Speed: the
essence of success in motorsport.
Obviously, (meh), you retort. But
you’re thinking just in terms of how a car becomes a blur near the end of a
long straight; how someone like Verstappen is right on the ragged edge in a
long sweeper on a stunning pole lap; a note of the ‘fastest lap’ in a race
report. Let me, however, invite you to
contemplate it from another perspective.
In 1960, Porsche’s racing effort was fronted by the 718 RSK and 718
RS/60. Similar models, together with the
356B Carrera GTL and 356B 2000 GS GT, served for the rest of the decade’s first
four seasons. These, like their
successor for ’65, the 904, were road cars modified for racing. ’66 became a marker point as the next model,
the 906, was conceived, designed and built as a pure racing machine. From this, the 910 was developed and raced in
‘67/’68. That latter year saw the introduction
of the 908. Then, in May ’69, the
fabulous 917 appeared at Spa. Compare
the specification, ‘look’ and results of the 917 with the 718 series cars. Consider how much progress is represented and
that it was achieved over just 10 years.
Yes, Porsche owes much of its fame to several individual cars of great
quality, but, even more so, to its development ‘philosophy.’ Simplified, this has always been to evolve
products along a continuously evolutionary path at the fastest possible
pace. Some of this speed of development
results from an exhaustive testing/modification approach and the resisting of
the temptation to introduce large step changes in design. Thus, large chunks of time have not been lost
while inadvertently introduced issues were investigated/resolved. It is widely acknowledged that this culture
was advocated and encouraged within Porsche by Helmuth Bott. At Porsche from ’52, he was initially
involved in training and then, from the mid-Fifties, with testing and
experimental engineering. By the late Seventies, he was head of R & D, eventually retiring in ’88. The 910 was a good example of a progression
step brought about by the development method advocated by Bott.
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Left: Porsche 718 RS/60,
#041 Courtesy Revs Institute; Right, Porsche 917, #002 - Gerhard Mitter/Rudi
Schutz at Spa, ’69 Courtesy Pilotes Anciens |
Thus, the
910 was basically an improved 906. That
car was Ferdinand Piëch’s vision of a ground-breaking racing Group 4 sports car
characterised by new standards of compactness and low weight. A fundamental of the 906 was its tubular spaceframe
chassis, enabling structural rigidity far greater than the box section platform
of the 904. Over that chassis, a similar
body, though benefitting from wind tunnel testing, ensured that the 906’s
aerodynamics were superior to those of the 904.
And engine-wise, adoption of the 901 dry sump engine promised to enhance
the 906’s power and reliability.
Drawing on
its experience in ’61 and ’62 with the F1 718/787/804 models, the 910’s
suspension utilised unequal length wishbones and centre nut-secured 13”
magnesium wheels. These elements
contributed to lower unsprung weight, better aerodynamics resulting from a
lower height and the possibility to run a wider range of tyre types.
The 910
emerged in two basic formats – a Coupe with targa roof and rear clamshell, and
a Spyder. On launch in July ’66, the 910
was equipped with the type 771 2 litre flat eight engine. Subsequently, some coupes ran with the type
771/1, 2.2 litre version. Peak power for
the type 771 was 260 bhp, while the 771/1
2.2 litre made 278. The 2.2 771/1 engine
began to appear in works cars from May ’67 at the Targa Florio.
The summer
of ’66 saw the 910 in Spyder form immediately proving itself in
hillclimbing. In early July, Hans
Herrmann drove the first 910 to second place at Trento-Bordone, beaten only by
Gerhard Mitter in the well-proven ‘Ollon-Villars’ 906 Berg Spyder. Mitter’s next victory was at the end of the
month at Freiburg, now 910-mounted, and that result sealed his taking of the
season’s European Hillclimb Championship.
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Winning 910 of
Stommelen/Hawkins, Targa Florio, ’67
Courtesy Rainer Schlegelmilch However, as
early as the Le Mans 24 Hours, the 907 – which, along with the 909 would be
replacing the 910 – was being entered in the big events. The 910 works entries are summarised in the
table below:
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Left: Daytona Courtesy Supercars.net; right: Sebring Courtesy Exoto |
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Left: Monza Courtesy Yoichi Sugaya; right: Spa Courtesy Jacques Ubags/RSC |
Left: Targa Florio Courtesy AutosportsLtd; right: Nurburgring Unattributed
Left: Le Mans Courtesy Petersen Org; right: Mugello Courtesy Yoichi Sugaya
 |
Left: Brands Hatch Courtesy Jim Barclay; right Ollon
Villars Courtesy Euromontagna |
So,
reverting to the notion of speed outlined at the top of this piece, it appears
that the 910’s was a short working life, it being superseded within little more
than 12 months. But that was in terms of
works entries. In ’68 the FIA announced
that the Group 4 Sports Cars homologation requirement for the following season
would be reduced to 25 examples. The
factory had already completed 27 (some say 28, and others 29!) for the ’67
racing season. Porsche thus took the
opportunity to homologate the 910 and as a result have a number of cars available
as from January ‘69 for profitable sales to private racing teams/racers. Adding to the attractiveness of such an
offer, it was not troublesome/very expensive to modify the cars for ‘street
legality.’ Appeal was further enhanced
by refitting offered cars with the six cylinder engine, reducing the price tag
and broadening the range of categories in which they could race and the level
of skill/experience held by the driver.
Teams running
910s in ’69 included: AAW, Auguste Veuillet, Scuderia Auto Neusser, Ben Hur, Bill
Bradley, Bosch Racing Team, Scuderia Brescia Corse, Christian Poirot, Dan Burns
Racing, Ecurie des Lions, E W Tolle, Elan Racing Team, Hart Ski Racing Team,
Jolly Club, Kremer, Team Leinweber, Nick Gold, Nomex, Paddy McNally, Rudi Lins,
Sepp Greger, Sportscars Unlimited Switzerland, Taki Racing Organisation, V10
Kleber Team, Vereinigung Sudd VSA Munchen and Wicky Racing Team.
Drivers
included: Henri Balas, Dieter Basche, Giampiero Biscaldi, Arthur Blank, Hans-Dieter
Blatzheim, Hans Bohlmeier (3 wins),Ennio Bonomelli, Bill Bradley, Richard Brostrom,
Robert Buchet, Mario Cabral, Ignazio Capuano (1 win),Tony Dean, Peter
Ettmuller, Silvain Garant, Richard Gerin, Sepp Greger, Masten Gregory, Jean-Pierre
Hanrioud, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Lambert Hofer, Ferfried von Hohenzollern, Jean
Pierre Jaussaud, Alan Johnson, Hiroshi Kazato (1 win), Helmut Klocke, Ernst Kraus, Erwin
Kremer, Gerard Larrousse, Niki Lauda, Fritz Leinweber, Rudi Lins, Charles
Lucas, Pierre Maublanc, Digby Martland, Willy Meier, Gianpiero Moretti, Jean de
Mortemart, Robert Neyret, Everardo Ostini, Peter Peter, Christian Poirot, Andreas
Schmalbach (1 win), Gordon Spice, Dieter Spoerry, Otto Stuppacher, Richard Thiel,
Ernst Wilhelm Tolle and Andre Wicky.
910s
recently sold/publicly exhibited:
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Left to right: #001 Courtesy Stuttcars.com; #006 Courtesy Collectorscarworld.com ; #007 Courtesy Revsinstitut
 |
Left to right: #018 Courtesy Classic Motorsports.com; #020 Courtesy Stuttcars.com; #022 Courtesy Classicdriver.com |
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Left to right: #025 Courtesy SupercarNostalgia.com; #026 Courtesy Bonhams; #027 Courtesy Ascott Collection Perhaps
ironically, in view of its brief ‘front line life’ and production run, the 910
became available once again in the Eighties when Egon Evertz negotiated with
Porsche for the right to manufacture ‘replica’ cars. Known as the EVEX 910, an example is
described/pictured by Petrolicious here. Petrolicious notes
that the chassis is heavier than the original and that it was powered by a 3.8
RSR engine and featured 930 suspension and 964 brakes. Definitely ironic, the EVEX
runs on 15” wheels instead of the 13” rims which were so instrumental in the
successful evolution from the preceding 906’s specification. Information is hard to come by, but it is
believed that only four EVEX 910s were built.  Evex 910 Courtesy Petrolicious |
When we think of what so endears us to the Porsche marque, high on any
list will be the glorious air cooled flat engines, not only for the power they
generate, but also for the spine tingling noise they emit. Given that the works cars were propelled by
the flat 8, revving to nearly 9,000 rpm, they announced their presence in a
manner measurable in decibels as much as their slippery shape and bright white
paintwork were demanding of visual attention.
So it’s surely perplexing to read about a yet more recent incarnation of
Piech’s second racing prototype Porsche – what appeal can a ‘910’ possess if
it’s near as dammit silent? The Kreisel EVEX 910e is fast – a higher top
speed than a real 910 – but it is powered by a 490 bhp electric
motor. Announced in 2016, the car is
described here. It’s often been said that a picture says a
thousand words . . . see below:
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Left: EVEX 910e motor
bay Courtesy AutoVolt.com; Right: 910 Berg Spyder engine bay Courtesy Secret-Classics.com
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Kreisel EVEX 910e Courtesy Fahrzeugbau GmbH
Despite its short working life in international competition, the 910
represented a significant step in the evolution of Porsche’s Sixties sports racing
cars. It featured several upgrades to
the specification/design of the 906, and laid the path to the further improved
designs of the 907, 908 and 917. That
was more important than the 910’s record of results, which are nevertheless
respectable given that it was up against a particular good adversary in the shape
of the Ferrari Dino 206 which was already a proven quantity with two seasons of
competition under its belt. Also, where
events included larger engine capacity entries, the 2.0/2.2 litre engines could
not be expected to enable a 910 to contend for victory with cars such as the
Ford GT40. The 910 was most adept at
carrying the Porsche banner on the hillclimbing courses as testified by
Mitter’s European Championship win. Yes,
there were more accomplished Porsche Prototypes, but without the 910, success with
the 917, including the marque’s long awaited first Le Mans win, might not have
been possible before the FIA’s ‘banning’ of ‘big’ engines as from the ’72
season.
