Porsche's 904 celebrates 50 years anniversary today. James Herne has made this historic article, enjoy it. Carrera GTS - Stuttcars.com To my eye there is lots of Dino's idiom in the car or viseversa.
Thanks for sharing. Per informative site, the 904 is indeed one of Porsche's top designs. It led eventually to the 910, which is a favorite of mine. The mid to late 60s era of race cars is something that would've been amazing to experience firsthand.
http://photos.stuttcars.info/upload/2013/11/10/904-crashtest-copyright-porsche-downloaded-from-stuttcars-com.jpg What an awesome picture!
Last of the dual purpose racers. 4 cam Fuhrman running caster bean oil! These have interested me for some time: Thunder Ranch Porsche 904
About 30 years ago (maybe 40) I knew a mechanic in SoCal, near Marina del Rey, Vernon Covert, who told me he went to Sebring, cash in hand, walked down the row of cars ready to race and made a deal to buy a 904 if it finished the race. Price: $7000. (which was close to what they sold for new). I am writing a history of this car and wanted to know if anyone knows if he bought it from , maybe it was George P. Drolsom, a talented American racing driver from Jacksonville, Florida. who had traded in a badly damaged 904 for 906-012. Now one thing that's got me confused is did someone smash up 906-012 later and the factory replaced the frame? I know some will say a car that has a chassis replaced is not the same car but I know racing teams sometimes bring whole frames to a race and if they smash a car, transfer the number plate to the undamaged one. (Still, when I had a Lola T70 book I was shocked how many had replacement chassis!) Anyway like to know if that price Vernon brought it for corresponds with what 904 guys say, because I think thelesson to be learned here is that there is no better time to buy a race car than the time all the teams are thinking of upgrading to the next new model (which would be a 906) As far as the designer, I always took for granted it was Butzi Porsche but some Porsche magazine I was reading at Barnes & Noble (maybe Excellence?) was alleging that Butzi did very little designing and even failed design school. I was surprised that a 100% rah-rah for Porsche magazine would say something so scurrilous or am I being naive...
Bitzman- These great stories are like thanksgiving treats. True about last-years racecar. Pennies on the dollar. What about the Daytona Coupes that were pushed off the Santa Monica Pier. Or it could be a myth? As to the old 904 in question check with Don Ahearn at Porsport.com. Or maybe even Hurley Haywood at Brumos. Very nice guy. Talked old Porsches with him on more than one occasion. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is one great article. I've always loved the 904. Interesting 2 wiper rally car and crash test proceedure!
I have been following 904 histories for a bit trying to find an example of one which hit hard times and was bought for a song but so far haven't come up with one. I did come to the conclusion that they were obsolete fast (with advent of 906) but they didn't get tossed out like some other cars that were superceded by the new model. The only one I can find an early bargain price on was 012, once owned by Vernon Covert who had a shop in Marina Del Rey,CA and told me he bought it for $7000 right at the racetrack right after the race and drove it out to Calif (with mufflers welded on)I haven't found out what he sold it for but decades later, Lord Laidlaw in UK sold it at auction for around a million dollars. Vern customized it (t-tops, red velvet (!) interior but otherwise it was straight car. Also how many of the 904 GTS cars had chassis changes? Somehow chassis changes make me nervous, for fear the thrown-away chassis might be rescued and put back on the road and then you have two cars with the same SN. I gave upon researching Lola T70s once I found so many had chassis replacements.
