TO THE LIMITS OF THE REGULATIONS

The following year, the 935/77 moved away from the model of the initial car by adding a tubular trellis to the central hull in order to stiffen the construction. The entire tail was then integrated into a single fibreglass and resin structure in order to make the most of the loopholes in the regulations concerning aerodynamics. As for the engine, the single turbo was replaced by two small turbines to reduce response time. Power increased to 630 bhp, thanks to a rise in boost pressure to 1.4 bar.

Porsche's aim in 1978 was to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a car derived from a production type, by beating the 'hard-core' prototypes. The 'Moby Dick' was added to the 935 family, and with its cubic capacity increased to 3.2 litres, the car was homologated (by applying an equivalence coefficient of 1.4) in Group 5, a class reserved for models over 4 litres. These changes also lead to an increase in minimum weight, compensated by the increase in power. In fact, the choice of liquid cooling for the cylinder heads allowed the adoption of four valves per cylinder, and with turbo pressure raised to 1.5 bar, the power of the 'Moby Dick' initially reached 750 bhp, before gradually increasing to almost 850 bhp over the course of the season.

What's more, the gearbox was rotated 180°, giving the half-shafts a better orientation that made them work better without altering its height. The 935/78 had a powerful braking system. Above all, the central cell, reinforced by a tubular aluminium structure, was complemented by a new aerodynamic silhouette that earned the car the nickname 'Moby Dick', with a long tail specifically adapted to the Le Mans circuit and its very long Hunaudières straight, where the car achieved a top speed of 366 kph. Again to improve air penetration, the part in front of its doors was streamlined and, again exploiting the weaknesses of the regulations, the central part of the body was lowered by 7.5 centimetres.