27.09.2023Le Mans successes in Martini design: Three Porsche 936s from WERK83

In order to expand the list of successes to the 19 triumphs to date, Porsche had to constantly work on new technologies in order to beat the quantitatively and qualitatively strong competition at the Sarthe. In the successor to the 917, the Porsche 936, for example, a turbo engine was used from 1974 onwards. Two years later, the 936, with its turbocharged 2.1-liter six-cylinder boxer engine, became the first turbo-powered car to win at Le Mans - dominantly with an eleven-lap lead. Gijs von Lennep and Jacky Ickx were behind the wheel.

The Belgian Ickx and the Porsche 936 were a very successful duo, combining for three of Ickx's six overall victories. One of the most impressive was the one in 1977. What's particularly strange about it is that he wasn't originally supposed to drive the car with which Ickx won.

His employer Porsche sent two factory 936s into the fight for overall victory, which was primarily fought against Alpine. The French team held the top positions in the early stages, while Porsche suffered early setbacks. Henri Pescarolo, who shared one of the two Porsche 936s with Jacky Ickx, retired with engine failure. The car of the teammates Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood also had to stop for repairs early in the race and was far back in the field.

Jacky Ickx was quickly recruited as the third driver alongside Barth and Haywood to support the race to catch up. And he did it brilliantly, bringing the car back towards the top positions throughout the night. When all three Alpines were eliminated, victory was within reach for Porsche by a large margin.

But before that, another drama occurred in the final phase. Cylinder damage forced the 936 into the pits. It wasn't until shortly before the end of the race that the wounded car went back onto the track and drove two slow final laps to save first place across the finish line. Porsche's fourth Le Mans victory was a particularly memorable one.

The ck-modelcars label WERK83 offers both Porsche 936s, the winning car with starting number 4 and the early failed car with number 3, in scale 1:18.

Also available is the third-place car from 1978, driven by Hurley Haywood, Peter Gregg and Reinhold Joest. This time, a lack of stability prevented another triumph for Porsche, who had to admit defeat to Didier Peroni and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in the Alpine. After an early stop for repairs, Haywood, Gregg and Joest were initially in second place in the final phase until they relegated their teammates Jürgen Barth, Bob Wollek and Jacky Ickx back one place.

Like the two cars from the previous year, the 936 from Haywood, Gregg and Joest also bore the colors and lettering of Martini Racing - a design with which Porsche celebrated a number of great successes and which is still one of the most popular outfits, including among model car collectors Racing scene counts.

Porsche 936 Martini Racing #4 Winner 24h LeMans 1977 Ickx, Barth, Haywood 1:18, RRP €79,95, item-no.: W18020001

Porsche 936 Martini Racing #3 24h LeMans 1977 Ickx, Pescarolo 1:18, RRP €79,95, item-no.: W18020002

Porsche 936 Martini Racing #7 3rd 24h LeMans 1978 Haywood, Gregg, Joest 1:18, RRP €79,95, item-no.: W18020003

Products

	Porsche 936 Martini Racing #4 Winner 24h LeMans 1977 Ickx, Barth, Haywood 1:18 WERK83	71,96 €
	Porsche 936 Martini Racing #3 24h LeMans 1977 Ickx, Pescarolo 1:18 WERK83	39,95 €