It’s safe to say Porsche took everyone by surprise earlier this week when all of the sudden, the company that gave the automotive world the 911 introduced a retro-tastic race car. Based on the GT2 RS but restricted to the track, the new-era 935 aims to evoke the spirit of the iconic 935/78 Moby Dick racer of the late 1970s using modern hardware inherited from the company’s most hardcore road-legal Nine Eleven ever built.

In one of the first non-official videos to emerge, we get to see the 935 of the 21st century at Laguna Seca during the Rennsport Reunion revving its 700-bhp engine lending the race car an aggressive tune. The twin-turbo 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine is taken straight from the aforementioned 911 GT2 RS and is hooked up to a seven-speed PDK responsible for transferring all that power to the rear axle.

See the original reveal:

The noise coming out of those 908-inspired exposed titanium exhaust tips is as glorious as you’d expect it to be and nicely complements the fantastic body of the race car. Serving as nods to both the past and the present, the machine has aero-optimized rims in the same vein as its source of inspiration while the LED taillights are reminiscent of the 919 Hybrid LMP1.

Since the modern-day 935 wasn’t developed with homologation in mind, both designers and engineers were given complete freedom by not having to comply with strict rules and regulations. Production will be strictly limited to 77 examples at €701,948 per piece plus country-specific value added tax (VAT). Those wealthy enough to own such a masterpiece will have to patiently wait until next year to get inside that cramped cabin as deliveries won’t start until June 2019.

Having seen road-legal conversions of the Aston Martin Vulcan and the McLaren P1 GTR, we’re wondering whether it’s only a matter of time before the Porsche 935 will also morph into a street car. One can only hope…

Gallery: Porsche 935