AO Racing Pays Special Tribute to 1983 Rolex 24 Winning Porsche 935

As AO Racing makes their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut this month at the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team will pay special tribute to a previous race winner highlighting the livery of the No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The new GTD class team will begin the season racing the livery of the 1983 race-winning Porsche, the No. 6 Swap Shop ANDIAL Porsche 935, driven by Preston Henn, AJ Foyt, Bob Wollek and Claude Ballot-Lena. The livery has a personal connection to not one, but two of the 2023 drivers. PJ Hyett currently owns the historic 935 on which Gunnar Jeannette’s father, Kevin, was the crew chief. The car was built by motorsport legend Alwin Springer, former president of and now consultant to Porsche Motorsport North America.

“I’ve literally grown up around the Swap Shop 935, Preston Henn and Alwin Springer,” reflected Gunnar Jeanette. “To have PJ acquire the car from the Henn Family and for us to be able to do this tribute at our first 24 Hours with AO Racing and Porsche is very special. I hope all the fans can enjoy the livery and get to know the special story which this car helped create in 1983.”

Forty years ago, the 935’s attempt at what was then the 1983 24 Hour Pepsi Challenge at Daytona was anything but boring. Henn, an American entrepreneur and founder of Swap Shop, teamed with Frenchmen Wollek and Ballot-Lena for the 24-hour endurance racing event. Foyt joined the team mid-race after his original car, an Aston Martin-Nimrod NRA/C2, retired only 121 laps into the race. Though Henn jumped at the opportunity to put a 24 Hours of Le Mans and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner in the car, Wollek famously objected, noting his lack of experience in the Porsche 935, and a 15-year absence from sports car racing.