SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNINGEST 935: THE JLP-3

The Moby Dick Porsche 935/78 had pushed the boundaries of what could be done with the Porsche 935 as far as aerodynamics and power were concerned, but it didn’t set the bar for winning. That plaudit is owned by this car, the JLP-3. Out of a total of 27 races entered, this 935-based special recorded a total of nine wins and took 16 podiums, meaning victory in every three races it entered and a remarkable 60 percent rate of finishing on the podium.

The stats include seven consecutive race victories, from Pocono in 1981 through to Charlotte in May of 1982 – and more importantly – wins in both the 1982 24 Hours of Daytona and overall victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring, making it the only car to achieve the feat of winning those two classic enduros in the same year. To cap off the 1982 season, the JLP-3 also carried its drivers to the IMSA Camel GT Championship.

The most interesting thing is that this period of domination came at the effective end of life for the 935 and the class it ran in, which I suppose is the perfect way for a car like this to bow out. It was up against new ground-effect GTPs at a time when Porsche had stopped supporting the base car, but there seemed to be a minor arms race amongst the privateers before the new prototypes took over.

The lead-up to the JLP-3 was down to John L Paul Sr, who had been carving out a successful career in IMSA sportscars alongside his son, Jr, under the JLP team banner. Their first car, JLP1, was based on a customer 1978-spec 935 from the factory, and their second, JLP2, was built to Kremer K3 spec. But for 1981 they decided to go full tilt at creating their own tube-frame Porsche, with the result looking like the bastard cross of mating a Moby Dick with a K3. They weren’t alone in this of course, as many privateer teams had made their own variants of the 935, and in fact JLP paired it with another hardcore 935-alike – the radical JLP-4 – for sprint races in 1982.

Graham ‘Rabbit’ Bartrills at Chuck Gaa’s GAACO team started with a poor old donor 1972 911T, which was emasculated as the base for the new car: the cowl, windshield pillars, roof and door frames were the only things left, as per the letter of the rules. A lightweight fibreglass body was draped over the chassis and the floor sills raised: the underbody was optimised, with development of the aerodynamics carried out in the Lockheed wind tunnel in nearby Marietta, Georgia.

The car was normally powered by an IMSA-spec 3.2-litre flat six with Bosch mechanical fuel injection: the twin turbochargers pushed power up above 750hp. It used a four-speed transaxle and four-wheel disc brakes. Derek Bell and Rolf Stommelen were some of the famous drivers who occasionally joined the Pauls, and the result was the most successful of all the Porsche 935 race cars. The history of the car since it stopped competing is far less colourful than that of John Paul Sr, but it’s recently been restored and gone up for auction. Some very lucky (and likely wealthy) driver is about to become the owner of the definitive Porsche 935.

Words by Jonathan Moore

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Get Ready to Rumble in the Alps: Battling the clock in a 911 Carrera 2.7 RS

In 1974, the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, the greatest battle in boxing history, saw Muhammed Ali defeat World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman. From the same era comes another boxer legend, the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, which J. Philip Rathgen eagerly borrowed for his own (more modest) skirmish…

Arosa in late summer. A place familiar to me, as it was here that – almost exactly a year ago – I introduced myself to the 76 corners of the Arosa ClassicCar hillclimb. As before, Porsche kindly invited me to tackle the event in one of its own sports cars from the museum in the Swiss canton of Graubünden but, for 2013, things have moved up a gear.

Sceptical of my driving skills, Porsche last year blessed me with the loan of that ‘housewives’ Porsche’, the much-maligned Porsche 924 Carrera GT (which defied all my disparaging expectations). Apparently I passed the test, so here I am with a new sparring partner: the magnificent Carrera 2.7 RS. Now we’re talking!

I stand face to face with this legend from Zuffenhausen, the boxer-engined Muhammad Ali of the automotive world: fierce yet nimble, with all the pulling power of a world-conquering boxing champ. Filled with awe, I walk slowly round the dream car of my schooldays. True, I would have preferred a Viper Green RS to the yellow example before me, but who’s bothered about the colour when this Ferrari-slayer is ready to carry me into battle?

The RS ​​is not a reserved sort of chap. Just look at the confident livery along the side and beneath that aggressive spoiler. “My” RS left the factory in 1973 and is equipped with the more comfortable ‘Touring’ features, rather than being the ultimate lightweight version. Yet from its 2.7-litre boxer engine, the athlete draws 207bhp and will happily accelerate to more than 150mph.

Ding, ding, round one. The flag falls and with (I must admit) a slightly trembling leg, I depress the clutch and put the car into gear. From the rear I hear an angry rumbling, and off we go… once on the move, the needle of the large tachometer leaps round the dial, then it’s into second gear and just as the engine reaches a crescendo it’s time to put firm pressure on the brake as we approach the first bend. My heart is beating hard and fast, like the pounding of Ali’s fists against my ribs. My breathing becomes faster and I find I’m talking to myself in an attempt to calm down. Without success.

I fly through the first few corners, aware of the stopwatch ticking relentlessly. Aware, too, of the risks of pushing too hard, I steady things a little, and my aching heart muscle gives some relief. But the RS asks for more and – dangerously – lulls me into a sense of security. But the sense of confidence this car inspires pays off: after six minutes or so, the battle is over. Not a world record time, perhaps, but I’m satisfied.

This was the first of three runs, during which the RS and I cemented a firm friendship that saw us tackle the bends without mishap. At the end of it, my childhood love of this ‘greatest of all classic Porsches’ has matured into a deep and lasting respect. What a car.

Photos: Urs Homberger

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