One of only two K4 chassis built by Kremer Racing
Complete 100-point concours restoration by Canepa Motorsports
Driven by Ted Field and Danny Ongais
800+ horsepower 3.2-liter twin-turbo flat six engine, 4-speed manual transmission
Heavily influenced by Porsche’s own 935 “Moby Dick” design
Eligible for the most important historic racing events worldwide
One of the most powerful 935s ever created
During the mid-70s the Porsche factory reigned supreme with dominant performances from their rugged turbo-powered production racecars. By 1979 the factory began to switch its efforts to the new 936, 956, and 962 prototype, non-production based racing cars. This change spelt the end for the factory Porsche 935, but demand still existed for the continued development of the ferocious 935.
Fortunately some years earlier Porsche had given its blessing to a number of racing teams with close ties to the factory to purchase components and drivetrains, who then designed and produced their own upgraded chassis and bodywork. This included German racing outfit Kremer, based in Cologne, Germany. While these newly constructed vehicles were still generally referred to as Porsche 935s, in reality, they were entirely new designs that engineered the 935 concept to a new level of speed and sophistication. The pinnacle of these independent efforts was the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979 by the Kremer 935 K3, the last production based car ever to win overall at Le Mans.
The Kremer Brothers had enjoyed a close relationship with the factory since 1970, and were allowed to proceed independently with further development of many models of racing Porsches. They built their first variant of the 935, the K1, in 1976. By 1981, Kremer was ready to produce its fourth version of the Porsche 935, the K4, heavily influenced by the factory Moby Dick 935 produced by Porsche in 1978. In fact, the factory gave the Kremers the drawings, parts, and the Moby Dick car itself on commission to build their new K4 racecar.
K4/02 is the second of only two K4s produced, and as a result of Kremer's constant development, bore little resemblance to an early factory 935. The K4 had evolved into a totally different vehicle, built on a full aluminum tubular chassis, with only a roof and windshield being supplied by the Porsche factory. 02 was delivered to Interscope Racing, Ted Field and Danny Ongais, by Kremer Racing during the 1981 IMSA season. K4/02 would end up being driven and tested by Interscope Racing, but the newest Lola T600 prototypes were chosen in favor of the new developing field of prototype racers.
Vasek Polak acquired the car in the 1983 where the car remained in storage until 1997. At this point the K4 was prepared to race in historic racing, where it was owned by Marshall Field, Ted Field’s nephew, for a short period of time. Almost two decades later, the K4 became publicly available for the first time and Canepa acquired the car in 2018, with a clear vision for the Kremer-built 935.
Canepa has had ample experience in restoring not just legendary Porsche 935s, but also 935s built by Kremer. Within a 5 year span, Canepa restored not only the 1979 Daytona-winning Porsche 935 campaigned by Interscope Racing, but also restored the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Porsche 935 K3 campaigned by the Whittington Brothers. Upon acquiring Kremer’s final hurrah of the 935 platform, Bruce and the Canepa Motorsports team took their time to create a solid action plan of returning the K4 to its former original as-delivered specification in 1981.
Canepa’s restoration began with the disassembly and cataloging of all components of the K4 to determine the best course of action to restore and preserve it to its absolute original state. The original K4 bodywork was removed revealing the aluminum tube-frame chassis, and all other components were removed from the chassis until nothing was left except for bare aluminum, which is when the real restoration began.
The aluminum-tubed chassis was an artwork of triangulation, Kremer’s interpretation of engineering the most performance out of the 935 platform. Canepa’s restoration department was charged with a laborious challenge: refinishing each and every individual aluminum chassis tube until they appeared as new.
While the chassis was getting restored, the mechanical side of the K4’s restoration was already well underway. All hardware down the smallest bolts and washers were restored and replated, or replaced as necessary, and all mechanical systems were addressed. The 935 engine was completely rebuilt, resulting in an engine capable of 800+ horsepower. All suspension components were addressed and were rebuilt and restored. BBS wheels centers were refinished and installed with new hardware, and shod with original period Goodyear racing slicks for display.
For more information, visit www.canepa.com!
