It was the summer of 1979. The Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, was a humid, oil-streaked zone awaiting the start of one of the most important races of the year. It was the 24 Hours of Le Mans — the place for unbelievable race finishes. Like any iconic race event, the Le Mans attracted celebrities, most posing for cameras and enjoying chilled champagne. Paul Newman was there as well. However, unlike other celebrities, he was on the other side of the barricade, strapped into the Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935, wearing chassis number 009 0030. It was his first, and only, appearance at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Yet, the 54-year-old Newman didn't just survive one of the world's most grueling endurance races, he nearly won the whole thing!
Newman, sharing the drive with team captain Dick Barbour and the legendary German racing driver Rolf Stommelen, piloted the Hawaiian Tropic-sponsored Porsche through a weekend of high-intensity, high-stakes racing. Despite the rain-soaked track and the immense pressure of being the world's most famous "rookie" racer, Newman did well. The team suffered mechanical troubles, including a seized wheel during a pit stop that cost them 20 minutes –- considered a lifetime in racing culture. However, they clawed back time. When the checkered flag dropped, the number 70 Porsche crossed the line second overall and first in its class.
Understanding Paul Newman's obsession with speed
To understand why Paul was racing in the Le Mans of all places, you need to understand the man and his addiction to speed. His obsession with racing didn't start with go-karting at the age of 5 — it started at the age of 43, while filming the 1969 movie "Winning." While many people deal with midlife crises by buying a Corvette, at 47 years old, Paul decided to dive headfirst into racing.
His car collection reflected a man who preferred performance and usability over concours show eye candy. While his collection included rare, exotic cars, like a rad Nissan R30 Skyline, he loved sleeper cars, owning a V8 Volkswagen Beetle convertible and a Volvo 74 wagon with a turbocharged V6 from a Buick GNX. He wasn't just a driver — he was a team owner, co-founding Newman/Haas racing, which became a dominant force in IndyCar racing. He loved the Porsche 935, which was highly sought after by speed fiends and wealthy enthusiasts in the late 70s. It was a brutal machine, producing around 650 horsepower from a 3.2-liter twin-turbocharged flat six. The 935 attracted wealthy individuals because it was one of the most competitive customer racecars money could buy, but it was a handful to drive at the limit. Newman's second-place win at Le Mans wasn't a fluke — he had already won multiple races in SCCA production racing and would go on to win the 24 hours of Daytona in his class at the age of 70.
The legacy of chassis number 009 0030
Newman's Le Mans car, the Porsche 935, chassis number 009 0030, is a rolling piece of automotive racing culture. Its success didn't stop at the legendary podium finish at Le Mans. After the race, it didn't retire in a museum. Instead, it went on to win the 24 hours of Daytona in 1981 and 12 hours of Sebring overall in 1983, cementing its status as one of the most successful Porsche 935s in existence.
At one point in time, at the 1980 Le Mans, the Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935 donned the iconic rainbow stripes of Apple Computer. In 1980, Apple was a growing tech company, and its sponsorship of the Dick Barbour team was the first and last time the personal computer company entered the world of motorsports.
In recent years, the Porsche 935 number 009 0030 has moved to the highest levels of the auction world, fetching millions. It represents a time when the celebrity and racing world were brought together by a man with genuine talent. Newman would never return to Le Mans as a racing driver, perhaps because he had achieved what he set out to. He didn't need the win to validate his career — the second-place trophy told the world all it needed to know about Paul Newman.
