The GoPro booth at the 2019 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show featured Bruce Canepa’s
spectacular Porsche 935, the last Porsche factory-built 935, and the most original
935 in existence.
Bruce’s father, Angelo, owned Palomar Lincoln Mercury in
Santa Cruz California, and Bruce worked in the shop of his father’s Lincoln
Mercury dealership every day after school beginning at 12 years old.
A multi-sport athlete in high school, after college, Bruce worked full-time at the family dealership as the used car manager. Bruce’s passion for Porsches was ignited after a customer traded in his Porsche for a new Lincoln.
A multi-sport athlete in high school, after college, Bruce worked full-time at the family dealership as the used car manager. Bruce’s passion for Porsches was ignited after a customer traded in his Porsche for a new Lincoln.
In 1966, Bruce competed in his first race, a sportsman stock
car race at nearby Watsonville Speedway. Bruce moved up the racing ladder to
supermodifieds and later sprint cars that raced on both pavement and dirt
tracks with the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) against such drivers as Brent
Kaeding, Johnny Anderson and Jan Opperman, and was named the 1973 NARC Rookie of the Year.
Bruce at speed in his 1976 Maxwell sprint car
courtesy Bruce Canepa
In 1978 Bruce took part in his first sports car race at
Sears Point Raceway as he drove his own Porsche 934, sponsored by the family
car dealership, and he finished seventh. The following year, Canepa, along with
co-drivers Rick Mears and Monte Shelton finished third overall at the 24 Hours
of Daytona in the 934.
Based on that result, the Porsche factory offered Canepa a
new Porsche 935 with full works support. At that time the 935, powered by a 3-liter
twin turbocharged flat six engine that developed over 700 horsepower, was the
world’s dominant sports racing car.
Bruce’s car, chassis number was the 13th
and last factory-built customer 935 as after 1979, Porsche ceased 935 development and production
to concentrate on prototype racing and left the continued development of the
935 to private teams.
Chassis number 009 00029 was delivered to California just
prior to the eleventh round of the 1979 IMSA (International Motor Sport
Association) championship “Sprite Grand Prix Winston GT at Sears Point.” Driving a 935 for the first time on July 29th
Canepa qualified the car tenth and
finished fifth one lap behind Peter Gregg’s similar machine in the premier
class known as GTX (Grand Touring Experimental).
A week later, Bruce visited the Portland International
Raceway for the first time to race in the “G.I. Joe's Grand Prix Portland” and
qualified fourth. With less than two laps to go, and a one-lap lead, Canepa’s
935 began to run out of fuel, and Canepa crossed the finish line on fumes in
third place.
In October at Laguna Seca Raceway for the SCCA Trans-Am “Sprite
Bottlers Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca” Canepa qualified tenth and finished fifth, one lap behind Peter Gregg in
the Group 5 equivalent T-A II class.
For the 1980 season chassis number 009 00029 sat idle as Canepa
drove for Gianpiero Moretti’s MOMO racing team.
The car returned to action for
the 1981 IMSA season, fitted with special aerodynamic “M16” bodywork. The car
suffered mechanical problems early in the “Datsun Monterey Triple Crown Laguna
Seca”, but Canepa qualified sixth for the “Datsun Camel GT Sears Point.” In its
final race appearance, the 935 broke down four laps from the finish and was classified
ninth overall.
In 1983, Canepa began selling Lamborghinis, Maseratis,
Porsches, Audis and BMW cars in his hometown as Bruce Canepa Motorcars. Bruce
later started Canepa Design, which built custom SUVs, race trailers, and custom
semis which has evolved into Canepa as it exists today.
Located in Scotts Valley California the 70,000-square-foot
facility, Canepa is an auto dealership, restoration facility and spectacular free to visit museum. Canepa
does everything in-house - fabricating, repairs, bodywork, painting and
interiors – only plating is sent out.
Check out their website at https://canepa.com
Since its last appearance in 1981. the Porsche 935 remains
Bruce Canepa’s personal collection and is driven in selected historic events
around the United States. Raced just five times in the 1979 and 1981 season,
this is the most original 935 in existence.
GoPro manufactures action cameras and mobile phone apps and
video-editing software, such as the GoPro Max displayed on top of the Porsche
935. Check them out at https://gopro.com/en/us/
All photos by the author
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