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Chassis No. 718077 Engine No. P99075 German Racing Silver with black interior Engine: Porsche 904 Type 587/3, four cylinders horizontally opposed, four camshafts, air cooled, 1,996cc, 180bhp at 7,800rpm; Gearbox: five speed manual; Chassis: tubular; Suspension: independent all round, front by trailing links and torsion bars, rear by wishbones and coil springs; Brakes: drums all round. Left hand drive. The Porsche marque was founded in 1948 and the first sports racing spyder bearing the name appeared in 1950. It was however a private initiative launched by Walter Glockler, the VW dealer in Frankfurt. The first works Porsche appeared at Le Mans in 1951, paving the way for the 550, the 1500 RSK and the RS series. Beautifully engineered, very light, with an excellent power to weight ratio and generally extremely reliable, they were immensely successful. Not only were they regular class winners in races like the Mille Miglia, the 1000km of the Nrburgring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Pan Americana, they even managed to defeat such powerful teams as Ferrari and Maserati, as when Umberto Maglioli won the Targa Florio in 1956 and when Barth/Seidal won the same race in 1959. Porsche even went into the final round of that year's Championship with a chance of winning the title, though still running cars with half the engine capacity of their opponents. For the first time however, Porsche clinched the European Mountain Championship. The Porsche engine had first been a tuned version of the 1100cc VW units. In 1954, a new power plant was introduced. The work of Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann, it was an air-cooled flat four of 1498cc, with twin overhead camshafts and two plugs per cylinder. When it first ran, it developed 110bhp. Over the years its capacity was increased in steps to 1996cc, as would be tried on an RS61 and later fitted to the 904, with a power output reaching 180bhp. 1960 saw a change in the World Sports Car Championship's regulations and Porsche raced the RS60, with a space frame and a sleek body made of aluminum. The five-round championship kicked off at Buenos Aires where Jo Bonnier and Graham Hill brought a 1.6 home third, behind two Ferraris. At Sebring, the 1.5 of Olivier Gendebien and Hans Herrmann won, with the private car of Holbert/Schechter/Fowler a fine second. The Targa Florio had become a happy hunting ground for Porsche and the 1.6 car of Bonnier and Herrmann finished first, with the sister car of Gendebien and the same Herrmann third. Using a 1.7 litre engine, Bonnier and Gendebien came second in the 1000km of the Nrburgring, behind Moss' Maserati 'Birdcage'. Overall, Porsche were runners-up in the championship. The RS61 model, basically similar to the RS60 but with a refined suspension design, was for the first time fitted with a 2-litre version of the flat four which appeared at the 1961 Targa Florio. This would be the ultimate development for this marvelous piece of engineering which, by now, had reached its limits and would be replaced by new 6 and 8 cylinder units. Since the early days, it had been a custom at Porsche to build a small series of racing cars for private clients. The RS60 and 61 were no exceptions. There were only thirteen RS61 cars built and 718077 was the last. Delivered new to Canada in February 1961 with a four cam 1600cc engine, number P90337, it apparently went to Switzerland in 1963. It was then displayed at the Monteverdi Museum for many years before the present owner acquired it in 1989. It retains its 5-speed gearbox, with a ZF limited slip differential and is presently fitted with 904 engine P99075 of the same construction as the original 1600cc unit. The transaxle is number 718201 which in fact was a spare, built by Porsche for use, as needed, by their race teams. The car appears to be in good condition, as if history had stopped after a race in the early sixties. Four cam racing Porsches are highly desired machines and this RS61 would be a good addition to any period racing grid. SALESROOM NOTICE Please note that this car will need careful recommissioning before being used.
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