The National Automobile Museum is celebrating International Sports Car Racing Day on March 21st. Visitors can learn about the impact of sports cars in Automotive History and view the 1977 Porsche 935 “Spirit of Nevada” Coupe currently on display.
Visitors can view the 1977 Porsche 935 “Spirit of Nevada” Coupe along with more than 200 Automobiles and artifacts, including additional memorabile sports cars throughout the nationally recognized museum.
Manfred Schurti of Liechtenstein won the manufacturers’ Group 5 championship in 1977 with the Porsche 935 race car. In 1978, Dr. GianPiero Moretti of Milan, Italy, acquired the car and campaigned it in the I.M.S.A. Winston GT Series, finishing third overall.
Randolph Townsend, Nevada Senator 1982-2010, purchased the car in 1979. Andial Racing of Los Angeles, California, took efforts to fully update the Porsche by adding twin turbos, chassis refinements, and a fiberglass body. Townsend drove the car at several race tracks, including Le Mans, Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Daytona, Sebring, and Sears Point. Bruce Jenner, a gold medal winner in the Decathlon at the 1976 summer Olympics, was also remembered as driving this legendary car. The Porsche was later donated to the Museum by Randolph Townsend
Automobile Facts:
Built By: Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche AG
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany
Engine: Air-Cooled Twin Turbo
6-Cylinder, 740 hp
Bore: 3 7/8”
Stroke: 2 5/16”
Displacement: 207.90 Cu. In.
About The National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection)
One of America’s Top 10 Automobile Museums, the National Automobile Museum showcases more than 200 remarkable automobiles. It features theatre presentations and audio tours in English and Spanish through 100,000 square-feet of galleries, exhibits and vibrant street scenes and accompanying artifacts that bring displays to life. The museum is a dynamic and popular venue for special events as intimate as 60 and as large as 1,200 guests. It also features the Nevada Space Center, home of the Challenger Learning Center of Northern Nevada. For more information, visit www.automuseum.org.
Hours of Operation
Mon. – Sat.: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tickets
Adults $12
Seniors $10 (62 and older)
Junior $6 (6 to 18 years old)
Children Free (5 and younger)
Members Free
