Porsche 911 Slantnose – SOW 010, M505/506

From racing (or Rennsport, in Porsche terminology) to the road – often more a dictum than a real intention. It was different at Porsche. Here, racing was always a means to an end, so to speak. This was also the case in the 1980s, when Porsche included the so-called “Slantnose” in their then-new special request program (Sonderwunschprogramm). Initially as an exclusive special request, later even with its own option code. But how did the 911 Slantnose come about? How many Porsche 911 Slantnose were built? We’ll take you to the archive and look for clues.

The Porsche 911 Slantnose was created through a gap in the Group 5 regulations

First of all, we have to travel back to the wild years of sports car racing. In 1976, with the introduction of the new Group 4, 5 and 6, Porsche sensed the chance to win the sports car world championship with the 911. Based on the then-new Porsche 930 Turbo, a racing car was to be created. Involved in the development was a young engineer who listens to the name Norbert Singer. With his team, he quickly tackled the topic of aerodynamics.

In his book Porsche Rennsport 1970 – 2004, Singer describes that there was a loophole in the regulations for Group 5. Appendix J to the 1976 FIA Technical Regulations regulated in Article 269 b) the possible changes to the bodywork. Singer came up with an idea – he had a more streamlined front end with less frontal area in mind. For this purpose, his team quickly moved the headlights of the Porsche 935 into the front apron, allowing the use of flatter fenders. The Porsche 935 Slantnose was born.

Others made the 911 with a flat front acceptable – Porsche only followed in the 80s

In racing, the Slantnose 911 quickly achieved cult status. Especially the privately used Kremer Racing Porsche 935 became crowd favorites. The Porsche 935 K2, 3 and 4, also built by Kremer Racing for customers, achieved considerable racing successes well into the 1980s. Unforgettable, for example, the overall victory at Le Mans in 1979.

Porsche Kremer Racing

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Sports car races, including the German Rennsport Championship DRM, were incredibly popular. No wonder that Porsche drivers also wanted racing credits on the road. Therefore, interest in tuning and vehicle individualization grew in the 70s and 80s, and countless tuning companies were active on the market. Be it RUF, Kremer, Strosek or bb-Auto.

And exactly these companies recognized the signs of the times. Rainer Buchmann, for example, already had conversion kits for the 911 with a front end borrowed from the 928 at the end of the 70s. Those who had the necessary funds could then already drive a 911 Slantnose in traffic.

There were three generations of Porsche 930 Slantnose

From 1980 onwards, the Slantnose at Porsche was only available for hand-picked customers on special individual request. Mansour Ojjeh’s Porsche 935 Street is certainly the most famous vehicle. From 1981, this “body conversion 911 Turbo/ 911 SC Turbolook flat front end” was officially available from the Porsche customer service department. These 58 vehicles of the first generation Porsche 911 Slantnose had no pop-up headlights. Instead, the lights were integrated into the front apron – as in the racing car 935. These first generation Slantnose cars were built until 1983.

All Porsche 930 Turbo Slantnose listed for sale on Elferspot

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In 1983, Porsche gave the 911 Slantnose a new face. They moved the headlights from the front apron to the fenders. The Sonderwunsch 911 now included the well-known pop-up headlights of the 924/944. Its exact name was “Slantnose with folding headlight and GRP front spoiler with middle oil cooler for 911 turbo and all 911 turbo-look variants (M491)”. However, the racing look was not a bargain: the conversion cost over 38,000 DM at that time. Between 1983 and 1987, 204 examples of the second generation Porsche 911 Slantnose were built.

How many Porsche 930 Slantnose M505/506 were there?

In the Porsche 930 Turbo’s third and last generation, the designation of the option code changed, among other things. M505 were the Porsche 930 Slantnose for the US market. M506 was the option code for the rest of the world. Background for the distinction: the mandatory oil cooler in the middle of the front apron in the rest of the world was not allowed in some US states. That’s why the Porsche 911 Slantnose M505 sports the front apron of the regular 930 Turbo. The additional oil cooler was placed in the rear right fender.

The change from the special wishes program to the regular option code had a special reason. The third generation 930 Slantnose (1987-1989) was no longer only offered on special customer request. Instead, the option codes M505/506 appeared in the Porsche dealers’ price lists. So it is not surprising that the last gen Porsche 930 Slantnose is the least rare. A total of 630 Porsche 911 Turbo Slantnose M505 and 56 M506 were produced.

Whether SOW 010 or M505, Porsche 930 Turbo Slantnoses are among the rarest 911 models

The Slantnose is certainly not everybody’s darling, sometimes even polarizes. But for real motorsport fans it is one of the most desirable 911 models ever. Its very low production numbers – only 948 were produced in total – also means that the Porsche 930 Turbo Flachbau is one of the rarest 911s. Since they also usually wore very exclusive interiors and colors, they have therefore become very interesting for collectors.

911 Turbo Book Hans Mezger Limited Edition 2020

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