Porsche 934 ex. Wollek History
| Chassis number: | 930 670 0158 |
| Production number: | 1063542 |
| Engine number: | 676 xxxx |
Parallel to the launch of Porsche 911 Turbo (factory-internal identification: 930), the internal sports department developed the racing version 934. In order to be homologated as racing car of category 4 (special GT-vehicle), a total of 400 exemplars identical in construction had to be manufactures within twice 12 months. This was no problem at all for Porsche, since the demand was significantly higher.
The 934-model became the successor of the Carrera-type, which had set the benchmark in GT-sports for 3 years. Due to the exhaust gas turbo-loading, the actual cubic capacity of the engine was allocated the factor 1.4. This resulted in 4,200 cm³ and the car had to start in the category above 3,000 cm³.
The engine performance was almost continuously variable between 480 and 560 HP by means of a “steam wheel”. With a homologation weight of 1,120 kg each HP had to move only ca. 2 kg. I.e., the 934-model was like a pike in a fishpond from the very beginning, particularly on fast routes. However, the delayed response of the turbocharger was a disadvantage, as opposed to the suction engine. Thus, the drivers initially had to get used to accelerate already in front of the peak of a curve. Moreover, not 5 but only 4 forward gears were available.
Porsche issued a small series of exactly 30 vehicles for the 1976 season (vehicle identification numbers: 930 670 0151 to 930 670 0180). A factory-manufactured vehicle (VIN: 930 670 0540) as well as a customer-built-up version (VIN: 006 0022) followed later.
The model was appreciated so much in the USA that Porsche manufactured another small series with 10 vehicles for 1977 (VIN: 930 670 0951 to 930 670 0960). Today, these vehicles are identified as 934 1/2 type.
Thus, a total of 42 vehicles have been manufactured of the 934-type.
In 1976, the team of the brothers Manfred and Erwin Kremer from Cologne ordered two 934-models “ready-made“ (# 930 670 0158 and #930 670 0166) as well as two so-called replacement bodies (# 006 0014 and # 006 0022), from which a 935 (group 5) as well as another 934 were built (see above).
While the green 934 (# 930 670 0166) with Bob Wollek as driver was started preferably in the German Racing Championship (DRM), the white car (# 930 670 0158) was reserved to the private driver Gerhard Holup from Kaarst/Germany for most of its starts. Holup had started motor sports in 1969, principally drove only Porsche in the following years and was financially involved in the 934 from 1976. However, by consultation with him, the Kremers used the car also for other races important for the team.
These included the 24-hours race of Le Mans, where the French Bob Wollek, Didier Pironi and Marie-Claude Beaumont, after having exchanged the clutch twice, ended up at a disappointing 19 th position of the overall category.
At Norisring in Nuremberg, Bob Wollek drove the race, which belongs to the DRM-races, in his (green) master car. In the score run-up to for the GT-Europe Championship however, he took place in the white car, but failed due to transmission damage.
The 6-hour race of Dijon, a run for the brand world championship, was a matter of important points for the Porsche-Cup for Bob Wollek. After he started the race with the team-owned 935, he switched to the 934 later on. With the support of Reinhold Jöst and Jürgen Barth, the team finished with an excellent 8 th position in the overall category and ended up as superior winner of the GT-valuation.
For the last run to the DRM the car was leased to Hartwig Bertrams from Leichlingen. The GT-Europe champion of 1975 had driven for the Solingen businessmen Egon Evertz for the whole season. At the end of the season there had been obvious differences, leading to Evertz favouring the Finn Leo Kinnunen as driver, with Bertrams left without a car.
Further on, the car was driven by Hans Heyer from Wegberg and by Dieter Schornstein from Aachen.
It must have been kind of a test run for Schornstein, as he then purchased the car and drove predominantly in Germany in the 1977 season, but also in bordering countries and Great Britain. He was able to get Sekurit as a sponsor. Therefore some parts of the car were varnished blue and the logo SEKURIT was attached on all four sides.
Schornstein had steered a Porsche Carrera RS 3.0 in group 3 (GT series vehicle) the year before and was successful at first go.
He took the 934 serious, tackled all 10 runs for the German Racing Championship, started for three runs of the brand world cup (Nürburgring, Brands Hatch and Hockenheim) and in between drove wherever possible.
In the runs for DRM, the best result was a 5th position in division I (above 2,000 cm³). This, however, was not necessarily due to Schornstein's driving skills, but rather to the fact that the top-teams (Kremer, Loos, Max Moritz) all participated with genuine group-5 vehicles of the 935-type.
At some events also Schornstein drove in group 5. In doing so, the car principally remained the same, but after installation of the large 935-rear wing and other tyres, it did not correspond any longer to GT-category of the group.
Alltogether, Schornstein accomplished 20 races in 1977. For the long-distance assignments he was supported by Götz von Tschirnhaus and the Belgium Alain Peltier.
Schornstein resigned in 1978, sold the 2 years old 934 back to Gerhard Holup and ordered a brandnew 935 from Porsche.
Holup included the private driver Edgar Dören from Wuppertal in the team and together with him tackled the European runs for the brand championship. Dören had an advertisement contract with the tool manufacturer Weralit and therefore the 934 now had green and red stripes instead of blue colour.
The 7 "big" races resulted in coming in first once, and two second positions in GT-valuation. Unfortunately the particularly important events, the 1,000 km Nürburgring-race and the 24 hours of Le Mans, ended up with failures due to technical defects.
Especially for Le Mans, No. 930 670 0158 got a new orange varnish owing to the funds from Jägermeister.
The colour remained up until the end of the season, but 1979 the car looked as before: white with green and red stripes with the Weralit-label.
After the definitely not satisfying season of 1978, new plans were made for 1979. The organisers of the DRM were worried how to arrange sufficiently attractive start fields. These considerations resulted in the invention of the German Racing Trophy, a special valuation for the group-4 vehicles, which started together with the group-4 bolides.
The 934-vehicles however did not remain among themselves. Meanwhile BMW launched the M1-type and homologated it as GT-vehicle. The M1 was a mid-engine sports car with a tubular frame chassis and a 3.5 l – six-cylinder in-line engine, achieving 450 HP thanks to 4-valve technology. The combination signified slight advantage for the BMW particularly on winding routes.
Nevertheless, Edgar Dören accomplished to win four times in total. These four victories as well as the other positions were enough to win the championship.
In 4 years, No. 930 670 0158 had contested 66 races up by then, was twice in Le Mans at the start, twice at the 1,000 km race on the Nürburgring and had won another championship in 1979.
Despite of this record, the days were numbered in Europe and the vehicle got a new scope in the United States. The new owner was Jack Refenning, living in Florida. He operated a Porsche-car workshop with the pretty name "901 shop".
After failures at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1980 and at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1981, the mission at the 1982-edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona yet again was crowned with success: 9 th position in the overall category and placed third in the IMSA GTO valuation.
In August 1982 Jack Refenning offered the 934 for sale as "79 German championship car" in the magazine of the American Porsche club "Panorama". This gives reason to believe that the sportive career of No. 930 670 0158 went to an end after 7 years and more than 70 races.
The car got to Germany via France and was accurately restored at Freisinger in Karlsruhe.
We give our thanks to Mr. Ulrich E. Trispel for the friendly assignment of his exposé.
