Last update: October 23, 2024
Coca Cola sponsored a number of teams and drivers. In this collection I focus on the American team from Bob Akin and a few other Porsches.
1980 Daytona 24h, Porsche 935. Bob Akin’s Racing Associates entered three Porsche 935’s for this year’s Daytona 24-hour race, two K3-versions and a ‘normal’ one. The K3 version of the Porsche 935 was a fantastic car. After Ludwig won the DRM and Le Mans in 1979, the Kremer brothers sold lots of K3’s. Bob Akin entered two for the Daytona 24-hour race of 1980. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, all three retired.
#05 Porsche 935 K3 – Bob Akin (USA) / Roy Woods (USA) / Bobby Rahal (USA) – DNF
Porsche 935 K3/80 – 3.0 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 970 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. #930 009 0005
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 10431 (resin)
#55 Porsche 935 – Ralph Kent Cooke (USA) / Claude Ballot-Léna (F) / Gérard Bleynie (F) – DNF
Porsche 935/79 – 3.0 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo – approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 990 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. #930 770 0957
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 114313 (resin)
1981 Le Mans 24h, Porsche 935 K3/79. In 1981 GT’s were a majority on the grid. This Akin Motorsport car retired after 320 laps.
#43 Bob Akin (USA) / Craig Siebert (USA) / Paul Miller (USA) – DNF
Porsche 935 K3/80 – 3.0 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 970 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. #930 009 0013
- QUARTZO Q3014 (diecast)
1982 Daytona 24h, Porsche 935 K3/80. In Europe the career of Porsches 935 ended with the disappearance of group 5. In the USA the cars fitted in the GTP regulations and were able to compete with the real prototypes. This Bob Akin 935 K3 finished 2nd in this year’s Daytona 24-hour race.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / Craig Siebert (USA) / Derek Bell (GB) – 2nd overall
Porsche 935 K3/80 – 3.0 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 970 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. #930 009 0005
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 09433 (resin)
1982 Road Atlanta 500 miles, Porsche 935 LT1. In Europe the career of Porsche’s 935 ended with the disappearance of group 5. In the USA the cars fitted in the GTP regulations and were able to compete with the real prototypes. Bob Akin had this 935 LT1 developed with the aerodynamic nose of a Lola T600 sports car and improved monocoque. It finished 7th at Road Atlanta.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / Derek Bell (GB) – 7th overall / 5th in GTP
Porsche 935 LT1 – 3.2 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo, approx. 700 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 970 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Akin #935L-1
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 10431 (resin)
1983 Daytona 3h, Porsche 935/84. Bob Akin had this extreme 935/84 built by Fabcar for the 1984 season. It made its debut in the last round of the 1983 championship – the 3 hours of Daytona – with a fine 2nd place. Of course, it ran in the familiar red-white of sponsor Coca Cola.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / John O’Steen (USA) – 2nd
Porsche 935/84 – 3.2 liter Porsche Type 930/78 flat-6 turbo, approx. 700 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 970 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Fabcar 935/84
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 10434 (resin)
Porsche 962 replaces the 935
1984 Watkins Glen 6 hours, Porsche 962. Bob Akin raced the first half of the 1984 season with his Porsche 935/84 and then moved to this 962. The first results with the 962 were not better. In 1985 with the improved Fabcar chassis, it turned out to be a winner.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / John O’Steen (USA) – 15th overall / 9th in GTP
Porsche 962 – 3.2 liter Porsche 962/70 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 860 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. 962-102
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 09432 (resin)
1986 Sebring 12h, Porsche 962. The Porsche 962 is improved version of the 956. The American GTP versions ran in different configurations than in Europe where they used the double turbo 962C with water-cooled cylinder heads, but were just as successful. This Bob Akin Motorsport car won the 12-hour race at Sebring with an 8-lap advantage. Note the Coke advertisement in stead of Coca-Cola.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / Hans J. Stuck (D) / Jo Gartner (A) – 1st
Porsche 962 – 3.2 liter Porsche 962/70 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Yokohama tires. Weight 860 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. 962-102
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 09431 (resin)
1986 Mid-Ohio 500km, Porsche 962. Hans Joachim Stuck put this Bob Akin Motorsport Porsche at pole position in Mid-Ohio, but retired after only 3 laps after he got hit from behind. The Akin Motorsport Porsche used an additional front wing in the second half of the 1986 season. The car drove with a black crape across the front, this is not on the scale model.
#5 Bob Akin (USA) / Hans J. Stuck (D) / James Weaver (GB) – DNF
Porsche 962 – 3.2 liter Porsche 962/70 flat-6 turbo, approx. 650 hp. Yokohama tires. Weight 860 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. 962-102
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 10438 (resin)
After Bob Akin
1993 Sebring 12h, Gunnar 966 Porsche. Kevin Jeanette built this Gunnar Porsche 966, the world’s first WSC Sportscar. The car was based upon the chassis of a Porsche 962 and has its engine. The car raced between 1991 and 1993 but never achieved great success. Typical Gunnar style; the car had a different livery every race. At Sebring 1993 it was sponsored by Diet Coke and tool producer Snap-On. It retired after a crash.
#66 Jay Cochran (USA) / Bobby Carradine (USA) / Chip Hanauer (USA) / Dennis Case (USA) – DNF
Gunnar 966 – 3.2 liter Porsche 935/86 flat-6 twin turbo, approx. 650 hp. Goodyear tires. Weight 900 kg. Aluminium + carbon fibre monocoque, chassisnr. Chapman #C05
- TRUE SCALE MINIATURES 114303 (resin)
2019 Road Atlanta – Petit Le Mans, Porsche 911 RSR-19. In 2019 the Porsche factory teams used some historic liveries on their 911 RSRs. At Le Mans the cars ran in Pink Pig and Rothmans colors and in the USA, it was the red, white and blue of Brumos and this Coca Cola outfit.
#911 Patrick Pilet (F) / Nick Tandy (GB)/ Fred Makowiecki (F) – 15th overall / 6th in GTE-PRO
Porsche 911 RSR-19 – 4.2 liter Porsche M97/80 flat-6 normally aspirated, approx. 525 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 1245 kg. Steel + aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Porsche Collection WAP020 9300 LCCL (resin)
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