Porsche’s 804 Formula 1 Racer Derailed By ‘New’ 911
Porsche’s 804 Formula 1 racer is a race winning car, but the company shifted focus to the 911 instead.
As they say in life, there’s always give and take. Porsche was on the brink of a stellar Formula 1 breakthrough with their 804 racer. But a pesky proposition was in the way. Keep racing in Formula 1, or introduce a successor to the 356? The fact that we have the 911 today tells you what decision they made.
Formula 1 regulations in the late 1950’s were favorable to Porsche. Engines were limited to small displacements; under 1.5 liters. And the popularity of Formula 2 meant they had a bevy of cars that could compete in all forms of motorsport. As such, the 718 was raced in F1, F2 and even sports car races, as noted by Luftgekhult. But essentially it was an evolution of the 550, and made into an open wheel car as a secondary option.
Enter the 804 for 1962. Regulations still put displacement at 1.5 liters. And this car has a diminutive flat-8 cylinder engine. 180 horsepower propels just over 1000 pounds of tube frame race car. This combination proved to be successful for racer Dan Gurney, who scored the one and only Formula 1 win for this car. And as such, the only F1 win for Porsche as an engine supplier and manufacturer.
Competition was stiff in 1962 as well. The Brits’ dominated the season, with BRM, Lotus, Cooper, and Lola taking up the top manufacturer results. But then there’s Porsche, who managed to edge out Ferrari. Not a bad result.
But Porsche’s business mindset meant this was the end of the road for their Formula 1 participation. The 356 was at the end of it’s production run, and a replacement, the Porsche 901 was in development and on the way. Plus, Porsche’s F1 budget for 1962 was $500,000. As a small company, they needed to be efficient with their funds. Something had to change.
Porsche’s shift to endurance racing came about because the company felt that technology and developments in Formula 1 wouldn’t fully translate to road-car. Endurance racing would. And so with just one win to their credit, the plug was pulled. It could be said that Porsche has since enjoyed success in endurance racing.
While it would be interesting to see what heights Porsche could have reached in Formula 1, we’re happy with the decision Ferry Porsche made. There are just four 804 models ever built. And the production numbers for the 911 are a lot more impressive.
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Photos courtesy of Porsche
