Porsche 904

Last updated
Porsche 904 Carrera GTS
Porsche 904-terabass.jpg
Porsche 904 Coupé
Overview
Manufacturer Porsche
Also calledPorsche Carrera GTS
Production1964–1965
Designer Ferdinand Alexander Porsche
Body and chassis
Layout Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
Powertrain
Engine 2.0 L H4
2.0 L H6 (904/6)
2.0 L H8 (904/8)
Transmission Five-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 90.5 in (2,300 mm)
Height42 in (1,100 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor Porsche 718
Successor Porsche 906

The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. This coupe, manufactured from 1963 to 1965, was street-legal under road traffic laws, allowing it to be driven not only on race tracks but also on public roads.

Contents

The car was used by the factory team in the Sports Car World Championship from 1964 to 1966. Additionally, numerous private teams raced the Porsche 904 in these international series as well as in national championships, such as the German Automobile Circuit Championship, specifically in the 2-liter GT class.

The Porsche 904 achieved significant success, winning the 2-liter GT category in the Manufacturer's World Championship in 1964 and 1965, and it also won the prototype class in 1964.

History

Porsche 904-6 Porsche 904-6.jpg
Porsche 904-6

After having withdrawn from Formula One at the end of the 1962 season, Porsche focused again on sportscar racing. The 904 debuted late in 1963, for the 1964 racing season, [1] as a successor to the 718, which had been introduced in 1957. Porsche designed the GTS variant to compete in the FIA-GT class at various international racing events. The street-legal version debuted in 1964 in order to comply with group 3 appendix J [2] homologation regulations requiring a minimum of 100 road-going variants be sold by the factory. Porsche produced one-hundred and six 904s at four or five a day [3] with a list price of US$7245 (FOB Stuttgart). [4] Orders far exceeded the one hundred car requirement to satisfy homologation rules and more cars could have been sold. [3] The 904 marked the beginning of a series of sportscars that culminated in the dominant 917.

904 Coupé (1963–1964)

Engine

The 904's mid-engine layout was inherited from the 718, also known as the RSK (Rennsport = racing, kurz = short), the factory's leading race car. It was powered by the 1,966 cc (120 cu in) Type 587/3, [4] four-cam flat four-cylinder engine producing 180 hp, "probably the most complex four-cylinder" ever. [5] It drove a five-speed transmission with a standard 4.428:1 final drive, with available 4.605, 4.260, 3.636, and 3.362 ratios. [4]

Begun as the Type 547, its development began in 1953, when the previous VW-based 1,100 cc (67 cu in) flat-four, used in the contemporary 356 and rated at 38 hp (28 kW), hit the limit of its potential. [4] Porsche realized it needed something all-new. [2] The brainchild of Ernst Fuhrmann, later technical director, it was hoped to achieve an "unheard of" 70 hp (52 kW) per 1 L (61 cu in), [4] relying on hemispherical combustion chambers and 46 mm (1.8 in)-throat 46IDA2 two-choke [6] Weber carburetors to generate 112 hp (84 kW) from the 1,500 cc (92 cu in) four-cam engine. [4] The 1.5 liter weighed 310 lb (140 kg) dry, eventually producing 180 hp (134 kW). A complex design that proved "very taxing" to build and assemble, [4] but very durable, it was used in 34 different models, including 550 spyders, 356 Carreras, and F2/1s. [4]

Chassis

The 904 was the first Porsche to use a ladder chassis [5] and fibreglass body, [5] appearing more like a specialist racing car than the modified sports cars typical at the time, [4] and was painted white. The fibreglass body was bonded to its steel chassis for extra rigidity, and achieved a drag coefficient of 0.34. [4] While many German race cars had used unpainted aluminium bodies since the famous 1934 Silver Arrows, most 904s were painted silver, the modern German national racing color. Unusually for Porsche, the two-seater bodies were provided by contractors, which would later become standard practice among race car builders. [3] The 904's fibreglass body was made by spraying chopped fibreglass into a mold, the amount sprayed often varied in thickness over the shape of the car and as a result the weight of the various cars was somewhat inconsistent. Race-prepared four-cylinder 904s weighed in at approximately 1,443 pounds (655 kg) and the low weight gave the 904 the ability to accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standstill in less than six seconds (using the standard rear gear, which was typical at Sebring) [4] and to reach a top speed of 160 mph (260 km/h) (with the 3.362 ratio). [3] Frontal area was only 14 sq ft (1.3 m2). [3]

Suspension

The Porsche 904 rode on coil springs (the first Porsche not to use trailing arm front and swing axle rear suspension), [5] with unequal-length A-arms in front. [5] The wheelbase was 90.5 in (2,300 mm), [3] track front and rear 51.7 in (1,310 mm), [3] height 42 in (1,100 mm), and ground clearance of 4.7 in (120 mm) on 15 in (380 mm) wheels. Brakes were 275 mm (10.8 in) discs at the front and 285 mm (11.2 in) at the rear.

904/6

To satisfy demand, forty 1965 models were produced, some featuring a variant of the 911's flat-six. Due to the weight issues of the first generation plastic body, the 904's successor, the 1966 906 or "Carrera 6", was developed with a tubular space frame covered with an unstressed, lighter fiberglass body.

Porsche 904/8 during training for the 1,000km race at the Nurburgring in 1964. 1964-05 Training Porsche 904 8-Zyl. wahrscheinl. E. Barth.jpg
Porsche 904/8 during training for the 1,000km race at the Nürburgring in 1964.

904/8

A few factory race cars were fitted with a flat eight-cylinder power plant derived from the 1962 804 F1 car, the 225 hp (168 kW)1,962 cc (119.7 cu in) Type 771, [4] which used 42 mm (1.7 in)-throat downdraft Weber carburetors. [7] The Type 771s, however, suffered a "disturbing habit" of making their flywheels explode. [7]

904 Bergspyder (1965)

Body

For the European Hill Climb Championship in 1965, Porsche developed a successor to the 1964 Porsche 718 RS 61 Spyder. The 904 Bergspyder, based on the Coupé 904/8, [8] was given chassis numbers that began with the 906. [9] Therefore, the car is also sometimes called the 906/8 Bergspyder, [8] Although the race car was most commonly known as the 904 Bergspyder and was technically based on the 904 coupé.

Porsche 904 Bergspyder (1965) 1965 Porsche 904-6 Bergspyder.jpg
Porsche 904 Bergspyder (1965)

From the coupé, the developers carried over the steel box frame and put on a light open plastic body. The Bergspyder was not a beauty and visually showed no relationship to the aerodynamic coupé. [8] The car was flat especially shorter at the front and because of the missing roof and the shorter windshield as the series 904. However, this made the car around 120 kg lighter than the coupé, with a weight of 570 kg. [8]

During the European Championship season 1965, the body was changed several times. For example, the windshield on model number 906 004 was shortened and flattened. [10] Later, the Bergspyder received again a lighter and rounded at the front and aerodynamically improved car body. [11]

A total of five copies were produced, of which three were destroyed in accidents. [9] In the European Hill Climb Championship, Gerhard Mitter piloted the Bergspyder to an overall victory at the hill climb Rossfeld in 1965. [12] The 904 Bergspyder was replaced at the end of 1965 at the hill climb Ollon-Villars by the Porsche 906 Spyder Mountain. [13]

Suspension

The chassis and suspension were taken over without major changes from the 904 coupé. [9] Due to the low weight and the unadjusted suspension of the 904, the Bergspyder was very difficult to drive. [8]

Engine and transmission

The Bergspyder is powered by the air-cooled 2-liter eight-cylinder boxer engine used in the type 771. This engine had its first use in 1962 in the Porsche 718 RS 61 [21] and already had a Bosch injection system for mixture preparation. [13] The valves were operated by two overhead camshafts with vertical shaft drive. [14] The engine delivered up to 191 kW (260 hp) at 8,800 rpm and had a compression ratio of 10.5: 1. The car had a top speed of around 260 km/h (161 mph). [8]

Technical specifications

Performance

Modern day replicas

Modern day replicas of the 904 are currently being produced by a number of companies, including Martin and Walker [15] in the UK and Chuck Beck [16] and Dennis Frick at Europa Macchina in the US.

Racing

Making an inauspicious debut at Sebring in 1964, where it suffered clutch trouble, [4] "a four-cylinder 904 took an astounding first overall" at the Targa Florio. [4] It went on to a third at the Nürburgring and a perfect finish at Le Mans. Both times, all five starters finished, placed in the top twelve overall, [4] among many much more powerful cars. 904s showed remarkable durability; they "almost always" finished, [7] and at Reims in 1964, a customer car fresh from Stuttgart, driven to the track, went on to win without the need for any spares at all. [3] For 1964, 904s racked up a 1–2 at the Targa Florio and class wins at Spa, Sebring (co-driven by Briggs Cunningham and Lake Underwood), the Nürburgring, Le Mans, Watkins Glen, Zandvoort, Canada, and the Paris 1000 Kilometer, in the process taking SCCA's C-Production and E-Sports Racing titles. [7] In addition, it won rally events including the Tulip, Munich-Vienna-Budapest, Geneva, and "highly acclaimed" Alpine Rally. [7] For 1965, results were "equally impressive", seeing wins at the Spanish, Rossfeld, Hellbronner, and Gaisburg rallies, as well as a class win and second overall in the Monte Carlo Rally which saw just 22 finishers in the points, out of 237 starters. [7] In addition, 904s won their class at the Monza 1000 Kilometer, Targa, Spa, Daytona Continental, Le Mans, and Zandvoort, among others, repeating their E-Sports title win and adding an SCCA E-Production championship. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 924</span> German sports car built 1976–1988

The Porsche 924 is a sports car produced by Porsche in Neckarsulm, Germany, from 1976 until 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 912E and 914 as the company's entry-level model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 912</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 912 is a sports car produced by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, for the 1965 through 1969 model years. An entry-level variant of the 911, it was also offered in compact 2+2 Coupé and Targa body styles. The nimble-handling 912 was a fitted with a 1.6-liter air cooled flat-4 from the last of the 356s, slightly detuned to 102 SAE horsepower at 5800 rpm. The 912's high-efficiency boxer engine, low drag, and low weight allow it to get up to 30 miles per US gallon. Priced at $4,700, more than 32,000 912s were built from April 1965 to July 1969. Sales of the 912 initially outpaced the 911, boosting the manufacturer's total production until success of the 911 was assured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 356</span> 1948–1965 sports car

The Porsche 356 is a sports car that was first produced by Austrian company Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH (1948–1949), and then by German company Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH (1950–1965). It was Porsche's first production automobile. Earlier cars designed by the Austrian company include Cisitalia Grand Prix race car, the Volkswagen Beetle, and Auto Union Grand Prix cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 914</span> Mid-engine sports car (1969–1976)

The Porsche 914 or VW-Porsche 914 is a mid-engined sports car designed, manufactured and marketed collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 until 1976. It was only available as a targa-topped two-seat roadster powered by either a flat-4 or flat-six engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 718</span> Sports racing car

The Porsche 718 is a series of one- or two-seat sports-racing cars built by Porsche from 1957 to 1962. An open-wheel single-seat model was developed for Formula racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 906</span> Street-legal racing car from Porsche

The Porsche 906 or Carrera 6 is a street-legal racing car from Porsche. It was announced in January 1966 and 50 examples were subsequently produced, thus meeting the homologation requirements of the FIA's new Group 4 Sports Car category to the number. The type would also compete in modified form in the Group 6 Sports Prototype class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 804</span>

The Porsche 804 is a single-seat, open-wheeled racing car produced by Porsche to compete in Formula One (F1). It raced for a single season in 1962 in the 1½ litre formula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 911 (964)</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 964 is a model of the Porsche 911 sports car manufactured and sold between 1989 and 1994. Designed by Benjamin Dimson through January 1986, it featured significant styling revisions over previous 911 models, most prominently the more integrated bumpers. It was the first car to be offered with Porsche's Tiptronic automatic transmission and all wheel drive as options.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 935</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 935 is a race car that was developed and manufactured by German automaker Porsche. Introduced in 1976 as the factory racing version of the 911 (930) Turbo and prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules, it was an evolution of the Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype, the second place overall finisher in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 275</span> Motor vehicle

The Ferrari 275 is a series of front-engined V12-powered grand touring automobiles with two-seater coupé and spider bodies produced by Ferrari between 1964 and 1968. The first 275 series cars were powered by a 3.3 L (3286 cc) overhead camshaft Colombo 60° V12 engine producing 260–320 hp (190–240 kW). An updated 275 GTB/4 was introduced in 1966, with a revised four overhead camshaft engine producing 300 hp (220 kW). The 275 series were the first road-going Ferraris equipped with a transaxle and independent rear suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elva (car manufacturer)</span> Motor vehicle

Elva was a sports and racing car manufacturing company based in Bexhill, then Hastings and Rye, East Sussex, United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1955 by Frank G. Nichols. The name comes from the French phrase elle va.

A flat-eight engine, also called a horizontally-opposed eight, is an eight-cylinder piston engine with two banks of four inline cylinders, one on each side of a central crankshaft, 180° apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 910</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 910 or Carrera 10 was a race car from Porsche, based on the Porsche 906. 29 were produced and were raced in 1966 and 1967. The factory name for the 910 was the 906/10. The 910 was considered the next sequence in the 906 line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 911 (classic)</span> Sports car, first and second generations of the Porsche 911

The original Porsche 911 is a luxury sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. A prototype of the famous, distinctive, and durable design was shown to the public in autumn 1963. Production began in September 1964 and continued through 1989. It was succeeded by a modified version, internally referred to as Porsche 964 but still sold as Porsche 911, as are current models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 911 (991)</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 991 is the seventh generation of the Porsche 911 sports car, which was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show on 15 September as the replacement for the 997. The 991 was an entirely new platform, only the third since the original 911 launched in 1963. Production of the 991 generation ended on December 20, 2019, with 233,540 units produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche Boxster and Cayman (981)</span> Third generation of the Boxster and second generation of the Cayman sports cars

The Porsche 981 is the internal designation given to the third-generation of the Boxster and second generation of the Cayman models built by German automobile manufacturer Porsche. It was announced on 13 March 2012 at the Geneva Auto Show with sales starting early summer 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 911</span> Sports car produced by Porsche

The Porsche 911 is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and originally a torsion bar suspension. The car has been continuously enhanced through the years but the basic concept has remained unchanged. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the 996 series in 1998.

<i>Porsche Unseen</i> Photo-book by Stefan Bogner and Jan Karl Baedeker

Porsche Unseen is a photo-book by Stefan Bogner and Jan Karl Baedeker about 15 unrevealed concept vehicles from the years 2005 to 2019 by German carmaker Porsche, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. Following the publish date on November 11, 2020, the concepts were shown online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AWE racing car</span>

The AWE racing cars were a series of racing cars that were constructed between 1953 and 1955 in the Eisenach automobile plant by the EMW/AWE racing collective based there and used in national and international races from 1954 to 1956.

References

  1. ↑ Gabbard, Alex. "The Porsche 904 Legacy", in VW & Porsche Magazine, 12/87, p.83.
  2. 1 2 Gabbard, p.82.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gabbard, p.84.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Gabbard, p.83.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 VW & Porsche Magazine, 12/87, p.87.
  6. ↑ VW & Porsche Magazine, 12/87, p.88
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gabbard, p.97.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "1965 - Porsche 906/8 Bergspyder "Känguruh" - Die 60er - Rennwagen - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG". 2009-03-23. Archived from the original on 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  9. 1 2 3 Jürgen Barth, Gustav Büsing: Das große Buch der Porsche-Typen. Rennwagen. S. 106.
  10. ↑ Jürgen Barth, Gustav Büsing: Das große Buch der Porsche-Typen. Rennwagen. S. 107.
  11. ↑ Jürgen Barth, Gustav Büsing: Das große Buch der Porsche-Typen. Rennwagen. S. 108.
  12. ↑ Krejci, Roman. "EUROMONTAGNA.COM 1993-2015". www.euromontagna.com. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  13. 1 2 Jürgen Barth, Gustav Büsing: Das große Buch der Porsche-Typen. Rennwagen. S. 112.
  14. ↑ Jürgen Barth, Gustav Büsing: Das große Buch der Porsche-Typen. Rennwagen. S. 130.
  15. ↑ UK2.NET. "Martin and Walker". 904gts.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "Chuck Beck". Beck904.com. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.