor/Engine 4 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat
Hubraum/Displacement 1.086 ccm
Leistung/Power 46 PS/hp (34 kW)
Gewicht/Weight 640 kg
Vmax 160 km/h/kph
Right from the outset, motor racing was an important factor in the success of the Porsche marque. Aside from the possibility of testing and subsequently perfecting the technology of the sports cars under tough racing conditions, motor sport proved to be the ideal stage to showcase the sporting qualities of Porsche sports cars in front of insiders and fans. It didn’t take long for enthusiastic press reports to appear and the Porsche 356 became the secret weapon amongst race drivers. The small German sports car manufacturer attracted attention around the world when, in 1951, the French importer Auguste Veuillet and his compatriot Edmond Mouche won the hotly-contested 1.1-litre class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a works-entered 356 SL. Porsche was the first automobile manufacturer after the war to compete at Le Mans. The 356 SL lived up to its name: The SL designation means “Super Light” and indicates the aerodynamically-optimised aluminium body with covered wheels. The fuel tank under the front hood was increased to 78 litres, making fewer pit stops necessary for the 356 SL. Driving the “aluminium can”, as the mechanics lovingly called the race car, was a 46 hp performance-enhanced four-cylinder flat engine. With this, the stream- lined Coupé reached a top speed of 160 km/h, which was enough for the Veuillet/Mouche team to average 118.36 km/h, cover 2,840.65 kilometres, and set the class record. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 2
Porsche 550 Coupé
Jahr/Year 1953
Motor/Engine 4 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat
Hubraum/Displacement 1.488 ccm
Leistung/Power 78 PS/hp (57 kW) @ 6000/min
Gewicht/Weight 545 kg
Vmax 200 km/h /kph
The Porsche 550 Spyder was the first sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen built specifi - cally for racing. At its Le Mans premiere in the year 1953, sporting a Coupé-hardtop and a 78 hp power unit based on the VW engine, the fast and agile 550 featured a mid-engine, independent suspension as well as a pendulum rear axle and torsion bars. In addition to the excellent handling characteristics, lightweight design was the top priority for Porsche engineers: the overall weight of the 550 was now around 550 kilograms – that’s 100 kilos less than the 356 SL Coupé. The type designation “550” has, in fact, nothing to do with the weight of the vehicle – the name actually indicates the project number 550 of the Porsche Design office, which was founded in 1931. Becoming almost as legendary as the vehicle itself was what is known as the “Fuhrmann” engine in the 550 Spyder, which at the time of the Le Mans debut was already on the test-bed back in Germany. In the construction of the 1.5-litre light-alloy, four-cylinder, the Porsche designer Ernst Fuhrmann used every possible feature of modern race engine construction: Four overhead camshafts of the “Fuhrmann” motor, dual ignition, as well as an 8-litre dry sump lubrication at first delivered a reliable 110 hp. Over the following years, the performance of the engine type 587 grew to 180 hp. The Porsche 550 A Spyder made its debut in 1956 with a lighter and significantly stiffer space frame instead of the flat frame. With the 550 and 550 A Spyder, Porsche notched up six class victories in a row at Le Mans until 1958. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 3
Porsche 718 RSK Spyder
Jahr/Year 1958
Motor/Engine 4 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat
Hubraum/Displacement 1.587 ccm
Leistung/Power 148 PS/hp (109 kW) @ 8000/min
Gewicht/Weight 530 kg
Vmax 260 km/h/kph
In 1958 Porsche again fields the 718 RSK, after the first outing a year ago ended with an accident. The successor to the 550 A Spyder is improved in many respects. A space frame of seamless steel tubing provides high rigidity at a very low weight; the suspension and the drum brakes have undergone optimisation. The aerodynamics have been refined – for Le Mans the co-driver’s side is covered with an aluminium sheet. Car No. 29 is powered by a Fuhrmann engine that was enlarged to 1,587 cc, the other three RSK feature the 1,498 cc unit planted in front of the rear axle. Jean Behra and Hans Herrmann clinch a sensational third place overall – the first overall podium result for Porsche KG right in time for the 10th anniversary of the young sports car manufacturer. Edgar Barth and Paul Frère win the 1.5-litre class with their No. 31 RSK and finish fourth overall. In 1959 the works RSK will tackle Le Mans with new “sprint” camshafts – and not see the flag. A year later the new 718 RS60 Spyder will come the Sarthe after outright wins at Sebring and the Targa Florio with new aerodynamics and a rear axle with coil springs. One of the cars will go on to score second place in its class. In 1961 a 718 RS61 will win the two-litre class with 185 hp, and a 160 hp “Le Mans Coupé” will conquer the 1.6-litre class. The wheelbase of the RS61 has grown by 100 millimetres compared to its predecessor, with the rear axle now featuring double wishbones. In 1962 the ACO do not grant permission for the 718 W-RS to compete with its new eight cylinder unit. But in 1963 it will clearly dominate the two-litre class. For Le Mans its engine puts out 210hp and accelerates the car to 280 kmh. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 4
904 Carrera GTS
Jahr/Year 1964
Motor/Engine 4 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat
Hubraum/Displacement 1.966 ccm
Leistung/Power 180 PS/hp (133 kW) @7.200/min
Gewicht/Weight 650 kg
Vmax 263 km/h/kph
Beautiful and fast perfectly describes the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, which was first presen - ted in November 1963 on the Solitude circuit near Stuttgart, clinched class victory in spring 1964 at Daytona, turned heads with a double win at the Targa Florio and scored a class win in the two-litre Grand Touring class at its Le Mans debut. Using a composite construction, F. A. Porsche created the 904 featuring a steel frame and a glass-fibre reinforced plastic body. The use of plastic was a first for Porsche, hence in the construction they sought advice from aviation experts. Two bodyshells per day were laminated by hand at the Heinkel Flug - zeug Bau GmbH in the German town of Speyer. Aside from its streamlined shape, what made the mid-engined race car so successful was its small frontal area of just 1.4 square metres and the Cd value of 0.33. Thanks to its different engine options, ranging from four to eight cylinders, the 904 Carrera GTS turned out to be very diverse. 106 units were mounted with a 180 hp (with racing exhaust) four-cylinder Carrera motor and fielded at Le Mans. Later, four vehicles received a 210 hp six-cylinder and two works-race cars were propelled by 240 hp eight-cylinder power units. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 5
Porsche 917 K (Short Tail)
Jahr/Year 1970
Motor/Engine 12 Zyl./Cyl., 180° V
Hubraum/Displacement 4.494 ccm
Leistung/Power 580 PS/hp (426 kW) @ 8.300/min
Gewicht/Weight 830 kg
Vmax 340 km/h/kph
There’s no lack of famous number combinations at Porsche. But 9-1-7 stands one of the most legendary race cars ever to tackle the circuits of the world. It stands for a generation of Porsche race cars that could only be defeated by rule changes – but not on the race track. When the new rules for the sports car world championship come out at the end of 1967, Porsche decides to design a sports car for the five-litre class. As the successor to the successful 907 and 908, the 917 was initially powered by a 4.5-litre twelve-cylinder motor with around 560 hp at 8,300 rpm. The new engine would accelerate the 917 to speeds just below 400 km/h – a huge challenge for the aerodynamicists at Weissach. At Le Mans, the 917 leads at his first outing in 1969 until three hours before the finish – only to retire with clutch failure. Porsche returns in 1970, and this time yields success. The 917 K short tail, with starting number 23 and decked out in the red and white of Porsche Salzburg KG, brings home the first outright win for Porsche. Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood share the cockpit of the racer with its aluminium space frame under its thin plastic bodywork. For 1970, output of the twelve cylinder was increased to 580 hp. A long tail 917 clinches second place overall. In the sports car world championship, Porsche clinches the title thanks to the seven wins of the now-dominating 917. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 6
Porsche 917 K (Short Tail)
Jahr/Year 1971
Motor/Engine 12 Zyl./Cyl., 180° V
Hubraum/Displacement 4.907 ccm
Leistung/Power 600 PS/hp @ 8.400/min
Gewicht/Weight 800 kg
Vmax 360 km/h/kph
After claiming the first overall victory in 1970, Porsche followed up a year later with another triumph at the Sarthe. Again, the 917 scored a double victory. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep won in a short tail fielded by the Martini Racing Team in front of Richard Attwood and Herbert Müller in a 917 KH of John Wyer Automotive. The winning car with the starting number 22 was a truly unique 917. It featured an ultralight magnesium frame which proved to be a third lighter than its aluminium counterpart. Only the No. 22 917 KH and the 917/20 with the starting number 23 were fitted with this frame. Thanks to the lighter space frame construction, Porsche was able to specifically place ballast to lower the car’s centre of gravity. The displacement of the air-cooled twelve-cylinder increased by 400 cc to 4.9-litres so that the engine now delivered a reliable 600 hp. New for Le Mans were the “shark fins” at the rear that had already been used in Monza which improved the directional stability at extreme speeds and reduced the drag by eleven percent, which resulted in lower fuel consumption and higher top speeds. Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko won with a record distance of 5,335.16 kilometres and an incredible average speed of 222.30 km/h. Both records stood for 39 years. After the victory in 1970, Porsche again won the World Championship in 1971 with the 917. After changes to the regulations, the 917 was no longer able to compete in Le Mans in 1972, but instead achieved a raft of victories in the American Canadian Can-Am Series – and became the experimental vehicle for the first turbochargers in high- performance Porsche engines that produced up to 1,300 hp. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 7
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo 2.1
Jahr/Year 1974
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl., Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2.142 ccm
Leistung/Power 500 PS/hp (368 kW) @ 7.600/min
Gewicht/Weight 825 kg
Vmax 300 km/h/kph
In preparation for a makes world championship for production-based race cars, Porsche designed the first turbocharged racer ever to take on the Le Mans challenge. The 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 was fitted with a newly-developed 2,142 cc engine. As a handicap factor was applied on turbocharged motors, the new Porsche would start in the three-litre prototypes class. Its six cylinder featured a magnesium crankcase, the con-rods and inlet valves were made of titanium. For the turbo technology, the engineers applied their expe - rience from the Can-Am project, where Porsche had found a way to minimise the turbo lag with the help of a bypass valve on the exhaust side of the turbo. With a single KKK turbo - charger with an intercooler placed under the large rear wing and received air through a NACA inlet, the engine generated 500 hp at 1.5 bars turbo pressure. It was capable of accelerating the RSR Turbo 2.1 in 8.8 seconds from standstill to 200 km/h. The production- based racer with the bodyshell of the 911 was a masterpiece of lightweight design, bringing just 825 kg to the starting line. In order to avoid a change in the handling characteristics over the distance, the fuel tank was placed on the co-driver’s side. The suspension featured wishbones on all corners. The drive shafts, wheels and brakes were taken from the 917. The 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 only started once at Le Mans and finished second overall in 1974. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 8
Porsche 935
Jahr/Year 1976
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl., Boxer/Flat
Hubraum/Displacement 2.806 ccm
Leistung/Power 590 PS/hp (434 kW) @ 5.400/min
Gewicht/Weight 970 kg
Vmax 350 km/h/kph
Also at Le Mans from 1976 – as in the World Championship for Makes – were the production cars of the “Group 5”. Straight away, the 935 based on the 911 Turbo 3.0 (dubbed inter - nally 930) turned out to be a winner. It won its class at all starts in Le Mans – 1976 to 1981. And in 1979 it even clinched overall victory. In the later stages of development from 1977, the turbo engine developed well over 600 hp with two turbochargers instead of one. For the power transmission, Porsche put its trust in the near-standard four-speed gearbox of the 911 Turbo and a rigid rear axle. Thanks to the systematic lightweight design with doors, hoods and fenders made of GRP as well as the side and rear windows made of plexiglass, more than 70 kg of lead could be placed in the 935 in order to reach the minimum weight of 970 kilograms. With the help of this ballast, Porsche modified the weight distribution and centre of gravity. The external difference at first glance between the 935 and its street- going counterpart is its aerodynamic slant nose, the massive plastic fender flares and the distinctive double rear wing. In 1977, the aerodynamics of the 935 underwent more wind tunnel tests and was further optimised. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 9
Porsche 936 Spyder
Jahr/Year 1977
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2.142 ccm
Leistung/Power 540 PS/hp (397 kW) @ 8.000/min
Gewicht/Weight 740 kg
Vmax 360 km/h/kph
In addition to the Manufacturers World Championship for production race cars (Group 5, Porsche 935), in 1976 Porsche took part in the World Championship for sports cars (Group 6). In record time, Weissach developed a new racing sports car of the 936 type. Technically, the engineers utilised the proven 908/03 and 917/10 designs in the development of the open Spyder. The result was an aluminium space frame which was covered by a plastic body. Powering the 936 was the 2.1-litre six-cylinder boxer turbo engine with an output of around 520 hp, previously planted in the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1. The first race-worthy Porsche 936, called the ‘black widow’ within Porsche because of its matte black body, conducted tests in the second half of February on the southern French race course in Le Castellet. Participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours was rewarded in June 1976 with a convin- cing overall victory to Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep. In 1977, Porsche returned to Le Mans with the 936/77. Its body was smaller, lower, shorter and further refined aerodyna - mically. The engine now featured two turbochargers and delivered 20 more horsepower. At one of the most dramatic races in history, Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood slayed the armada of four Renault works cars and two factory-supported “Mirage” with Renault motors. In the year 1981, the 936 celebrated a sensational comeback with another overall Le Mans victory. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 10
Porsche 935/78 “Moby Dick”
Jahr/Year 1978
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 3.211 ccm
Leistung/Power 750 PS/hp (552 kW) @ 8.200/min
Gewicht/Weight 1.025 kg
Vmax 366 km/h/kph
“Moby Dick” was a rare sight and one of the most creative interpretations of the seemingly inexhaustible topic dubbed Nine-Eleven. The car only tackled four races in 1978, amongst them the Le Mans 24 Hours. Its 3.2-litre engine in the rear was the first Porsche engine with a water-cooled four-valve cylinder head, while the cylinders remained air-cooled. Two small turbochargers improved throttle response compared to the car’s predecessors with just one large charger. For conventional races, the unit put out up to 845 hp (621 kW). For the Le Mans marathon, drivers had to be content with very durable 750 horses. No other 911 has ever reached power figures like “Moby Dick”. A four-speed gearbox transmitted the power to the rigid rear axle. In a clever interpretation of the regulations, Porsche shaved six centimetres off the lower end of the plastic body on the aluminium space frame. On the Mulsanne straight, the Porsche 935/78 reached 366 km/h thanks to its excellent aero - dynamics – just one kilometre an hour less than the sport prototypes with their much smaller frontal area. Minor technical problems and too many refuelling stops resulted in an eighth place overall at “Moby Dick’s” one and only appearance at Le Mans. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 11
Porsche 956 C Coupé
Jahr/Year 1982
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl., Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2.649 ccm
Leistung/Power 620 PS/hp (456 kW) @ 8.200/min
Gewicht/Weight 855 kg
Vmax 360 km/h/kph
Once again, Porsche was at the cutting edge of sports car racing in adapting and exploiting the ground-effect known from Formula 1 to the all-new 956. The shaped floor pan and sidepods of the race car generated an under pressure which sucked the car to the track surface. Thanks to this aerodynamic solution, the 956 realised cornering speeds previously thought impossible. Because a space frame would very likely not withstand the enormous downforce, the 956 is the first Porsche to feature an aluminium monocoque. The bench - mark for the stiffness of the new monocoque is the body of the 935 which is based on the production 911! All suspension parts, of which only the lower control arms are exposed to the air stream, are adapted for the enormous loads through the ground effect. As the regulations limit fuel consumption, Porsche uses ground-breaking injection and ignition sy - stems for the 2.65-litre six-cylinder turbo engine of the 956. With two turbochargers and intercooling, the engine initially puts out 620 hp, later 640 hp. The 956 was equipped with a newly-developed, fully-synchronised five-speed gearbox. Weighing 820 kilograms, the car complied with the required minimum weight. The 956 launched its career at Le Mans with a triple win in 1982 and won here every year until 1985. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 12
Porsche 962 C Coupé
Jahr/Year 1987
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl., Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2.994 ccm
Leistung/Power 700 PS/hp (514 kW) @ 8.200/min
Gewicht/Weight 850 kg
Vmax 350 km/h/kph
251.815 kilometres per hour average speed. Hans-Joachim Stuck underlined the enormous potential of the 962 C at its maiden outing on the Circuit des 24 Heures in 1985, posting the fastest ever qualifying lap in Le Mans. In order to meet the safety standards of a major US race series, the wheelbase of the car grew by twelve centimetres compared to its pre - decessor, the 956 C, to measure 2.77 metres: the feet of the drivers were not allowed to protrude beyond the front axle. Moved further to the front, the front axle as well as the regulation-stipulated smaller tyres resulted in modifications to the aerodynamics, which proved to be a success. Even with the low downforce and high top speed body designed for Le Mans, the ground effect of the 962 C would have made it possible to drive upside down under the ceiling. Even at much lower speeds, this ground effect built up enormous downforce for the famed Le Mans corners. A safety cage of steel enhanced the newly-de - signed aluminium monocoque, which further increased the stiffness of the race car and driver safety. For the practice sessions in 1985, Porsche ran the fully water-cooled three- litre twin-turbo with around 700 hp. For the race, Weissach opted for the proven water- and air-cooled 2.65-litre unit with 640 hp. In 1987, the works-962 C was powered in the race by the stronger three-litre engine. After claiming overall victories in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1994, the success story of the 962 C at the most famous of all 24 hour races came to an end. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 13
Porsche 961
Jahr/Year 1986
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl. Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2.847 ccm
Leistung/Power 640 PS/hp (471 kW) @7.800/min
Gewicht/Weight 1150 kg
Vmax 340 km/h/kph
The first all-wheel-drive race car at Le Mans was a Porsche. The type 961 was based on the Porsche 959. In January 1986 three of these high performance sports cars had demon - strated outstanding reliability and speed, finishing first, second and sixth at the Paris-Dakar marathon rally. Now the technologically-pioneering sports car tackled the toughest long distance race in the world. Racing the 961 at Le Mans underscored the performance of technologies that the 959 would feature for road use – from all-wheel drive over sequential turbocharging of the 2.85-litre engine to the new six-speed gearbox, which was built in a near-standard spec, as were the brake callipers. The engine put out 640 hp which was around 200 hp more the its standard equivalent, thanks to increased boost and an altered mapping of the engine electronics. The body was slightly modified for Le Mans with a large adjustable rear wing and additional air inlets for the engine and transmission cooling. While the 959 was being built at Porsche, the 961 finished in seventh overall amongst the sports prototypes at Le Mans and won class. A year later a 680 hp 961 came back to the Sarthe but was sidelined after an accident. Still, even this short outing proved a success for Weissach’s R&D engineers, as the rolling lab, dubbed 961, delivered a stream of data that went straight into every sports car made by Porsche. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 14
Porsche Joest WSC Spyder
Jahr/Year 1996
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./cyl. Boxer/Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 2994 ccm
Leistung/Power 540 PS/hp (397 kW) @ 7700/min
Gewicht/Weight 885 kg
Vmax 320 km/h
Reinhold Joest’s highly professional customer squad won the 24 hour races of 1996 and 1997 with the Porsche Joest WSC Spyder. Porsche had designed this open “World Sports Car” prototype for racing in the USA but aborted the campaign after a short-term rule change for 1995. Former race driver and now profiled motorsports team boss Reinhold Joest took over the existing prototype from Porsche and had the aerodynamics as well as the suspen- sion thoroughly modified by the Weissach engineers at his own expense. A second Porsche WSC Spyder was built. Both cars featured a carbon-fibre monocoque, a carbon-fibre plastic body and a flat underbody as stipulated by the regulations. The well-proven and outstan - dingly successful three-litre six cylinder twin-turbo of the 962 C was selected as a power source – and it would turn out to be one of the crucial ingredients of success for the Joest WSC Spyder thanks to its fuel efficiency. Once the race was on, the Joest WSC Spyder were able to run for up to four hours on one set of tyres thanks to their tyre preserving set-up – another advantage over the opposition. Preparing the Joest WSC Spyder for its Le Mans campaign had been a race in itself. Only in February had Porsche and Joest given the go- ahead for the project and the last tests were conducted just a week prior to the pre-test at Le Mans in May. The pre-tests had underlined the pace of the Spyder, and in qualifying a Porsche Joest WSC Spyder grabbed pole position. In the race, the Spyder with starting number 7 proved unbeatable – even for the two works-911 GT1. In 1997 the Joest WSC Spyder with the same starting number would return to Le Mans and win again. Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Legendary race cars 15
Porsche 911 GT1 98
Jahr/Year 1998
Motor/Engine 6 Zyl./Cyl., Boxer /Flat Turbo
Hubraum/Displacement 3.200 ccm
Leistung/Power 550 PS/hp (440 kW) @ 7.200/min
Gewicht/Weight 970 kg
Vmax 350 km/h/kph
A rolling race lab and a one-two winner at Le Mans in 1998 – this was the 911 GT1 ‘98. After Porsche had raced the first mid-engined cars based on the 911 in 1996 and 1997 at the French endurance classic, the 911 GT1 ‘98 marked the pinnacle of the development of the iconic 911 racing sports car. Its fuel-efficient 3.2-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo engine put out 600 hp. The front axle – always a critical point for its predecessors 911 GT1 and GT1 Evo – had been altered. For the first time Porsche ran carbon-fibre brake discs in one of their racers. The 380mm discs featured eight-piston callipers at the front and six-piston units at the rear axle. The 911 GT1 ‘98 had a full carbon-fibre monocoque and carbon- fibre plastic body. Ready to race, the Porsche weighed just 970 kilograms. For the homolo- gation of the race car, Porsche had to build a road-legal version which would also feature the full carbon-fibre chassis – and which would have to pass all the official crash tests. The road-legal 911 GT1 ’’98 managed this with flying colours and Porsche built a small series of 21 units for motorsport enthusiasts.