Porsche’s secret six-wheeled 935 prototype
To this day Porsche has never officially spoken of its existence.
The Porsche 935 is one of the most celebrated racing vehicles in history, first introduced in 1976 and designed for FIA-Group 5 competition.
Back then motorsports was a melting pot for innovation, before stringent regulations and governing bodies stepped in – the pursuit of mechanical superiority often lead to weird and wonderful prototypes which are usually preserved or at least well-documented in today’s information age.
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You’re probably familiar with the 1977 Tyrell campaign in F1 with the P34, an unconventional six-wheeled racer that ultimately only lasted one season and posted just one win by South African Jody Scheckter. The six-wheel concept was later outlawed by Formula 1.
While browsing the depths of the internet for Porsche 935 photos, we stumbled upon this grainy black and white shot of something we couldn’t explain – and something we had definitely never seen before.
Originating from the February 1977 issue of Road & Track, this looks to be a Porsche 935 factory car, except stretched far aft the rear axle, sits another set of driven wheels.
The car ultimately remains a complete mystery, and to this day has never been spoken of by Porsche.
In that same breakout from Road & Track however, the photographer states the car "didn’t sound like a typical Porsche turbocharged six", but instead more like a 12-cylinder, masked only slightly by the whine of a turbo charger.
Unfortunately, this car’s ultimate purpose remains left to the imagination, as no other pictures or information seems to exist. Was it some sort of test mule for Group 5 racing? Possibly Group 6 prototypes? Was Porsche mulling a six-wheel Formula 1 assault?
Your guess is as good as ours.
It’s rare in today’s age of the internet to find something so head-scratching, but the mystery makes the image that much more compelling – and leads us to wonder what other unearthed gems lie unknown throughout automotive history?
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