Choose but: the most legendary Porsche Le Mans-winner
Posted on 14-06-2015 at 20:27 by Dizono – 45 Comments”
Seventeen times, so often won Porsche Le Mans. They did that with the nine (or eight, just how you look at it) different cars. We have them all for you in a row, including the necessary background info. The only thing you need to do is choose which ultimately the most legendary.
Porsche 917K (1970 and 1971)
Porsche posted earlier successes with, among others, the 550 Spyder in slower classes, but in the 1970s help Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood Porsche their first overall victory with the 917K. A year later, the Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko that prevail with the air-cooled Porsche 917.
Porsche 936 (1976, 1977 and 1981)
In 1976, it is again Gijs van Lennep with Porsche victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans, this time with the famous Belgian Jacky Ickx at his side. It is remarkable that the Porsche 936, not only in 1976 and 1977 win, but also in 1981. In that year the attention is mainly directed to the raceversie of the 944, but in order to compete for the overall victory is a 936 equipped with the 2.65-liter turbo engine from Porsche’s Indycar, coupled with a controlled gearbox from the Can-Am 917. Only three official 936 chassis’ are built, which are all one time Le Mans managed to win.
Porsche 935 K3 (1979)
In 1979, no official factory team of Porsche at the start, but Porsche Kremer Racing with their custom version of the Porsche 935: the K3. In a race dominated by rain, in the end, three Porsche 935’s first across the finish line, for a Porsche 934 at the fourth place and the first prototype on place five, a Rondeau M379.
Porsche 956 (1982 to 1985)
No less than four times in a row wins the Group C-built racer Le Mans. The engine is the same as in the 936 in 1981: a 2.65-liter turbo with around 635 hp, this time with a vijfbak. How quickly the 956 is shown by the fact that the fastest lap on the Nürburgring Nordschleife ever in 1983 by Stefan Bellof was driving a 956: 6:11.13. Unfortunately died the same Bellof behind the wheel of a 956, if he is during the 1000 km of Spa (1985) comes in contact with the 962 of Ickx. After the accident, many teams of the 956 with pension send, and switch on the 962.
Porsche 962C (1986 and 1987)
Porsche wants with the 956 in both Europe and in America race, but on the other side of the ocean is the 956 soon excluded for security reasons: the feet of the driver for the front axle. The wheelbase is extended, the chassis is custom, and there are other engines used. In the Porsche 962C was first a water-cooled 3.2 twin-turbo, which in 1987 will be replaced by a more durable and stronger 3-literblok.
Dauer 962 Le Mans (1994)
The company of Jochen Dauer was stripping Porsche 962’s bald, and made them suitable for use on the public road. By a change in the rules were the factory Porsche 962’s in their class have already long not more competitive, until in 1993, a street-legal car, their comeback was, in their own class at Le Mans. The organization ‘forgot’, however, a minimum number of copies produced to be mandatory and so was Jochen Dauer, two 962’s register as a GT1. However, there had to be something narrower tires, a larger fuel tank and a restrictor on the air inlet to be mounted. The mandatory luggage space for a standard briefcase was the Dauer 962 al. With a little help from the factory team were the 962’s during the qualification faster than all other cars in their class, but they came speed briefly to the Group C-cars are hard to make. By stable and constant driving and very little trouble to know, knew the two Dauer’s to climb and eventually as a 1st and 3rd to finish the race.
TWR Porsche WSC-95 (1996 and 1997)
One of the most unusual cars that ever Le Mans managed to win is, without a doubt, the Porsche and the Tom Walkinshaw-developed WSC-95. The car started life as the chassis of a Jaguar XJR-14, which by Porsche was modified. In the meanwhile the old, but still powerful turbo-block from the 956 hung. By changes in the regulations was the development of the car, intended for the IMSA series, discontinued when this is already almost finished. Reinhold Joest knew Porsche, however, to convince him to give the car and to race at Le Mans. There is a second car built, but it is very special that one chassis for both the race in 1996 and 1997 and managed to win. Something that had never been shown before and also afterwards not occurred.
Porsche 911 GT1 (1998)
Fortunately there was in 1998, however, a minimum number of street-legal car that had to be built in order to be able to participate in the GT1-class, so that there is at least also 25 street versions of the brute GT1. The front of the chassis comes from the 993, the rear of the 962, while the appearance of the audience already had to warm up for the later to present 996. Because at Le Mans, faster prototypes of Mercedes, BMW and Toyota technical problems encountered, it could happen that a Porsche from the GT1-class disappearing with the victory.
Porsche 919 Hybrid
The Porsche 919 all we need to do as few words as dirt to make, we did that the last time already. 17 years after the last victory is there than finally a victory for Porsche.
