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1962 Porsche 718/8 W-RS news, pictures, and information | ||
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The Porsche 718/8 W RS Spyder was initially powered by the tried-and-true four, found in prior versions of the 718. Its body, however, was designed to accept a Boxer-8, which it would receive later in life. The body was aluminum and the frame was comprised of steel tubes. It made its racing debut in 1961 at the Traga Florio where it was driven by factory drivers Dan Gurney and Jo Bonnier. It would finish the race in an impressive second place.
In 1962, the eight-cylinder engine from the F1 race car was fitted. The engine had been enlarged two 2 liter capacity and it developed just over 200 horsepower. It enjoyed a successful career in the World Endurance Trophy, competing all over Europe, and even scoring class victories in the 1962 Targa Florio and at the Nurburgring 1000km. Porsche would finish the season in second place in the world Cup for Speed and Endurance.
The 718/8 competed mid-1962 in the European Hillclimb Championship. The following year, thanks to the driving talents of Edgar Barth, and the newly tuned 240 hp engine, it won the European Hillclimb Championship. Barth and the car would repeat this accomplishment the following year.
By Daniel Vaughan | May 2011
In 1962, the eight-cylinder engine from the F1 race car was fitted. The engine had been enlarged two 2 liter capacity and it developed just over 200 horsepower. It enjoyed a successful career in the World Endurance Trophy, competing all over Europe, and even scoring class victories in the 1962 Targa Florio and at the Nurburgring 1000km. Porsche would finish the season in second place in the world Cup for Speed and Endurance.
The 718/8 competed mid-1962 in the European Hillclimb Championship. The following year, thanks to the driving talents of Edgar Barth, and the newly tuned 240 hp engine, it won the European Hillclimb Championship. Barth and the car would repeat this accomplishment the following year.
By Daniel Vaughan | May 2011
1959/60 Porsche 718 RS 60 Spyder
Automobile sport was part of the picture for the fledgling Porsche sports car firm from the first. The 356 quickly became popular around the world, in the hands of private drivers wîth sporting ambitions. New racesports cars were developed in Zuffenhausen at the beginning of the fifties: the1.5 liter 550 Spyder proved a shark in the goldfish bowl against larger-displacement competitors in major races. This Spyder used the first engine developed by Porsche for Porsche: the Type 547 wîth 1.5 liter displacement and four, shaft-driven, overhead camshafts.Porsche had made the change from a floor pan to tubular space frame for racesport construction, established the five-speed gearbox, continued to increase performance and fitted larger drum brakes. These improvements, along wîth countless other modifications, kept the Spyder at the head of the ' small sports car class ' (up to 1500 cc) throughout the fifties.
But 1960 brought new regulations for racesports cars, leading to the Spyder RS 60 wîth displacement increased to 1600 cc, larger windshield, a 'functional' top and a regulation trunk in the tail, behind a four-cam engine which now produced 160 HP. This RS 60 brought Porsche its finest results up to that time, particularly in long-distance events. While an overall victory in the 44th Targa Florio in 1960 by Bonnier/Herrmann, wîth a lead of more than 6 minutes over a 3 liter Ferrari, was within the range of previous achievements - sports cars from Zuffenhausen had already captured overall Targa Florio victories in l956 and 1959 - a new Porsche chapter opened wîth the first appearance of the RS 60 at the 12 hours of Sebring in the ÚSA. Olivier Gendebien and Hans Herrmann won outright while Holbert/Scheckter/Fowler drove a second factory RS 60 into second, ahead of Nethercutt/Lovely in a 3 liter Ferrari Dino. Swiss driver Heini Walter, at the wheel of an RS 60, secured Porsche's third and fourth European Hillclimb Championships in 1960 and 1961, following those from 1958 by Count Berghe von Trips and 1959 by Edgar Barth.Source - Porsche
| Italian Sports And Racing Exotics Head To RM's Eagerly Anticipated Monterey Sale | |
 | • RM Auctions announces stunning early roster of blue-chip Italian exotics for its flagship Monterey sale, August 16–17 in California • No less than 21 Ferraris already consigned alongside two spectacular Maseratis • Eight Ferraris offered without reserve from the Estate of William H. Tilley • Additional early highlights include a fabulous 1931 Duesenberg Model SJ Murphy Convertible Coupe and a 1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 Brandone Cabriolet • Frequently updated list of entries available online a...[Read more...] |
| Firestone Returns As Presenting Sponsor of RRDC Evening With Brian Redman in Long Beach | |
 | The Firestone brand will return as presenting sponsor of the Road Racing Drivers Club's fifth annual West Coast banquet honoring auto racing's most influential leaders. This year, on Thursday, April 18, prior to the running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 'RRDC Evening with Brian Redman presented by Firestone' will highlight the career of one of the sport's most popular, talented and successful race-car drivers. This is the Firestone brand's fourth straight year as a supporter of the...[Read more...] |
| 1961 Targa Florio: Porsche Dominance, Ferrari Victorious | |
 | The first race held on the island of Sicily that included an automobile would take place between the car, a bicycle and a horse. Although the gentleman on the bicycle would drop out rather early due to leg cramps constantly going up and down on the mountainous roads, the battle between the de Dion motor tricycle and the horse would be an intriguing one. In the end, the same principles that played out in that first race would come into play many years later when the island hosted the 1961 Targa F...[Read more...] |
| 1957 Italian Grand Prix: A True Nobleman Stands Amongst Two of F1's Most Noble | |
 | The sea of spectators overwhelming the circuit would be a truly awe-inspiring sight to behold. The vast majority of this horde was there to celebrate the car adorned in red finishing in the top three. The car's driver, a true royal, would stand amongst the crowd as if standing amongst adoring and loving subjects. For the first time in his career, Wolfgang von Trips would be able to count himself amongst the elite of Formula One. Wolfgang von Trips had been born into a noble German family in ...[Read more...] |
| 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix: British All the Way | |
 | After years of frustration, and well past his life-expectancy, Mike Hawthorn would be on the verge of his first World Championship. This was more than likely Hawthorn's last and best hope at a World Championship title. Just one last race, and a fellow Brit, would separate Hawthorn from his World Championship. Emotionally, Hawthorn was done. The last few seasons had seen Hawthorn fail to experience anywhere near the level of success he had even in his rookie year of 1952. In 1952, with an unde...[Read more...] |
 1962
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