1977 Porsche 936

A few months after the Porsche 936’s victory at the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans, the SK Porsche made its debut.

Built for the 1977 season by privateer driver Wilhelm Schmid in collaboration with Kolender, then a chassis engineer at Porsche, the Schmid-Kolender 002/77 was a genuine prototype developed for Group 6 racing. Approved on 9 March 1977 by the ONS, the German motorsport authority at the time, it retains its original competition passport in its file. Its chassis number, 002/77, confirms its status as the second known creation by the Schmid-Kolender duo, who were already active in the world of racing prototypes. Developed within the particularly innovative context of the Interserie, it perfectly illustrates the inventiveness of independent German manufacturers in the face of the major works teams.

The Schmid-Kolender 002/77 enjoyed a distinguished racing career. Its ONS passport attests to its participation in several German hillclimbs in the late 1970s, whilst the various technical endorsements notably mention entries in events organised under the auspices of the ADAC. Period photographs included in the file show the car in race livery bearing the colours of Dinol Racing Oil and Willi Schmid Racing. It was quickly developed with an eye-catching design heavily inspired by the Porsche 936/77 Martini Racing, winner of the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans with the crew comprising Jürgen Barth, Hurley Haywood and Jacky Ickx. With a width of 2,000 mm, the car is striking and imposing, standing just 970 mm high and with a wheelbase of 2,250 mm.

Built around a bespoke chassis and, as detailed in its historical records, the SK 002 Turbo was initially fitted with a 2.1-litre turbo engine and a Type 915 magnesium gearbox, followed by a 2,992 cm³ six-cylinder boxer engine (95 mm bore and 70.4 mm stroke) sourced from the 911. The racing specifications included a Bosch dual ignition system, flat-slot carburettors, a racing fuel pump, a small fan, a centre-forged camshaft, a lightweight air intake manifold and a limited-slip differential. However, faced with a number of mechanical problems, a 1,837 cm³ Ford-Cosworth four-cylinder engine was officially registered with the ONS.

The car retains several interesting technical features, including its magnesium gearbox casing and various competition-derived components such as its brake calipers, its original ignition system and the RSR-type ignition modules.

Since its purchase in 2010 by the current owner, the Schmid-Kolender 002/77 has been fitted with a 3.6-litre M64/02 flat-six engine from the 964, fitted with modern carburettors. Still maintained within a private racing organisation, the car has seen little use but was serviced and run in just before the sale. Its build quality remains a highlight. Here is a rare example from the golden age of the Interserie and hillclimb racing.