Porsche 935 JLP-2 Le Mans Veteran Costs Cool $2.1 Million

Slice of History

Everyone wants a piece of Le Mans history, a tiny slice of the world's most famous endurance race. Unfortunately, that never comes cheap. Just take this Porsche 935 racer, for example, which is currently up for grabs at RM Sotheby's for a cool $2.1 million. After snagging a second-place class finish at Le Mans in 1980, JLP-2 went on to lead a rather interesting life, if nothing else.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

Second Build

This particular 935 was constructed and campaigned by the infamous father and son team of John Paul Sr. and John Paul Jr. of JLP Racing. It was built from the ground up following the destruction of JLP-1, with a chassis, engine, and various other components purchased from Porsche and then wrapped in Kremer K3 bodywork.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

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Loads of Power

The racing Porsche is powered by a twin-turbo, 3.2-liter flat-six fitted with  Kugelfischer fuel injection, which is capable of providing up to 740 horsepower depending on how much boost it's fed. The mill is backed up by a four-speed gearbox, which sends all those ponies back to the rear wheels.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

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Fruits of Labor

The fruits of JLP's labor came quickly, as JLP-2 scored a class win and third-place overall finish at the 1980 Silverstone 6 Hours and a second-place class and 9th overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Paul Sr., Paul Jr., and Guy Edwards taking turns behind the wheel. JLP-2 also scored a first-place finish at the Road America 500 Miles that same year.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

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Retirement Age

For the 1981 season, JLP-3 mostly took over, but JLP-2 still saw some action. In 1982, it was sold to M.L. Speer, who teamed up with Terry Wolters and Charles Mendez to score a third-place finish at the Sebring 12 Hours. The car continued to race through the 1985 season before it was ultimately retired.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

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Changing Hands

Speer sold the car to a collector, who had it fully restored back in the mid-1990s. It received yet another restoration after changing hands in 2015, and the mechanicals were rebuilt in 2019, at which time the car was returned to its original livery. Since then, the 935 has participated in a variety of vintage racing events.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

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Moving On

Now, JLP-2 is looking for a new home yet again. And we hope that whoever buys it continues to take it out and drive it, as it was intended to do. Given this car's history and the prominence of the 935 in general, that's the least we can do for this special race car.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

>>Join the conversation about the 935 JLP-2 right here in Rennlist.com.

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