Porsche 4-Cylinder Giant Killers Star At 22nd Amelia Concours

February 10, 2017 by Amelia Island Concours

Six decades ago Porsche's Ernst Fuhrmann designed an engine and created a legend.

Porsche's landmarkfour-cam four-cylinder racing cars of the 1950 and 1960s will star in a special competition class at the 22nd annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance on March 12, 2017.

An unparalleled collection of Porsche 550 Spyders, 718, RSK, RS60 sports racing cars -- all powered by Fuhrmann's extraordinary four-cylinder engine -- will gather at The Amelia for a much different competition than Ferry Porsche envisioned when he gave the order to produce the first four-cylinder four-cam Porsche engine.

It was named Project 547. Its horizontally opposed double overhead cam architecture has been the cornerstone of Porsche race engineering and the foundation of Porsche's extraordinary competition success ever since.

First came overall victory in the 1956 Targa Florio for the 550 Spyder. Then the four-cam-powered Porsche type 718 led the way to more classic Porsche's victories in the 1959 Targa Florio, the 1960 Sebring 12 Hour Grand Prix of Endurance plus winning the 1960 Formula 2 World Championship.

'The four-cam, the 550 Spyder and the 718, is where Porsche's 'giant killer' legend begins,' said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. 'We're honored to have the 1960 Sebring winning RS60 confirmed for the 2017 Amelia. This is one of the most important cars that launched Porsche on its current course earning Porsche its reputation as a 'Giant Killer'.

The four-cylinder four-cam renaissance is underway at Porsche today with the new 919 World Endurance Championship and Le Mans-winning Prototype plus the new 718 Boxster and Cayman. Two more Le Mans 24 Hour victories have been achieved. That brings Porsche's tally in the in the world's most famous, important and prestigious endurance race to an seemingly unassailable 18 overall Le Mans victories.

'This all started with Ernst Fuhrmann's brilliant four-cam-four over 60 years ago,' said Warner.

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About The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Now in its third decade, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, 'The Amelia' draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. Since 1996, the show's Foundation has donated over $3.0 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc., Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Shop with Cops, and other deserving charities. In 2013 and 2016 the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance won Octane Magazine's EFG International Historic Motoring Event of the Year award.The 22nd annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is scheduled for March 10-12, 2017. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org.