The car was first raced at Silverstone in the 6 hours World Manufacturer's Championships. In it's glorious Martini racing colours, the car was driven to victory by Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx, stunning both the crowd and fellow competitors alike.
Porsche then took "Moby Dick" to Le Mans along with their Group 6 prototype, the 936. The calculations had been correct and "Moby" was the fastest car on the circuit, recording a top speed of 365 kph (227 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight and lapping 9 seconds quicker than the 935/77.
But as we all know, Le Mans is not just about speed. The Stommelen/Schurti driven 935/78 was classified only 8th overall in the race, which was won by the Group 6 works Renault. Singer offers a simple explanation: "The problem was, the bigger engine had a fuel consumption problem and we were refuelling, I think, every 35 minutes. I think we had, I don't know how many, 39 or 38 pit stops. Far too many. Also the Group 6 prototypes were carrying more fuel."
It also transpired that a suspected oil leak, which had prompted the team to nurse the car home in the final stages, was a harmless glitch. The speed of the car and its lap times provide a much better idea of the car's potential.
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