On March 22, 1997, Karl-Robert Maassen and Michael Irmgartz made their debut in the Veedol Langstreckenpokal on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Right out of the box, they recorded the fastest lap at the season opener, the 46th ADAC-Westfalenfahrt, in 9:54.45 minutes. Their racing vehicle: a grass-green Porsche 935 dp III with a normally aspirated engine, newly built by designer Ekkehard Zimmermann, based on an RSR bodyshell. A nickname was quickly found for the flounder with the gently sloping frontal section: the green tree frog. After three successful years of sport, Maassen/Irmgartz took advantage of the model change at the turn of the millennium and retired.
Dirk Torwesten from Essen, who, like Karl-Robert Maassen, excelled in the freight forwarding business, later took over the grass-green 935 dp III and used it in a wide variety of racing series. He even did the honors in the Austrian Histo Cup, the former Beetle specialist cherished and cared for his new acquisition and kept the Group H car in top shape for two decades. The influence of his son Mike Torwesten has led to some modifications in the recent past, and the gradual modernization is obvious. Two years ago, father and son initiated the most radical development step: in keeping with the identity of the Porsche 935, which entered the scenery in 1976 with a single turbocharger, they also pushed forward with the conversion to a turbocharged engine.
On June 22, 2024, Dirk and Mike Torwesten completed the first kilometers at BILSTER BERG with the new drivetrain unit, combined with a sequential six-speed gearbox. The occasion: the test event of Tourenwagen Legenden: the racing series founded in 2019 has created a new invitation class for Grand Tourisme and Specials up to the model year 2009 in 2024. The 935 dp III of the Torwestens fits into this format. From September 13th to 15th, according to a decision made right on site, the premiere of the #europeantour will take place at Assen, Netherlands.
Responsible for content and photography: Carsten Krome Netzwerkeins
