rules did not limit the forward extension of the rear aerodynamic devices, Porsche even added fairings to the doors, bridging the gap between the front and rear fenders. These were shortened later, covering only the front third of the doors. Because of its white color and long tail shape optimised for low drag, the 935/78 was often nicknamed Moby-Dick. With this version, the pair of Mass/Ickx won the test race, the 6 hours of Silverstone Circuit, the pole (1:22,38) and fastest lap (1:23,98 or 202,519 km/h), being only 4 seconds slower than the corresponding times of James Hunt in the 1977 British Grand Prix, which covered only a quarter of the distance. At the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 935 qualified third, barely beaten by a Renault Alpine and a 936. Compared to 1976, lap times were 15 seconds quicker now. With the new 3.2 L engine, it was the fastest car on the straight in Le Mans, recording a top speed of , passing the prototypes of Renault Alpine, as well as the teammate 936, as these Group 6 cars had 2.1 L engines with just over , equal to normal 3.0 L engines. The engine had to be replaced before the race, though, and with ensuing problems early in the race, the Moby Dick was no contender, finishing 8th behind three customer 935. In its third attempt, Renault finally managed to beat Porsche, and then went on to focus on F1. Two of the three 936 and another Alpine occupied the other three places. Before being retired to the museum, the Moby Dick was also entered at Vallelunga and at the Norisring, the annual highlight of the DRM series, but the twisty track around the Nuremberg Reichsparteitag grand stand proved to be quite difficult for the Moby Dick, and it failed to finish. Awaiting rule changes taking effect in 1982, Porsche did not officially enter in 1979 or 1980, granting only some limited support to customer efforts with the 935, 936 and even decade-old 908 and 917, mainly in form of spare parts, engines and know-how, which by then was rather dated. Factory racing was mainly done with the 924 turbo variants called the Carrera GT, with limited success. Private non-factory-built replica cars of the 1977 body style and the "Moby Dick" were entered in DRM and IMSA in following years by Joest Racing, Moretti racing