24h Le Mans
The launch of the 936 was only announced in March 1976, just three months before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its bodywork, largely inspired by the 1973 917/30, housed the single-turbo flat-six 2.1-litre engine that powered the Carrera RSR Turbo to second place in 1974.
Two versions of the 936 were entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976. The car driven by Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep (#20) had a contoured engine hood and a huge air box planted behind the driver, a feature lacking on the machine raced by Reinhold Joest and Jürgen Barth (#18), which had a simple, rectangular roll bar between the cockpit and engine.
The 936 achieved a couple of firsts in 1976: not only was Ickx and van Lennep’s car the first Porsche to win the 24 Hours on its maiden appearance but also the first turbocharged prototype to triumph at Le Mans. Ickx, aged 31 at the time, committed to endurance full-time after this second victory and signed up to Porsche for a decade. Van Lennep, on the other hand, retired from the sport after what was also his second win, following his 1971 feat of setting a new distance record (unbeaten until 2010) in claiming victory.
Porsche fielded two 936s in 1977. The car’s aerodynamics had been honed slightly, giving it a more rounded rear hood, while the engine gained a second turbo. They were raced by Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood (#4) and Jacky Ickx and Henri Pescarolo (#3), a crew that looked unbeatable... at least, on paper. Unfortunately, Pescarolo pulled out with engine issues in the fourth hour so Ickx switched to the #4 car that was running in 41st position after falling behind at the start! Ickx fought his way back up through the pack to reach second place and, at 9am, the car took the lead when the Renault-Alpine of Jabouille and Bell retired with engine failure.
At that point, Ickx, Barth and Haywood enjoyed a comfortable 18-lap lead on the Mirage driven by Jarier and Schuppan. However, with just 45 minutes to go, an ominous wisp of smoke was seen coming from the Porsche. Back in the pit, it was found to have a hole in a piston. Jürgen Barth was nonetheless sent back out at 3:50pm to complete one final lap so that the car could be ranked, as required by the regulations.
The Porsche 936 thus took two wins on its first two outings, while helping Jacky Ickx match the record of four wins held by countryman Olivier Gendebien. And the 936 and the Belgium champion were set to go even further... as we will find out in the next episode!
Previous episodes in the saga:
Porsche 936, the making of a prototype (1): Porsche 917, 1971–1973
Porsche 936, the making of a prototype (2): Porsche Carrera RSR Turbo, 1974
Photo: The Porsche 936 of Reinhold Joest-Jurgen Barth at the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans.
