Turbocharged Porsche 934 from The Amelia Island Auction

Turbocharged Porsche 934 from The Amelia Island Auction

Estimate: $1,200,000 - $1,600,000

Chassis: 930 670 0162

PROVENANCE

Angelo Pallavicini, Zurich, Switzerland (acquired new in 1976)

Werner Frank, Chicago, Illinois (acquired from the above in 1979)

Rick Borlase, Las Vegas, Nevada (acquired from the above in 1984)

Sid Ho, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 1988)

Jim Torres, Burbank, California (acquired from the above in 1990)

Carlos Cortez, US (acquired from the above in 1997)

Stuart Coleman, US (acquired from the above in 1999)

Michael Schaeffer, US (acquired from the above in 2000)

Monte Shelton, Portland, Oregon (acquired from the above in 2008)

Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2009)

 

RACE HISTORY

Swiss National Championship Dijon, April 1976, Pallavicini (1st Overall)

Swiss National Championship Monza, May 1976, Pallavicini (DNF)

European GT Championship Zeltweg, June 1976, Pallavicini (8th Overall)

DRM Norisring, June 1976, Pallavicini, No. 10 (9th Overall)

European GT Championship Norisring, June 1976, Pallavicini, No. 10 (5th Overall)

European GT Championship Misano, August 1976, Pallavicini (2nd Overall)

European GT Championship Monza, September 1976, Pallavicini (5th Overall)

European GT Championship Imola, September 1976, Pallavicini (8th Overall)

Swiss National Championship Hemberg, September 1976, Pallavicini (2nd Overall)

European GT Championship Hockenheim, October 1976, Pallavicini, No. 5 (8th Overall)

Hockenheim, October 1976, Pallavicini, No. 462 (1st Overall)

Ampus Bergrennen, March 1977, Pallavicini (5th Overall)

Le Castellet, April 1977, Pallavicini (2nd Overall)

Swiss National Championship Monza, April 1977, Pallavicini, No. 58 (1st in Class)

DARM Hockenheim, May 1977, Pallavicini (2nd Overall)

Swiss National Championship Zeltweg, May 1977, Pallavicini (1st in Class)

Trento Bondone Hillclimb, July 1977, Pallavicini (1st in Class)

Swiss National Championship Hockenheim, July 1977, Pallavicini (1st Overall)

DRM Hockenheim Grand Prix, July 1977, Pallavicini, No. 57 (9th Overall)

Ayent-Anzère, August 1977, Pallavicini (2nd Overall)

St. Ursanne, August 1977, Pallavicini (6th Overall)

Dijon, September 1977, Pallavicini (1st Overall)

Gurnigel, September 1977, Pallavicini (4th Overall)

6 Hours of Hockenheim, October 1977, Pallavicini/Enzo Calderari, No. 10 (10th Overall)

6 Hours of Mugello, March 1978, Pallavicini/Peter Bernhard, No. 18 (DNF)

6 Hours of Dijon, April 1978, Pallavicini/Calderari/Bernhard, No. 31 (8th Overall, 1st in Class)

Swiss National Championship Dijon, April 1978, Calderari (4th in Class)

6 Hours of Silverstone, May 1978, Pallavicini/Bernhard, No. 24 (8th Overall, 1st in Class)

Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers, May 1978, Pallavicini/Marco Vanoli/Bernhard, No. 55 (28th Overall)

6 Hours of Misano, June 1978, Pallavicini/Vanoli/Edi Kofel, No. 18 (7th Overall, 1st in Class)

6 Hours of Watkins Glen, July 1978, Pallavicini/Calderari, No. 17 (18th Overall)

DRM Hockenheim Grand Prix, July 1978, Pallavicini, No. 44 (DNF)

6 Hours of Vallelunga, September 1978, Pallavicini/Vanoli, No. 12 (9th Overall, 1st in Class)

24 Hours of Daytona, February 1979, Pallavicini/Calderari/Vanoli, No. 03 (10th Overall, 4th in Class)

IMSA Road Atlanta, April 1979, Frank, No. 03 (DNF)

IMSA Brainerd, June 1979, Frank, No. 03 (16th Overall)

IMSA Daytona, July 1979, Frank, No. 03 (15th Overall)

Trans-Am Road America, July 1979, Frank, No. 98 (12th Overall)

Mid-Ohio 500 Miles, August 1979, Frank/Rudy Bartling, No. 03 (11th Overall)

IMSA Road America, September 1979, Frank/Bartling, No. 03 (16th Overall)

IMSA Road Atlanta, September 1979, Frank, No. 03 (DNF)

IMSA Daytona, November 1979, Frank, No. 03 (9th Overall)

24 Hours of Daytona, February 1980, Frank/Bartling/Pallavicini, No. 03 (DNF)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 1980, Frank/James Brolin, No. 03 (12th Overall)

IMSA Road Atlanta, April 1980, Frank, No. 03 (16th Overall)

IMSA Riverside, April 1980, Frank/Roger Schramm, No. 03 (12th Overall)

IMSA Laguna Seca, May 1980, Frank, No. 03 (12th Overall)

IMSA Brainerd, May 1980, Frank, No. 03 (13th Overall)

IMSA Road America, July 1981, Frank, No. 30 (23rd Overall)

6 Hours of Watkins Glen, July 1981, Frank/Bartling, No. 33 (DNF)

500 Miles of Road America, August 1981, Frank/Bartling, No. 03 (38th Overall)

Trans-Am Brainerd, August 1981, Frank, No. 30 (19th Overall)

Road America 500 Miles, August 1981, Frank/Bartling, No. 03 (DNF)

Mid-Ohio 500 Kilometers, August 1981, Frank/Bartling, No. 03 (19th Overall)

Trans-Am Trois-Rivières, September 1981, Frank, No. 30 (5th Overall)

Trans-Am Mosport, September 1981, Frank, No. 30 (7th Overall)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 1982, Frank/Ken Madren, No. 22 (DNS)

IMSA Road America, August 1982, Frank/Bartling, No. 22 (24th Overall)

IMSA Mid-Ohio, September 1982, Frank/Bartling, No. 22 (DNF)

IMSA Pocono, September 1982, Frank/Bartling, No. 22 (6th Overall)

IMSA Daytona, November 1982, Frank, No. 02 (DNF)

IMSA Mid-Ohio, June 1983, Frank/Borlase, No. 03 (12th Overall)

IMSA Road America, August 1983, Frank/Borlase, No. 56 (DNF)

Trans-Am Riverside, September 1983, Borlase, No. 55 (20th Overall)

Trans-Am Caesars Palace, October 1983, Borlase, No. 58 (19th Overall)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 1984, Borlase/Michael Hammond/Don Kravig, No. 56 (DNF)

IMSA Riverside, April 1984, Borlase/Hammond/Kravig, No. 56 (14th Overall)

IMSA Laguna Seca, May 1984, Borlase, No. 58 (DNF)

IMSA Portland, July 1984, Hammond, No. 58 (DNF)

24 Hours of Daytona, February 1985, Torres/Kravig/Hammond, No. 58 (DNF)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 1985, Torres/Hammond/Borlase, No. 58 (DNF)

IMSA Riverside, April 1985, Borlase, No. 58 (DNF)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 1986, Borlase/Torres/Hammond, No. 58 (11th Overall)

IMSA Riverside, April 1986, Borlase/Torres, No. 58 (DNF)

 

LITERATURE

Jürgen Barth and Bernd Dobronz, Porsche 934/935: Die komplette Dokumentation: Entwicklung, Einsatz, Historie, pictured and discussed on pp. 311–314

John Starkey, From R to GT2: The Racing Porsches 911 & 930, discussed on pp. 492–495

 

THIS CAR

The early 1970s marked the culmination of Porsche’s dominance in the prototype era and the beginning of a factory-supported GT racing program based on the 911 platform. In 1973, the new Carrera RSR 2.8 dominated its class and won the Targa Florio outright, defeating factory-entered sports racing prototypes. The following year, an experimental RSR 2.14 Turbo entered by the Porsche factory team placed a remarkable 2nd Overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. These successes led Porsche to develop two new state-of-the-art 911-based racing cars to compete in the FIA world championship.

 

Introduced for the 1976 season, the 934 was Porsche’s highly anticipated Group 4 GT variant of the all-new turbocharged 930 – a factory-built racing machine that maintained close ties to its road car counterpart.

 

On the surface, the 934 retained much of the classic 911 form, though it was distinguished by riveted GRP fender flares, a prominent front air dam, and three-piece BBS wheels. Under the skin, Porsche’s latest production-based racer was a carefully engineered thoroughbred. Equipped with 917 brakes, rear coil-spring suspension, a full aluminum roll cage, and a turbocharged, three-liter flat-six, the 934 accelerated from 0 to 100 mph in about 12 seconds and had a top speed approaching 190 mph.

 

Porsche constructed 31 examples of the 934, all in 1976; they were sold to private racing teams and campaigned with great success in a variety of regional and international series. As Porsche had intended, the 934 expanded on the success of the RSR racing program, capturing the European GT Championship and the Trans Am Championship in North America.

 

This Porsche 934, chassis 930 670 0162, is regarded among the very best of its type, with an outstanding decade-long international racing history and a complete, unbroken provenance.

 

According to factory records, this 934 was completed in Porsche’s racing shop during spring 1976 and assigned production number 106 3717. Originally finished in a distinctive Light Yellow livery, the 934 was sold new to Angelo Pallavicini of Zurich.

 

A well-known car enthusiast, collector, and dealer, Pallavicini began his motor sports career in 1972, racing BMW 2002s and CSLs in touring car events. In 1975, he acquired a Carrera RS 3.0, which he entered in the European Championship for GT cars and in the German DRM series.

 

Pallavicini began racing the new Porsche 934 in 1976, campaigning it under the Corse Pallvano banner in five European GT events, as well as in club races and hill climbs. After racing with success in club events throughout the 1977 season, Pallavicini achieved his greatest success in 1978, winning the FIA Group 4 championship. During the season, Pallavicini and his Swiss co-drivers Peter Bernhard, Enzo Calderari, and Marco Vanoli, captured Top 10 finishes at major events including the six-hour endurance races at Dijon, Misano, Silverstone, and Vallelunga.

 

In 1979, Pallavicini took this 934 to the US to take part in the 24 Hours of Daytona; he finished 10th Overall and 4th in the GTO class. Following Daytona, Pallavicini sold the Porsche to Werner Frank, a successful Chicago-based Toyota dealer and racing driver.

 

Frank continued to campaign the 934 through the 1983 season, often sharing driving duties with Canadian Porsche racer Rudy Bartling. During this period the car ran primarily in IMSA events, though it was entered in major international endurance races in 1980 (Daytona and Sebring) and 1981 (Watkins Glen and Road America).

 

After the 1983 season, Frank sold the Porsche to Rick Borlase of Las Vegas, who continued to race the car in IMSA events through 1986. Remarkably, during its penultimate outing in March 1986, the 10-year-old 934 captured a fantastic 11th Place finish at Sebring, driven by Borlase, Michael Hammond, and Jim Torres.

 

In 1988, Borlase sold the retired 934 to Swiss collector Sid Ho, though he never took delivery and the car remained in the US. In 1990, Jim Torres purchased the car, which he had raced four years earlier, and restored it in his own highly regarded workshop, Burbank Coachworks in California. During this process, the car was stripped to the bare tub, refinished in the correct Light Yellow livery, and carefully rebuilt using many of its original 1976 components, which had fortunately remained with the car during its active US racing career.

 

After the comprehensive restoration was completed, Torres sold the 934 to collector Carlos Cortez in 1997. During the following decade, the Porsche was owned by several noted collectors, saw minimal use, and was maintained by respected specialist Jerry Woods of Campbell, California.

 

The current owner, a knowledgeable collector of significant racing Porsches, acquired the 934 from Monte Shelton in 2009 and has since had Rennsport Historic Race Cars carry out any required maintenance, including the recent installation of a new fuel bladder.

 

Today, chassis 0162 is beautifully presented in its original Light Yellow, equipped with proper, period-correct components, and offered with a file of documentation that includes an FIA Historic Technical Passport, a 1979-issue logbook, photo album, and a collection of paperwork ranging from service records to articles.

 

Restored and maintained by noted Porsche specialists, this outstanding 934 would make an ideal entry for any number of historic racing events including Le Mans Classic, and it could be a standout at marque gatherings such as the Rennsport Reunion in September 2018. Not only is this exceptional Porsche a ticket to the most exclusive historic motoring events, its impressive 10-year international racing history, vibrant period livery, and outstanding presentation place it among the very best examples of a rare breed. Significantly, unlike many racing 911s, this factory-built Porsche race car possesses an unbroken provenance and a singular identity, with its history well documented in several important books on the marque and model.

 

A marvelous example of Porsche’s rare mid-1970s Group 4 racer, this 934 is worthy of serious consideration.


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