Porsche 904 is the Anti-911 Vintage Racecar
Period race history, low miles and a 906 flat-6 engine makes this rare 904 an extremely desirable vintage Porsche.
Finding a vintage Porsche racecar is pretty easy. Finding one that’s not a 911? That’s a little more difficult. Porsche’s undeniable racing success with their iconic rear-engine wonder over the years means that there is no shortage of competition versions for sale at any given time. Enthusiasts in the market for something more exotic and well, downright pretty, would do well to take a look at this 1964 Porsche 904 being sold by RM Sothebys at the annual Paris event being held on February 5.
The Porsche 904 was originally designed by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, who also takes credit for penning the design of the aforementioned 911. The 911 was intended as a street car that could easily be converted to a racecar. The 904 however was born as a racecar. Though it was intended as a dual-purpose machine, street use was definitely a distant second when it came to its intended purpose. The 904 is a curvaceous, two-seat, mid-engine racer that was originally powered by an air-cooled, 4-cam, horizontally-opposed 4-cylinder. A handful of later 904s were powered by 2.0-liter flat-6 906 powerplants. Though the example being auctioned by RM Sothebys was originally equipped with a 4-cylinder from the factory a previous owner installed one of those later 906 flat-6s.
Most 904s have a pretty rich history and this example is no exception. Chassis number 904-061- from a production run of a scant 108- was delivered to its first owner in April of 1964. The car was then sold to a Portuguese enthusiast who in turn sold it to French racing driver Raymond Touroul. According to RM Sothebys Touroul entered the 904 in a few races, finishing as high as third place at the Alibi rally in 1971 and 1972. In 1980 the 904 was repainted in its original shade of Signal Red. A new cream-colored leather interior was installed at the same time. Thanks to its light race history this is a very original 904 that has spent more time on the street than it did on race circuits. That means it has not been subjected to the ravages of competition life.
The 904 was barely driven for most of the 1980s and by 1988 the odometer barely registered 13,000 kilometers. In 2000 the car was rebuilt again and repainted in its current Silver Metallic. The builders discovered that the original 4-cam 4-cylinder was damaged so it was replaced with a 2.0-liter flat-6 from a 906. While it may not be the original engine the upgrade in performance is definitely a worthy compromise. The sale includes the original engine should the new owner decide to return the car to its original factory specification. This is definitely one of the best vintage Porsches we can think of for entering vintage rallies. The 904 comes with an FIA Historic Technical Passport and a spare set of wheels. RM Sotheby’s has given the 904 a pre-sale estimate of $1.8 million to $2 million in U.S. dollars.
Photos: RM Sotheby’s