24h Le Mans
Four years after its first win at Le Mans, Porsche presented at the 1970 24 Hours a very special version of the 911, its emblematic roadster. It finished second, on the heels of Henri Pescarolo and G
The traditional flat six-cylinder engine of this 911, renamed Carrera RSR Turbo, was supercharged by a turbocharger and the large rear tyres were an indication of additional power carried through to the asphalt, while a large spoiler provided downforce. It was entrusted to Dutch driver Gijs van Lennep, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 in a Porsche 917 (Martini Racing), and to Swiss driver Herbert Müller, who finished second that year at the wheel of another 917 in Gulf colours.
Following Ferrari's withdrawal, off to improve its image in Formula 1, domination by Matra, the winner of the two preceding editions, was expected at the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans. But out of the four cars entered, two were forced to retire when their V12 engines broke down, whereas the third was delayed by excessive water consumption. The last one in the running, driven by the duo Pescarolo-Larrousse, was in the lead of the race with an 11-lap lead on Van Lennep and Müller, when Henri Pescarolo stopped on the Mulsanne Straight, plagued by gearbox problems. He managed to get into third and return to the pits for repairs. When the No. 7 Matra took the track, it only had a three-minute lead on the 911. But it was then its turn to experience gearbox problems. The positions therefore remained the same until the checkered flag. Matra won its third consecutive (and final) victory at Le Mans...
This performance of the Carrera RSR Turbo did not remain without result. The lessons learned from that 42nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans indeed served as the basis for the 935. It made its first appearance in 1976 for the new regulations called Group 5 "Silhouette" (a reference to the shape of the base road version) and won at Le Mans three years later.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: Copyright - ARCHIVES ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 15 & 16 1974, RACE. Originating from the road in 1963, the Porsche 911 achieved what was at the time its best result at the 24 Hours...a precursor to the McNish-Aiello-Ortelli win in 1998.
