1968 Porsche 911L Trans-Am Race Car Spotted at Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance

Only six 1968 Porsche 911L Trans-Am race cars were ever made and this one was sitting on Rodeo Drive.

Father’s Day 1993 was the first ever Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance. It has since become one of the top automotive events in the country. This year the event was held on June 18 between Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard. And as usual it was packed with incredible cars. Having a regular 1968 Porsche 911L in attendance would be special enough. But this was no ordinary 1968 Porsche 911L. This was one of six factory-built 1968 Porsche 911L Trans-Am race cars. And here it was parked on the street. Whoa.

The Trans-Am race series was divided based on engine size. There was the under 2.0L class that included Porsche, Alfa Romero, BMW and so on. And the over 2.0L class included the likes of Chevy, Ford and American Motors. You probably already know this, but Porsche is pretty good at the whole racing thing. They won the under 2.0L class championship in 1967, 1968, and 1969.

And it wasn’t even close. In 1968 Porsche finished the season with 90 points. Second place Alfa Romero scored fewer than half that amount and ended the season with just 43 points. The Porsche you see here didn’t win the championship be it did compete, and it is quite rare, so it was more than worthy of being included in the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance this year.

1968 Porsche 911L Trans-Am Race Car

We hate to use the term race car for the street because it is so overused at this point. But the car you see here is a legit race car that has been made street legal. In 1968 the roster of Trans-Am drivers included Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, and George Follmer. The car seen here was driven by Fred Baker.

Baker never reached the heights as a driver that some of his competitors did. But that doesn’t mean Baker doesn’t have an interesting story. He was the son of the family who invented the Tonka truck. The car then found its way into the garage of Hollywood writer Spike Feresten. It has recently been sold again.

Porsche Advertising

It may not have won the championship or have the most famous driver, but in a way, this is the most famous of the Porsche 911L Trans-Am race cars. That is because on the first lap of its first race at Sebring photographers captured some terrific photos of the car.

Those photos would end up being plastered all over Porsche advertisements of the day. Feresten was a writer on the Seinfeld show and naturally became friends with Porsche fanatic Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld had a poster of this very car on his garage wall.

Ready to Race

For racing duty, the 1968L had a stripped interior to reduce weight. There was a 26-gallon gas tank, a limited-slip differential, a roll bar, and thicker anti-roll bars.

The 1,991-cc engine was equipped with a pair of Weber 46IDA carburetors and rated at 160hp with 9.8:1 compression. The transmission was the 902/01 close-ratio five-speed. It is a race car that is now enjoying blasts down back roads and hanging out on Rodeo drive.

Photos: Derin Richardson

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.