Martini-liveried Porsche 934

You need this racing Porsche 934/Five and matching VW bus

Drop everything: these Martini-liveried wonders are coming up for auction

Shut up and take my money.

Get in line, friend. What you’re looking at is possibly one of 2017’s finest ‘what would my ideal two-car garage look like?’ scripts. In the Martini-liveried corner, we have a gorgeous, race-proven Porsche 934/Five.

And in the other, um, Martini-liveried corner, we have a rather exquisite one thousand nine hundred seventy seven Volkswagen Transporter van.

Two for one? Like I say, shut up and take my money. Now.

Not that plain, unluckily. For while both cars share the same livery and are pictured together, they are in fact separate lots in an auction.

Both will feature at Bonhams’s upcoming Spa Classic sale, which takes place on twenty one May at, well, where else? The Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Ah, the home of the famous Eau Rouge.

Indeed. And what better car than the 934/Five you see above? The Porsche nine hundred thirty four was the company’s Group four customer competition car, while the fabled nine hundred thirty five was Group 5’s ‘silhouette’ formula.

The story goes however, that a lot of customers took 934s and modified them to conform to Group five rules, with figure kits supplied by Porsche.

What’s underneath?

A flat-six turbo (recall, they’re all from the nine hundred eleven Turbo line) producing around 450bhp. So slew to keep you occupato while fighting off fellow historic racers.

Where did this one originate?

Kremer racing were the very first to own this Martini-liveried excellence, before it was in the custody of a Mr Edgar Dören – evidently known as ‘Mr Porsche’ (because he liked Porsches).

Dören was said to have campaigned the Le Boy’s twenty four Hours six times, and was also fairly keen on the Nürburgring too: in 1988, as a privateer team, he won the Nürburgring twenty four Hours outright in a nine hundred eleven RSR.

How much is it?

We’re told this 934/Five was soon put to rest, remaining unused for many years before Professor Michael Rudnig bought it, and had it ‘prepared’ by PS-Automobile. He would then use the Porsche to campaign in historic races.

Bonhams reckons it’ll fetch inbetween €320,000 to €400,000, so count on around £340k if it goes at the top end of the scale. Which it might.

OK, that’s £340k for the Porsche. How much for the bus?

Ah, a lot more reasonable. Sort of. Up to £47k for this lovely little Transporter, which is a friendly-faced classic.

Just look at it!

I’m looking. It’s brill. Tell me more.

Originally conceived in the late 1940s, it was based on the Beetle’s floorpan and running gear. Thus, it was known as the Type two (the Beetle being the Type 1).

Enough with the history lesson. It is an actual transporter?

It’s a second-gen Type Two, an original bus version that’s been modified to serve as a historic racing support vehicle.

Hence the Martini livery, white adhesive sheets covering the side windows, a sunroof, tow bar, and an engine upgrade. This bit is interesting.

Please tell me it’s got a flat-six turbo from a 935?

No, but the engine is a Porsche unit. It’s a Two.1-litre T4 unit lifted from a Porsche 914, with twin 40mm carbs, to help produce 110bhp.

So, you need around £390k for the pair of them. Bargain, if you ask us…

A line from Bonhams: “A most stylish and remarkably quick mode of transport, and surely a welcome site at any historic race meeting.”

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