Porsche 935 Martini 1/12

Tamiya -Champion machine in 1976

In 1976 the World Championship for Makes was to be contested by Group 5 cars such as the Porsche 935 Martini, which that year would bring the famed German manufacturer a glorious overall title. Group 5 was a silhouette formula with extensively modified production cars; the 935 Martini was based upon the 930 Turbo, and endowed with a 2,857cc horizontally opposed 6-cylinder rear engine which put out a magnificent 590hp thanks to liberal tuning and a turbocharger. Its suspension was also race-tuned. The 1976 season started off well for the Porsche Martini with a victory in the 6 Hours race at Mugello in March and continued in the same vein with a triumph in Vallelunga, and while a regulation-forced intercooler change led to a mid-season swoon, the team came back strongly to prevail in the final two races of the year and hold off rivals BMW in claiming a hard-earned Championship.

• 1/12 scale plastic model a