Championing Equality, 70s Style

The ‘70s began for Porsche as troubled times.  No more so than in the United States, where the first two years of the decade were characterised in broad economic terms by recession and by price-based consumer resistance as far as the Porsche marque was concerned.  Not only was this very undermining of the company’s American retail operations, but it also forced a scaling back of production in Zuffenhausen.  The unsettling effects were compounded by change and uncertainty brought about by renewal of the company’s management, a process to do as much with the emergence of younger members of the Porsche and Piëch families keen to make their mark, as with the confrontation with harder times and reduced profitability.  Perhaps unexpectedly, the situation was resolved by a deliberate programme of divestment of key roles such that a much more diverse range of skills, expertise and knowledge came to exist in the Porsche management team.  Especially notable was a re-appointment of Ernst Fuhrmann as head of Porsche’s technical functions.  Backed up by Helmuth Bott taking care of engineering development, Fuhrmann was in a position to assert the supremacy of key product values centred on engineering excellence, quality/durability and class-leading performance.  Meanwhile, a wide-ranging cultural/commercial outlook was established through Butzi Porsche’s creation of the Porsche Design company.  By the end of ’72, all the change was enough to warrant redefinition of the company as an Aktiengesellscaft, ‘public’ enterprise.

As for the products, there was for some time a stalling of development of the 911 model while attention was diverted to study of proposals for a larger, four seat Porsche.  Also diluting attention to the core-product, was work on a new transaxle and studies challenging the basic configuration of the engine/transmission within the chassis.  Meanwhile, complying with the basic design of the 911, it’s competition model, designated 911S, began the new decade with increasing engine capacities - taking them from the initial 2.0 to 2.2 litres, and then to 2.4 litres.  Performance was further enhanced by programmes of chassis/body lightening and homologation of the components involved.  In ’70 the company signalled its interest in promoting the marque’s competition profile, introducing The Porsche Cup.  For ’72, an American buyer could be tempted by a new 2341 cc 911S with 190 bhp and 154 lb-ft torque, (both DIN).  But this was a prelude as confidence returned – both within Porsche and to the wider economy – to the much more vigorous 911s which were under development, the model type having regained its due focus.

The Porsche Cup was something of special interest to one particular American – Roger Penske.  Ohio-born Penske had shown entrepreneurial talent alongside a competitive spirit since an early age, initially buying and selling cars while also racing them.  As the Sixties progressed, so too did Penske’s business career, adding interests in transportation and associated industries,  while his racing expertise also developed to the extent that he achieved professional driver status.  Though he hung up his helmet mid-decade in order to concentrate on corporate auto retailing, he maintained an interest in motorsport, forming and running ‘Penske Racing.’  The team was soon operating very competitively, marking its mark in the Can-Am in ’66, stepping up to the Indycar series in ’68 and tackling Trans-Am the following year.  At this time, much as Penske himself was propelling the team forward, his lead driver, Mark Donohue, was hugely instrumental in its successes by virtue of his at-the-wheel expertise, backed by a significant understanding of the cars’ technical aspects and an exceptional facility with the engineering involved.  Donohue was highly capable with a wide range of types of car, but he was always especially happy to take to the track in a Porsche.  Thus, when Penske began to talk to him about the idea of an International Race of Champions (IROC), Donohue was quick to suggest that the best car for the series would be a Porsche 911, such was the performance and durability of the model.  Donohue didn’t have to push too hard because Penske had become a real Porsche aficionado, racing one in SCCA events in the late Fifties, supported by Porsche factory-trained Austrian, Karl Kainhofer.  Kainhofer was employed when Penske Racing was established and stayed there for a remarkable 30 years, mainly functioning as the team’s engine guru.

Roger Penske in a Porsche 718 RS, 1960  Courtesy Mark Dill

Roger Penske, left, with Mark Donohue

By early ’73 Porsche had homologated 500 911 Carrera RS Group 4 cars.  At the Daytona circuit in February ’73 the 24 Hours race was hard fought between the Carrera RSRs of the Brumos and the Penske teams.  Given the capabilities of the prototype cars expected to take overall victory, the fact that the RSRs battled for the lead was in itself quite remarkable.  Nevertheless, the Brumos car, driven by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood won by no less than 15 laps.  The Penske car did not finish, a piston failure to blame.  However, it was Penske who within the year would be the instigator for one of the most distinctive Porsche racing models of all time – the IROC 3.0 911 Carrera RSR.

Brumos 911 heads Penske’s, Daytona, ‘73  Courtesy Lou Galanos

The concept of a motorsport Race of Champions was initiated by David Lockton.  Lockton had in the mid-Sixties extended his career in TV production by establishing the sport/media agency, Sports Headliners.  Where others had failed, Lockton succeeded in creating a brand new motorsport venue in California – the Ontario Motor Speedway, inaugurated in August ’70.  There was initial success, including the staging of a non-championship F1 race (the Questor Grand Prix) ) at the venue.  However, a great deal of debt was also incurred and the following year Lockton walked away from the enterprise. 

During his involvement at the Ontario Motor Speedway, Lockton’s colleagues had included Les Richter, a well-known NFL player, who, after his football career, became involved in motorsport governance, along with Roger Penske.  Richter and Penske were encouraged by a TV producer, Mike Phelps, to develop Lockton’s Race of Champions idea.  A management board was set up with Richter acting as its chairman while Penske spearheaded activities to convert the concept into a reality.  Having determined that the competition should involve twelve top-line drivers, a format of three qualifying races/heats and a ‘final’ was devised.  The drivers invited to compete were, from the U.S. Bobby Unser, A J Foyt, Richard Petty, Mark Donohue, George Follmer, Roger McCluskey, David Pearson, Gordon Johncock, Peter Revson and Bobby Allison.  The field was completed by New Zealand’s Denis Hulme and the Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi.

The 12 Champions  Courtesy Douglas Dempsey

Given the high quality of the driving contingent, a substantial prize fund of $175,000 was established.  Somewhat unusually, it was determined that the driver taking the largest share of the fund would be declared series champion whether or not they were the winner of the Daytona final. 

With so much going on over a range of car types/race series, Penske recognised the need for the IROC to be managed with proper focus.  To this end he hired Jay Signore to manage the activity as a carefully defined project.  Valued for his technical expertise by Donohue since ’59 when they were racing Elvas, Signore also had good organisational ability – as too did his wife, who was also drafted in to strengthen Penske Racing’s management team.  Signore enlisted Al Holbert to relieve Donohue of some of the initial testing of two Zuffenhausen-supplied evaluation 911s in order to confirm the sort of detail specification/upgrades required, in consultation with Don Cox, acting as Chief Engineer.  As an outcome, the Penske Racing’s call was for an evolution of the milestone ’73 Carrera, embodying a version which was as much an exercise in body lightening as it was in terms of increased engine power.  With all ‘unnecessary’ interior trim/equipment removed, fibreglass engine deck lid, front trunk panel, front bumper/air dam, rear bumper/spoiler, extra-width rear wheel arches and Perspex side windows, a kerb weight of around 900 Kg was achieved, whereas the fifty to sixty units made for road car sales were some 30-60 Kg heavier, and a ‘standard’ 2.7 Carrera weighed in at 1075 Kg.  Such a 2.7 911 was a quick car at that weight and with an engine generating 210 bhp.  Its performance was however eclipsed by the RSR’s 330 bhp, (and a peak torque measure of 232 ft lbs).  Running with a compression ratio of 10.5:1, the 2996 cc engine was fuel-injected with a Bosch mechanical pump system featuring high positioned butterfly throttle bodies.  There were two spark plugs per cylinder.

RSR engine (6840026) in chassis #4600124  Courtesy Ottis & Co LLC

There were several complementary chassis upgrades too, including spinner-secured wheels and brake discs/calipers as specified for the 917.  Though not officially confirmed, the price paid per car by Penske was around $25,000.  By comparison, at that time the retail price of a 2.7 Carrera was just a little under $13,000.  The deal was for 15 cars – 12 for each race and 3 more for practice, (and as spares/hacks).  The race cars were not run in practice in order to avoid any suffering any wear/damage deleterious to their performance and therefore disadvantaging an individual driver.  In response, Porsche built the cars as listed below:

Chassis #	Engine #	Colour
911 4600016	6840021	Yellow
911 4600025	6840022	Grand Prix White
911 4600035	6840024	Gulf Blue
911 4600037	6840027	Green
911 4600040	6840023	Light Green
911 4600042	6840025	Orange
911 4600050	6840028	Aubergine
911 4600059	6840029	Acid Blue
911 4600075	6840033	Mexican Blue
911 4600085	6840035	Red
911 4600090	6840031	Orange
911 4600100	6840034	Yellow
911 4600111	6840033	Strawberry Pink
911 4600116	6840032	Carmen Red
911 4600124	6840026	Black

12 of the RSRs at Werke 1, Zuffenhausen, prior to shipping

The cars were race-prepared at Penske’s workshop, which was originally to be found in Newtown Square, PA.  However, it was relocated during the course of ‘73 to Reading, North West of Pennsylvania, where, in an opportunist move typical of Roger, devastation caused the previous year by a hurricane had enabled him to acquire land at a discounted price.  (In 2006 a rainstorm precipitated the demise of the site, bringing forward a further relocation, this time to the teams’ Endurance/NASCAR base at Mooresville, North Carolina). 

The allocation of cars to drivers was made ‘draw from a hat’ style.  While every effort was made in the Penske workshop to ensure that all the cars would have as near-as-possible identical performance, equal opportunity for all the drivers was further sought by the adoption of a rotation scheme , as follows: heat 1 winning driver to be allocated for heat 2 the car finished 12^th in heat 1; heat 1 driver finishing 2^nd to be allocated for heat 2 the car finished 11^th in heat 1, and so on.  Both heat 2 and 3 were started with a reverse grid formation.  Despite the care taken to equalise the drivers’ chances, once they were hands-on with the cars and able to talk together, resentments began to be expressed by some in regard to Donohue.  As per the title of his autobiography, (ghosted by Paul Van Vulkenburgh), The Unfair Advantage, there was a view that he had a more complete knowledge/understanding of the RSR car as a result of his involvement alongside Penske from the earliest days of the project.  Indeed, he has been quoted as saying of the RSR at the time, ‘Without a doubt the very best off the shelf production race car available at any price.’  On the other hand, several of his competitors found the car difficult to master.  Bobby Unser was reported as having said that none of the others found the RSR enjoyable to drive and suiting their own particular driving style. 

With Richter the president of Riverside International Raceway, (east of Los Angeles), it was planned, unsurprisingly, to run the three qualifying events, each over 30 laps, at that circuit, with the final to be held at Daytona International Speedway (Florida).

Riverside IROC poster

The first and second heats were scheduled for 27^th October.  Fittipaldi qualified fastest, with Follmer second, but both were penalised for not attending a briefing on time, leaving Donohue as the pole-sitter.  He made good use of that, leading the race from start to finish.  The top six were: Donohue, Unser, Revson, Follmer, Hulme Foyt.  Pearson, Johncock, Allison and Fittipaldi all failed to finish or did not complete the race distance.

Donohue leads the field in the first heat, Riverside

Follmer took a notable victory in the second heat, driving through the field from a 9^th place start to the lead, followed home by Pearson and Fittipaldi, (who had started on pole).

Revson at speed in the second heat, Riverside

Although he had retired from the second race with a throttle problem, Donohue was once again victorious in the third heat run on the 28^th.  As in the first heat, Donohue started on pole and maintained his lead for all of the race’s duration.  Completing the top six were, Unser, Fittipaldi, Pearson, Follmer and Foyt.  Both Petty and Johncock failed to finish because of throttle linkage problems, the same issue which affected Donohue in heat two.  Otherwise, over the three heats, retirements were mainly the result of accidents and there was just one engine failure – for Allison in the third heat.

Fittipaldi, running third in heat 3, Riverside

 

The cars went back to Pennsylvania where seven were given a pre-sale service and offered for purchase, the asking price being $21,500 each.  The remainder were subject to detailed assessment/re-preparation while the drivetrains went to Weissach for repairs/overhaul.  All the engines were run on the dyno, average peak power being reported as 316 bhp.  They were returned to the U.S. in January ’74.  The priority then became testing on the Daytona circuit with its characteristics being quite unlike those of Riverside.  Although Donohue got involved with the testing, most of it was carried out by Peter Gregg and Al Holbert.  The main conclusions reached were that uprated shock absorbers were required and rear spoiler extensions desirable, given the aerodynamic/speed potential aspects of the Daytona circuit.

Daytona IROC poster

The six drivers qualifying to run in the 25 laps final at Daytona, 14^th February ’74, were, by virtue of their results in the three Riverside heats, Follmer, Unser, Donohue , Revson, Pearson, and Foyt.  Practice and qualifying took place on the 11^th, resulting in the grid order, Donohue, Revson, Pearson, Follmer, Unser and Foyt.

 

Follmer had impressed in the heats and was in confident mood in Florida.  This was confirmed by his start, which was assertive and served to enable him to pass the three cars which had qualified faster, and he led for the first two laps.  Less fortunate in a hectic opening to the race were Foyt and Pearson who suffered engine failure and gearbox trouble respectively.  But Donohue had meanwhile built momentum and got past Follmer.  They then ran in close company while pulling out a growing gap to Revson and Unser in third and fourth, with Pearson struggling further back with his hobbled transmission.  But Follmer eventually lost ground and at half distance experienced a dropped valve after fluffing a gear shift.  His retirement left Donohue with an uncomplicated path to victory, with Revson finishing 2^nd, Unser 3^rd and Pearson 4^th.

The table below shows the standings for the series on completion:

Position	Driver
1	Mark Donohue
2	Peter Revson
3	Bobby Unser
4	David Pearson
5	George Follmer
6	A.J. Foyt
7	Emmerson Fittipaldi
8	Denny Hulme
9	Bobby Allison
10	Richard Petty
11	Gordon Johncock
12	Roger McCluskey

The top three’s winnings were, Donohue: $54,000; Revson: $21,200; Unser: $19,100.  The outcome was especially satisfying for Donohue as he had decided that – whatever the result – this would be the very last event in which he would compete as a professional driver.  Particularly in that era, to retire at their peak was one of the things drivers found hardest to do.  Donohue, however, had the prospect of ongoing involvement in the sport at the elite level with the Penske organisation.  Equally, because of his engineering ability and Penske’s confidence in that, there was no danger of his being at a loose end, struggling to find something to occupy his time.  That was assured by Penske’s decision to appoint Donohue as Team Penske’s Racing Director.  But as Donohue thought he was himself stepping backward in ’74, Penske’s Team Manager, Heinz Hofer, was looking to move markedly forwards.  He had successfully pitched a plan to Penske to launch a Formula One programme and by September ’74 the team’s PC1 car was ready for its race debut at the Canadian Grand Prix.  And at the wheel? . . . Mark Donohue.  The lure of the ultimate motorsport category had been too great for Donohue to resist.  Until the following July, he raced the PC1 in 10 more Grands Prix, with a best finish of 5^th in Sweden.  But, as from the British Grand Prix, a switch was made to a March 751.  With this, Donohue scored another 5^th place at Silverstone, followed by a DNF at the Nurburgring.  The next event was in mid-August, at the Österreichring.  During the warm-up on race morning, one of the 751’s front tyres blew out as Donohue went into the right hand bend following the main straight.  The car left the circuit and crashed heavily, Donohue sustaining a head injury, while marshals and bystanders also were hurt, (one fatally), by the car and debris.  Despite every effort by the doctors at the Graz hospital, a clot on Donohue’s brain caused his death on the 19^th August.

Mark Donohue with the IROC trophy

Of the 15 cars ordered by Penske for the IROC, at least six have been offered for sale in relatively recent times.  Mostly these are vehicles which have been expertly maintained and generally well cared for.  With their rarity, performance capability and historic provenance, it is not surprising that in the contemporary market, these are $2,000,000 motor cars.  For example, #4600100 was offered by RM Sotheby’s in 2021 with an estimate of $1,800,000 - $2,100,000.  This is the car in which Fittipaldi was the fastest qualifier in the first Riverside heat.  It became especially well-known as it was for a time owned by Pablo Escobar, notorious Columbian drug trade criminal.  Also, its bodywork was quite radically modified.  It was however, restored and returned to original specification in 2010.  A full description and excellent suite of photographs can be found here.

#4600100  Courtesy RM Sotheby’s 

Also recently well documented is #4600124.  The photographs of this RSR posted on https://www.otsandco.com/project/1974-porsche-911-rsr-iroc are especially valuable for anyone looking for detail views in order to understand/verify the specification.  All parts of the vehicle, both the exterior and the interior, can be seen with excellent clarity.

#4600124  Courtesy Ottis & Co LLC

This was the last of the batch in chassis number terms.  It was finished in black, given race number 4 and allocated to George Follmer for the second Riverside race.  Subsequently, as #12, it was driven in the third race by Donohue.  It was the winning car in both these events, but did not run at Daytona.  Al Holbert bought it and raced it with some success in ’74, but rolled it late in the year, resulting in it being out of commission until 2008, when it was restored and returned to race-ready condition.

Seen below are all 15 of the IROC 3.0 RSRs:

The ‘73/’74 IROC was considered a success and a repeat series was formulated for ’75.  However, largely driven by the cost of the 911 RSRs and their maintenance, the ’75 series was run with Chevrolet Camaros.  The event was then repeated annually through to 2006, with a short break in the early Eighties.