Kremer Racing
Encyclopedia
Kremer Racing is a motorsports team based in Cologne
, Germany
, founded by racing driver Erwin Kremer and his brother Manfred. They have competed internationally with Porsche
s for nearly all of their existence, and were even one of the factory-backed squads for many years. Besides running Porsches, the team was also known for their tuned Porsche race cars that they both raced and sold to other teams who could not gain the best equipment from the factory. Among their greatest achievements were winning the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
with their own 935 K3, and later winning the 24 Hours of Daytona
in a K8 Spyder in 1995.
After surviving a heart attack two years earlier, the company's founder Erwin died in 2006 and the managing director Uwe Sauer is at the helm of the team, even when younger brother Manfred Kremer bought it back in 2008, before selling it to Mr. Baunach in 2010.
In the 1970s, Kremer initially tuned 911
s, 914-6 GT
s, and 934
s. However, with the Porsche 935
, Kremer began designating their tuned models with the letter K, followed by a number in order of construction. Eight cars were designated as such.
Kremer also built a 917
for use in the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans
, and would also make improvements on the 911 GT1
and GT2
in the 1990s.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, founded by racing driver Erwin Kremer and his brother Manfred. They have competed internationally with Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
s for nearly all of their existence, and were even one of the factory-backed squads for many years. Besides running Porsches, the team was also known for their tuned Porsche race cars that they both raced and sold to other teams who could not gain the best equipment from the factory. Among their greatest achievements were winning the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 47th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 9 and 10 1979.-Pre-race:Due to the construction of a new public road, the profile of Tetre Rouge had to be changed...
with their own 935 K3, and later winning the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
in a K8 Spyder in 1995.
After surviving a heart attack two years earlier, the company's founder Erwin died in 2006 and the managing director Uwe Sauer is at the helm of the team, even when younger brother Manfred Kremer bought it back in 2008, before selling it to Mr. Baunach in 2010.
Tuned Porsches
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
s, 914-6 GT
Porsche 914-6 GT
The Porsche 914-6 GT was a race car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche.-History:The Porsche 914 was introduced in September 1969 as a collaborative effort between Porsche and Volkswagen to produce a sporty car. The car they came up with was a mid-engined vehicle with seating...
s, and 934
Porsche 934
The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules.-History:...
s. However, with the Porsche 935
Porsche 935
The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
, Kremer began designating their tuned models with the letter K, followed by a number in order of construction. Eight cars were designated as such.
- 935 K1 - Their first privately built 935Porsche 935The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
in 1976 - 935 K2 - An improvement on K1 in 1977.
- 935 K3 - An attempt to mimic the Evolution bodywork on the factory 935/78s. The most successful 935 variant, due to its technical advantage running an air/air intercooler instead of the air/water units used by the Porsche factory. Winner of Le Mans 24 Hours in 1979.
- 935 K4 - An all-new variant of the 935 for the early 1980s, featuring a space frame
- CK5 - A custom-built Group C prototype based on a 936Porsche 936The Porsche 936 was a racing car introduced in 1976 by Porsche as a delayed successor to the Porsche 908, a three litre sportscar prototype which was retired by the factory after 1971...
meant as a temporarily replacement until the 956Porsche 956The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship...
was available for customers in 1983. - 962CK6 - An improvement on the factory 962Porsche 962The Porsche 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with IMSA's GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European Group C formula as the 956 had...
- CK7 SpyderKremer K8 SpyderThe Kremer K8 Spyder, along with its predecessor, the CK7, were open-cockpit prototypes built by Kremer Racing for use in multiple sportscar series, such as the IMSA GT Championship, Interserie, and International Sports Racing Series...
- An open-cockpit prototype using 962 mechanicals used in InterserieInterserieInterserie is the name of a European-based motorsport series started in 1970 that allows for a wide variety of racing cars from various eras and series to compete with less limited rules than in other series.... - K8 SpyderKremer K8 SpyderThe Kremer K8 Spyder, along with its predecessor, the CK7, were open-cockpit prototypes built by Kremer Racing for use in multiple sportscar series, such as the IMSA GT Championship, Interserie, and International Sports Racing Series...
- An improved version of the K7 for use in the International Sports Racing Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
.
Kremer also built a 917
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
for use in the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans
1981 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 49th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1981. It was also the eighth round of the World Championship for Makes.-Pre-race:...
, and would also make improvements on the 911 GT1
Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...
and GT2
Porsche 911 GT2
The Porsche 911 GT2 is a sports car built by the German manufacturer Porsche since 1994. It is based on the 911 Turbo, and uses a similar twin-turbocharged engine, but features numerous upgrades, including engine upgrades, larger brakes, and stiffer suspension calibration...
in the 1990s.