Video: Porsche 934.5 overtaking spree at Laguna Seca

Before we get in to today’s video action we probably need to do a bit of housekeeping with regard to the car involved. Porsche 934s and 935s you may be aware of, but this ‘934.5’ business needs to be cleared up.

As with so much much of Porsche‘s progress during the Seventies, it was born from a desire to compete in Stateside championships. Around 400 934s were produced and many of them raced with great success, although IMSA relented to pressure from other competitors who reckoned the turbo’d Porsches had too much of an advantage and refused them entry in 1976. By 1977 they’d had a change of heart about the forced induction issue and the factory built 10 Porsche 934s with some aerodynamic features from the 935, hence ‘934.5’.

Here we see one of those 10 factory 934.5s being driven by Leh Keen at the recent Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and he is not hanging around. On the first lap we counted no fewer than 11 cars dispatched in a passing frenzy, although the car barely passes the line to begin lap two when a clutch issue forces the Porsche back to the pits.

After a few laps though the team manage to get it back out on track where Mr Keen resumes his passion for passing cars. And what cars they are! BMW ‘Batmobiles‘, M1s, Corvettes, Datsun 240Zs and Skylines and assorted other Porsches. Suffice to say the engine noises captured are as magnificent as they are varied. Look out though for car number seven, which appears to be a 935 with perhaps an issue or two because although our pilot has no trouble getting past initially, at two point in the clip it comes past the 934.5 like it’s stood still.

So if overtaking lots of howling Seventies racers in the blazing Californian sunshine on a legendary circuit is your bag, you might want to set aside seven minutes of your day and turn the sound up!