We just can’t get enough of 2018’s Porsche 935 reissue or the sensational 911 GT2 RS it’s based on, so we thought we’d shed some light on an impressive entry in this year’s Pikes Peak hill climb, not to mention the man at the wheel, racing legend Jeff Zwart.
Zwart, with 16 Pikes Peak hill climbs to his credit, celebrated his 17th entry with an impressive run up the 20-km uphill course of just 09:43.92 minutes. He later admitted to going easy on the 700 horsepower, $780,000 USD rear-wheel drive car (which equaled exactly 1,025,000 CAD at the time of publishing), due to it belonging to a personal collector, but he nevertheless ended up fifth overall and second in his Time Attack 1 class, which only allows track and race cars based on production models. Zwart may have been a bit rusty too, having not driven the course in five years, but he certainly had high praise for the modern-day 935.
“It’s the most comfortable race car I’ve ever driven,” stated Zwart after his run. “The combination of the turbo, the bodywork and the motorsport chassis is wonderful.”
Weighing in at just just 1,380 kilos (3,042 lbs), the 935 reissue is one of just 77 created after being introduced at the historic “Rennsport Reunion” motorsport event at California’s Laguna Seca Raceway on September 27, 2018. It’s a race-prepped single-seater riding on Porsche’s 991-generation 911 GT2 RS platform, but features special 935-like body panels from nose to tail, the latter boasting a longer rear section (just like the original) for increasing downforce.
The car used in the hill climb is owned by Porsche collector Bob Ingram, while its livery included support for his son Cam’s Porsche restoration shop. It sported white, grey and red paint with Pegasus branding on its rear fenders thanks to sponsorship from Mobil 1.
Clint Vahsholt, who drove a Formula Ford in the Open Wheel category, achieved the fastest overall time in this year’s event, managing only 09:35.490 minutes, whereas the quickest Porsche was a GT2 RS Clubsport piloted by David Donn, who, also in the Time Attack 1 category, achieved a 9:36.559-minute time.
The Pikes Peak road course in Colorado is officially 19.99 kilometres (12.42 miles) long and features 156 turns, while climbing 1,440 metres (4,720 ft) of elevation averaging 7.2-percent grades. The uphill race starts at Mile 7 on the Pikes Peak Highway before ending at the 4,302-metre (14,115 ft) elevation. Multiple vehicle classes take part in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb every year, making it very popular in the motorsport community.
Being that 935 reissues such as the one Jeff Zwart was driving on his Pikes Peak run are worth upwards of $1.5m USD on the used market, and original 935s can fetch much more, we recommend you take a look at our 2021 Porsche 911 Canada Prices page or 2020 Porsche 911 Canada Prices page to check out more down to earth 911 trims. There you’ll be able to get helpful info about factory leasing and financing rates, which are current at 0-percent, plus up-to-date rebate information as well as dealer invoice pricing that could save you thousands on your next purchase. We recommend downloading our free app as well, so you can have all this money-saving info at your fingertips when you need it most at the dealership. See how the CarCostCanada system can work for you.
Also, make sure to enjoy the awesome video footage showing Jeff Zwart racing the sensational 935 reissue up Pikes Peak:
Jeff Zwart | Full Run Onboard + Driver Interview | 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (11:00):
Story credits: Trevor Hofmann
Photo and video credits: Porsche