Porsche · 1964–1965

Porsche 904

The Porsche 904 Carrera GTS is a GT sportscar 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. It was sold as Carrera GTS, not under its internal development code 904, as Peugeot owned rights to such x0y numbers, and the Porsche 901 was renamed Porsche 911, too. The successor Porsche 906 was sold as Carrera 6 as it was road legal, too, while the later pure race cars 907, 908, 909 were not affected. Over 100 had to be produced to be homologated as Group 3 GT racing car for the 2 litre class. 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.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Porsche 718 · Successor: Porsche 906

All Porsche 904 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

After having withdrawn from Formula One at the end of the 1962 season, Porsche focused again on sportscar racing.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, 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 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 with a list price of US$7245 (FOB Stuttgart). Orders far exceeded the one hundred car requirement to satisfy homologation rules and more cars could have been sold. 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 718RSK series (RennSport = racing, K referring to the torsion bar suspension shape), the factory's leading race car. It was powered by the 1,966 cc (120 cu in) Type 587/3, four-cam flat four-cylinder engine producing 180 hp, "probably the most complex four-cylinder" ever. 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. 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. Porsche realized it needed something all-new. 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), relying on hemispherical combustion chambers and 46 mm (1.8 in)-throat 46IDA2 two-choke Web

Technical specifications

Engine (904 Coupé) Drivetrain layout: mid-engine RWD Engine type: flat-four Bore × stroke: 3.62 in (91.95 mm) × 2.91 in (73.91 mm) Displacement, ci/cc: 120/1966 Compression ratio: 9.8:1 Max SAE net horsepower: 198 hp (148 kW) Specific output, hp per liter: 100.7 Weight to power, lbs per hp: 5.4 Transmission: five-speed manual Performance. Drag coefficient: 0.34 0–60 mph (97 km/h): <6 seconds Top speed: 160 mph (260 km/h)

Racing

Making an inauspicious debut at Sebring in 1964, where it suffered clutch trouble, "a four-cylinder 904 took an astounding first overall" at the Targa Florio. 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, among many much more powerful cars. 904s showed remarkable durability; they "almost always" finished, 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. 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. In addition, it won rally events including the Tulip, Munich-Vienna-Budapest, Geneva, and "highly acclaimed" Alpine Rally. 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. 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.

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