When Porsche drove its 956 racers on Australian roads

Transporters must be costly things.

Or at least inconvenient, as this photo of Porsche’s complete World Endurance Championship fleet marching down Melbourne’s Dandenong Rd reckons.

Gifting commuters a cracking watercooler story, Speedcafe.com’s interview with Alan Hamilton reveals the three 956 racers in the photo were making their way to the last round of the WEC at Sandown Park – as it was known in 1984 - quite illegally.

Hamilton had reportedly made his facility in Noble Park, a suburb adjacent to Sandown Raceway, available to teams competing in the first-ever Australian WEC round, including Rothmans Porsche.

When the cars needed to be at Sandown, the Porsche team hopped in and took to the public Princes Highway, where today the speed limit is 80km/h, far below the 350km/h speed the cars were capable of on trackr.

Hamilton explains bewildered police arrived on scene half an hour later, but without much clue as to what happened. Porsche went on to win the event.

Wonder if they used them for any lunch runs as well?

Picture credit: Speedcafe