During the mid-70s, the Porsche factory reigned supreme with dominant performances from their rugged turbo-powered production racecars. By 1979 the factory began to switch its efforts to the new 936, 956, and 962 prototype, non-production based racing cars. This change spelled the end for the factory Porsche 935.
However, demand still existed for the continued development of the ferocious 935. Fortunately, some years earlier, Porsche had given its blessing to several racing teams with close ties to the factory to purchase components and drivetrains and then designed and produced their upgraded chassis and bodywork. While these newly constructed vehicles were still generally referred to as Porsche 935s, in reality, they were entirely new designs that advanced the 935 concept to a new level of speed and sophistication. The pinnacle of these independent efforts was the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979 by the Kremer 935 K3, the last production-based car ever to win overall at Le Mans.
The Kremer Brothers of Cologne, Germany, had enjoyed a close relationship with the factory since 1970 and were allowed to proceed independently with further development of many models of racing Porsches. They built their first variant of the 935, the K1, in 1976. By 1981, Kremer was ready to produce its fourth version of the Porsche 935, the K4, inspired by the factory Moby Dick 935 produced by Porsche in 1978. The factory gave Kremer's drawings, parts, and the Moby Dick car on commission to build the new K4.
01 is the first of only two K4s produced and, due to Kremer's constant development, bore little resemblance to an early factory 935. The K4 had evolved into a different vehicle, built on a full tubular chassis, with only a roof and windshield supplied by the Porsche factory. 01 was fielded by Kremer Racing in Europe during the 1981 season and was driven by Bob Wollek to TWO WINS and six podium finishes.
Text Source: Canepa
