The Porsche 934 was Porsche's first turbocharged GT racecar but remarkably stayed close to production specification. Homologated into Group 4 the GT was not at all easy to drive and only very few top professionals were able to extract the full potential of this powerful beast which reached top speeds of up to 300 km/h. The reasons for its tricky behavior lay on the table: The delayed power delivery of the single turbo – the notorious „turbo-lag".
Relatively small tires, which led to massive understeer on corner entry followed by oversteer after full turbo boost had set in at exit. Another 934 handicap was the lack of rear downforce and mechanical grip. There was no lack of power though – starting with 485 hp and culminating in 540 and – for American IMSA-cars – even 600 hp strong 3.0-litre six cylinders.
Porsche built 31 934s, this one, Chassis #930 670 0172, was the 22nd and ahead of the 1976 season went to Richard Leder, Firestone importer for Germany, based in Hamburg. He competed in only six races, winning two, at Kassel-Calden and on Berlin's Avus. In June 1976 Leder tragically lost his life in a road accident. The 934 was then acquired by Volkert Merl, also from Hamburg, who for 1977 had it upgraded to 934/5 specs (larger 935-rear wing and wider rear fenders). During 1977 Merl was a regular in the "Deutsche Rennsport-Meisterschaft", with a P4 at Diepholz as his best result. When he switched to a Group 5 Porsche 935 for 1978 he sold #0172 to Peter Zbinden. The Porsche dealer from Thun in Switzerland converted the car back to standard 934 bodywork and - with compatriot Edi Kofel – entered the white Castrol-sponsored car in selected rounds of the World Sportscar Championship, with a P6 at the 1979 edition of the 6 hours of Silverstone as best result. In 3 ½ years of Zbinden ownership the 934 claimed eleven podiums and eighteen class or overall wins. Also the subsequent two owners were Swiss nationals – Pierre Schaerer from Berne and Peter Baumann from Zurich, who acquired the car in 1982. After the latter retired the 934 he meticulously restored it to its original specification; the car then became part of a collection and was rarely seen in public.
This extensively raced but remarkably well preserved 934 has been uniquely and sympathetically converted in the workshop of Cars International Heritage to register it for road use in the UK and EU. The suspension set-up was slightly softened, and a set of new road legal tires were fitted to the split rim BBS alloy race wheels. The engine has been tuned for better drivability, allowing it to start from cold idle smoothly and deliver power progressively. Inside, the emphasis lay on a genuine road car feel. A full carpet set has been fitted, the hinged door bins (with new door cards) were reinstated, the original hollow aluminum roll cage has been trimmed in black leather with green stitching, with a pair of Recaros retrimmed with custom green & yellow tartan cloth. Fun fact: The factory equipped these cars with power windows, they are still functional here. Unique '934' stickers are a homage to the original 'Turbo' 930 decals available on road cars in period – a nice detail.
All original parts removed during this process have been carefully retained and stored together. Therefore, a straightforward conversion back to full race specification is possible so that the new owner may enter the car at Le Mans Classic or Rennsport Reunion. So, if you could imagine giving this most original and well-documented example of all remaining 934s a new life on the circuits or use it as a unique daily driver with slumbering racing-DNA, don't hesitate to contact Cars International Heritage.
