As the bodywork suggests, the car was only designed for Le Mans, but as a little amuse bouche, the team entered the Silverstone Six Hours with Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass doing the driving. If I tell you it not only claimed pole, fastest lap and won the race, but was seven laps clear of the second placed 935 at the end and 16 laps clear of the rest of the field, you have some idea of the potential it contained.
At Le Mans it outqualified both the Renault-Alpine prototype that would win the race, and the two Porsche 936 prototypes that came second and third – this with a machine based on a road car. But although it finished the race, it was held back to seventh position at the flag, partly thanks to minor mechanical issues but mainly because it had to stop, wait for it, almost 40 times for fuel. On the straight it was timed at 227mph and that year nothing went faster.
What do I remember of my one drive up the Goodwood hill? Mainly being very scared. A heavy but progressive clutch. Wondering how you get four gears to cover a speed range from 0-227mph. A rubbish start, dribbling off the line. Then titanic shove, yelping slicks, a slow gearchange, and more insane thrust. Most particularly I remember it taking about half a second for the car to stop accelerating after I’d taken my foot off the throttle. And the twitch at Molecomb. That was enough, enough to tell me that on this day and on this course, this was more than I could safely handle. So I toddled up to the top, only giving it full beans when the car was clearly straight after the last turn. And I’m sure it still crossed the line faster than any other car I’ve driven up the hill.
And that was it. There wasn’t really time to enjoy it so it became one of those experiences you savour after the fact, and it was none the worse for that. I just hope Porsche allows a few hacks to have a crack at the new 935 to see if the new Moby Dick has what it takes to honour the old in deed as well as word.