The Porsche 936 was built to compete in the World Sportscar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans under Group 6 regulations. Its name came from using a variant of the Porsche 930's engine, as well as competing in Group 6 racing. The car utilized a spaceframe chassis based on the 917, with many parts sourced from that earlier model.
In 1976, the Porsche 936 achieved immediate success, winning both the World Sportscar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chassis 002, with the #20 entry driven by Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep, secured victory at Le Mans, while chassis 001, entered as #18 with Reinhold Joest and Jürgen Barth, suffered engine failure. These victories were shared with the Porsche 935, which won in Group 5.
The 1976 Porsche 936 was powered by an air-cooled, two-valve, 540 hp (403 kW) single-turbocharger flat-6 engine with a displacement of 2140 cc, equivalent to 3000 cc including the handicap factor. Later in the 1976 season, modifications were made to the car, including the addition of a large hump and air box above the engine, primarily for the intercooler.
In 1978, chassis from previous winning years finished second and third at Le Mans behind Renault, while a new chassis, 003, crashed out after setting pole position. A 1979 Le Mans entry with two 936s was unsuccessful, and the car also crashed at Silverstone.
For the 1981 season, Porsche initially planned to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans with modified 924s. However, Porsche’s new CEO, Peter Schutz, insisted on a competitive entry, leading to the revival of the 936. Engineer Peter Falk suggested using an Indy engine that had been developed but not used due to new US regulations. This engine, capable of producing 900 hp in Indycar configuration, was adapted for endurance racing, with its power reduced to 640 hp with a 2.65-litre engine. Jacky Ickx was coaxed out of retirement, and at the Belgian's request got Briton Derek Bell as his teammate for the race, and they ultimately won.
The Porsche 936 was superseded by the Porsche 956 in 1982. The 956 was built for the new Group C formula, and the 2650 cc engine designed for Indycar was first tested in the 1981 Le Mans-winning chassis 003 which was sponsored by Jules, a Christian Dior fragrance. Privateer teams such as Kremer Racing and Joest Racing had to wait until 1983 for their 956s, leading them to build 936-replicas with modified bodywork to conform to Group C regulations. Joest’s car was designated 936C JR005, while Kremer’s became known as the CK5 01.
From 1976 to 1981, the factory-entered Porsche 936 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times with Jacky Ickx, with each of the three original chassis achieving a victory. Porsche did not intend to sell the 936 to customers, preferring they use the 935 or updated 908 models instead. The Martini Racing Liqui Moly-backed car took second place at Le Mans in 1980.
Source: Wikipedia article “Porsche 936”. This article is based solely on the supplied Wikipedia article and does not consult primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, or specialist publications.