1978 Porsche 935/77A - Factory-built ex-Joest car driven at Le Mans in 1978 by the infamous Whittington Brothers

Chassis no. 930 890 0016 is 1 of 15 Porsche 935 race cars built by the Porsche factory and was delivered to the legendary, 15 time-Le Mans-winning, Joest Racing of Wald-Michelbach, Germany in early 1978. ‘0016’ was driven by the team owner Reinhold Joest for his “Liqui Moly Equipe – Joest Race Team” in all the major Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) races of 1978 – at the time the highest profile, and wildest racing series anywhere in Europe for GT cars. And a series heavily supported by the big manufacturers, including Porsche, BMM, Lancia and Ford. In June of 1978, the team would also tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours with 0016, although this time, Joest driver Franz Konrad would be joined by the American Whittington brothers, Don and Bill. The brothers would bring backing from their Road Atlanta circuit, a track they owned, and indeed used as a means for distributing their ‘cargo’. They were even known to have flown their matching Mustang P51 WW2 Fighters onto the pit straight at Road Atlanta and were Reno Air Racers - certainly some of the biggest characters in American racing. Although Le Mans proved to be a DNF in 1978 for 0016, the pace was there in the car and drivers, so much so that the Whittington’s famously went onto win Le Mans overall the year after in a Kremer 935, before having a run-in with the Drug Enforcement Agency and leaving the motorsport scene for good. The car also tackled the gruelling Nürburgring 1000km in 1978, Joest sharing with Jurgen Barth – coming home 5^th overall. At the end of July 1978, during the Hockenheim DRM round at the German Grand Prix, Joest crashed, requiring the car to be sent back to Porsche Motorsport for repair. Mr. Joest has confirmed that after the accident the car was repaired at the “Porsche Werks” and sold on for the 1979 season to John Logodny. Chassis no.930 890 0016 was one very few 935s racing in three of the big championships for 1978 - the World Championship, DRM and in the European Championship.

From 1979 to 1981 it was raced again by John Lagodny in DRM and Hillclimbs, and in 1982 by Heinz Jurgen Dahmen with Kannacher GT. From 1984 to 2005 it lived with well-known British racer and BRDC member John Greasley. Whilst he raced his Blue Coral 935(s), 0016 remined un-raced and in completely original form during his 21-year ownership, although painted in Jägermeister colours.

Since then the car has been fully restored in Europe, details of which are contained within the excellent history file that accompanies the car. Today the car is race-ready with new HTP.

A very special piece of Porsche racing history, owned and raced by the most successful private Le Mans team in history (Joest, 15x Le Mans wins), raced at La Sarthe by the infamous Le Mans-winning Whittington Brothers, and beautifully presented in original 1978 Le Mans specification. As at home on a concours lawn as it would be back on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans Classic.

Continuous ownership as documented in Porsche history books and literature:

1. Owner (1978-79) - Reinhold Joest (“Liqui Moly Equipe – Joest Race Team”), Germany
2. Owner (1979-81) – John Lagodny, Luxembourg
3. Owner (1981) – Jürgen Kannacher, Germany
4. Owner (1982) – Hans Jürgen Dahmen, Germany
5. Owner (1983) – Bo Strandell, Sweden
6. Owner (1984-2005) – John Greasley, Great Britain
7. Owner (2005-2006) – Claes Wahlund, Sweden
8. Owner (2006-2013) – Michael Föveny, Germany
9. Owner (2013-2016) – Jean Pierre Lestrade, Luxembourg
10. Owner (2016- ) – Current owner