Description
By CP Press, Softbound, 90 Pages, ISBN: 9780957666481, First Published, 2014
- Racing records of the famous Racing Porsches -
It was in February 1963 that Butzi Porsche completed a full-size model of the Porsche 904. Frontal area of the Porsche 904 was made as low as possible and its overall height was 49.5 inches. Its wheelbase was set at 90.6 inches and its track was 50.8 inches at the front and 51.9 inches at the back.
Chassis design for the Porsche 904 was laid down from the drawing office under the direction of Ing Schroder.
The Porsche 904 used a ZF rack-and-pinion steering gear and the 904 had an overall steering ratio of 15.5 to 1. Turning circle of the Porsche 904 was forty-four feet. The car's rear suspension was based on that used on the Porsche 718 and consisted of a widebased twin-wishbone layout.
Carburettors on the Porsche 904 were initially Weber 46 IDM 2 two-throat units and later Solex 44 PI14.
The engine of the Posche 904 was designated the Type 587/3 (a two-litre four cam) with 180bhp at 7200rpm.
With the threat to the Porsche 904 posed by Ferrari's 166P Dino, improvements for the 904s speed and reliability were made.
The Type 587/3 engine had new inlet cam lobes, and in 1965 this engine produced 185bhp at 7200rpm. This increased to 190bhp for the 1966 season and by this time the compression ratio of the Porsche 904 was 10.3 to 1. The also had larger exhaust valves and the car appeared in the new Sports Car category.
A works entered car (chassis number 904091) was driven by Koch and Fischhaber and came fifth overall at Le Mans. Additionally Herbert Mailer and Michel Weber came first and second in the GT Class of the European Hillclimb Championships. The same drivers were fourth and fifth overall.
In the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally the factory entered a Porsche 904 with Eigen Bohringer and Rolf Wiitherick driving they achieved second place overall.
The first public appearance of the Porsche 904/8 was in April 1964. It had wider front-brake air scoops than the usual Porsche 904.
Colin Davis and Edgar Barth were in seventh place in a Porsche 904/8 at the Reims 12-Hour (4 July 1964) when they were stopped by a transaxle fault. On 11 October 1964 Colin davis and Edgar Barth were third overall in the Paris 1000km.
The Porsche 904/6 had a 901 engine and Solex downdraft carburettors but the car initially had problems with the transaxle mounting arms that had a tendency to break.
The six-cylinder Porsche 904s did quite well in the Prototype Catergory during the 1965 season.
- from the 904 section
