1979 Joest Porsche 935

1979 Porsche 935 Joest
VIN: 009 0001

• Two 1st place finishes with a total of 15 podiums
• First of the Joest-built Porsche 935s
• Driven by Reinhold Joest, Rolf Stommelen, Volkert Merl, Jochen Mass
• Owned by former F1-czar Bernie Ecclestone
• Chassis never damaged or modified, remains as raced by Joest
• Major top-end rebuild on engine performed recently with 3 hours on engine
• 3.2-liter twin turbocharged flat six engine

When Porsche announced that they would be ending factory support for the 935 at the beginning of 1979, there was a collective sigh among competitors who had finally waited for the extremely dominant 935 to stop being produced. While the factory wouldn’t be building new cars, Porsche would keep supplying new parts and a few independent teams, with Porsche’s blessing, were keen to build modified 935s and to breathe new life into the platform. Joest Racing was one of those who continued to develop and advance the 935 to levels beyond what Porsche might have even considered possible in the first place. This car, 009 0001, is the first Joest Porsche 935 ever built.

Of the complete Porsche 935 body-shells that were made available by Porsche, Joest Racing was the first to receive one. Modifications included turning the rear of the Porsche tub into a tubular space frame, allowing better suspension mounting and was much lighter. Porsche ran a special type of bodywork on the “Baby” Porsche 935 2.0, with Joest being the only team that was supplied and allowed to use these factory-specific panels. Special aerodynamic tuning was done to eke out every conceivable extra bit of downforce while reducing drag, originally lead by Norbert Singer during development. Some of the most notable differences include the front fenders with the raised channels to guide air down the car to the rear inlets near the rear window to aid the intercoolers. The factory air-to-water intercoolers were replaced with a more efficient air-to-air version, with proven race application through Joest’s own racecars. Joest’s racing and design acumen would lead 009 0001 to two 1st place finishes with 15 podiums during its racing career.

After finishing the 1981 season, this 935 was retired from active racing duty. The car was then purchased by Swiss collector Albert Obrist, who would then sell the 935 to former F1-czar Bernie Ecclestone. Canepa would purchase the car in early 2006 and performed a major race preparation on the car including brakes, fuel system, fuel injection pump, shock absorbers and chassis setup. The 935 was subsequently purchased by Jamie Mazzotta who would own the car until sold to its most recent owner.

The LiquiMoly Porsche 935J would return to Canepa in October 2018 with a fresh rebuild of the top-end components of its engine. Inspected from back to front, the original Joest chassis was in the same condition as it arrived at Canepa the very first time 12 years earlier. Employing the “Canepa Difference” process, the car was cleaned by hand ensuring that every inch of the car was spotless. Its mechanical inspection resulted in a clean bill of health and is an excellent example of an iconic and historic 935.

This Porsche 935J, the first chassis constructed by Joest, represents an incredible piece of automotive history. Its impressive provenance, proven race history, excellent condition and ownership history is compounded by that this 935J is a product of a proven race team that to this day remains in the limelight. With its significant performance tuned to perfection with more power available at the turn of the boost knob, this incredibly authentic Group 5 racer is at home at any vintage historic racing weekend or part of an exquisite private collection.