There are few things better in the automotive world than a Porsche built for racing. They are typically the perfect blend of performance and styling with just a subtle hint of coolness. For this week’s Want, we are taking a look at one of these legendary German racers, the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.
In 1962 Porsche gave up Formula 1. With its high costs and limited road-car relevance, the company no longer saw a need. However, Porsche did see the benefit of sports car racing.
Its previous entry into the racing discipline, the Porsche 718, was a bit long in the tooth as it was based on the 356. If Porsche wanted to be competitive, it needed a new car. This is where the 904 came in.
To design the new car Porsche looked to Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, grandson of the company’s founder.
The foundation of the 904 is a steel ladder chassis. But unlike other cars of the day, the body is made from fiberglass. This made the car extremely light with a weight of just 1,443lb.
To add extra rigidity into the car, Porsche also bonded the body to the frame.
For the power plant, Porsche went with a 2.0-liter flat-four named the Type 587. This was a new evolution of the widely used Type 547 found in many other VW and Porsche models. With the new updates, the 904’s engine made a respectable 200hp.
With its featherweight body and powerful engine, the 904 could hit 60 in less than six seconds. Top speed came in right around 160mph. That’s impressive even by today’s standards.
For the suspension, Porsche tried an approach unlike anything it had done before. Previous Porsche models used trailing arms up front and a swing axle in the rear. With the 904 however, it opted for coil springs and unequal length A-arms up front. This made the 904 outstanding in the corners.
Altogether, the 904 was a beast of a car in a small package. Perfect for sports car racing, but also equally suited on the road.
Due to homologation rules, Porsche did end up building 106 road-going examples of the 904. Given those tasty specs — this was the ’60s, remember — demand outstripped supply.
This 904 we found offered for sale by Symbolic International of San Diego, California is car number 49 of the total 126 cars made.
This just isn’t any 904 though, it has a rich and storied history. Delivered to Jean-Claude Mosnier in 1964, it was due to take on that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
With Mosnier teaming up with French racing driver André de Cortanze, the two took to Le Sarthe. During practice, the 904 ended up crashing. Unfortunately due to the length of time to repair, the car missed the Le Mans race but still remained on the entry sheet.
Shortly after getting the car back from Porsche, Mosnier sold the car to Jacky Dechaumel. Dechaumel went on to race the car successfully for five years, taking several podiums in the process.
After Dechaumel’s tenure, this 904 then went to famed Porsche restorer Manfred Freisinger. From there it spent some time in Las Vegas, Nevada before heading to Switzerland and into the hands of Jose Manuel Segimen.
Upon receiving the car, Segimen commissioned a full restoration in 1997 from Porsche Client Services. There the 904 received a new 2.7-liter flat-six from a 911. This brought it in line with the 904/6 variant introduced in 1965 and boosted the power to 210hp.
After its restoration, this 904 spent some time in the UK with DK Engineering before returning to the US.
It’s now for sale, but as you’d expect it’s not even remotely cheap. The current list price is a staggering $1,895,000 — that’s enough to buy every current top of the line new Porsche model twice.
Thankfully, you don’t need to shell out that kind of money if you want to experience the 904. With the newest Top Gear Pack for Forza Motorsport 7, you can get behind the digital wheel of the 904. This means you don’t need to be a multimillionaire to experience what some say is the best road-going Porsche of all time.
See more articles on Porsche and Wednesday Want.
