Tag: 904

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Historic Racing Photos Porsche

Fiddling with the Porsche 547 4-Cam Engine

Can you imagine a contemporary engine rebuilder breaking down their much-coveted and high-dollar Porsche Type 547 Carrera 4-cam “Furhmann” engine with it sitting on her side on the ground in the pits? These guys even have grease stains on their coveralls!

Perhaps more than anything, this tight little engine package earned Porsche her “Giant Killer” nickname. The high-revving little perfection box was complicated and notoriously finicky to tune. But when it was just right, it was just right—and has the very long list of victories to prove it.

Despite the difficulties of maintaining it, the cammer engine was reliable enough for an entire season of street driving to the track, capturing a trophy, and making the trip back home.

Besides, don’t these mechanics just look happy to be working on it?

via Hayburner Magazine.

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Historic Racing Photos Porsche

Wading Through the 1965 Sebring

Daytona Cobra in the pits at the 1965 Sebring

In the hours leading up to the start of the 1965 running of the Sebring 12 hours race, it seemed like a perfect day for racing. A bit hot maybe at 94° but that wasn’t unusual for a Florida afternoon—even in March. There were rumors of hard weather on the way, but radio jamming between the US and Cuba meant that there was no solid local weather report available trackside.

Cobra and 904 throwing rooster tails at the 1965 Sebring

After 6 hours of racing the sky began to threaten rain. An hour later, at 5:25 pm the sky opened up. By the time the race was over, prototype drivers were saying that their cars were filling up to their elbows with rainwater. It sounds like hyperbole until you see the photos. Rain delay? What’s a rain delay?

MGB throws a bow wake at the 1965 Sebring

There’s endurance racing, and then there’s endurance racing.

More on the race and the spectacular conditions it was run in at Sportscars.tv. Some photos from BARC Boys, Via Retro and The Inside Line.

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Porsche Vintage Racing Advertising

The Proving and Improving Grounds

In a race there are two things you can count on. The unexpected and the unpredictable. So the car must respond with an almost animal quickness and sureness.

Speed alone is not enough. Every part of the car must possess the utmost in reliability. For Porsche, racing is the ultimate test of that.

We use the classic courses and tracks of the world as our research laboratories. They are the proving and improving grounds for established ideas. And the headwaters of inspiration for new ones.

It is not incidental that we have been the world’s champions for the last 3 years in a row.

The more we race, the more features we prove. And only when something has passed the test of the track does it ever show up on a car for the street.
Everything we’ve learned goes into the mid-Engined Porsche 914 and the Porsche 911.

At Porsche we do not race to make a name; we race to build a car.
For dealer information call (free) 800-553-9550. In Iowa (collect) 319-242-1867.
“Racing is the ultimate test.” Dr. Ferry Porsche

I love that they included the Cisitalia-Porsche in this ad.

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Porsche Video

Let’s Ride Along with Walter Röhrl in a Porsche 904GTS

I can think of worse ways to spend the next few minutes than riding shotgun with Walter Röhrl in the Porsche Museum’s 6-cylinder 904 GTS. Love the heel-toe cam!
via Top Gear