1959 Porsche 718 RSK Roadster

The 718 was a development of the successful Porsche 550A, with improvements being made to the body work and suspension. The car is a Rennsport build with a wheelbase shorter (German 'Kurz') than is typical of predecessors of the era, and this led to the car being referred to as the RSK.

For its time, the chassis, a space frame, was very sophisticated. The suspension consisted of torsion bars, telescopic shock absorbers, and an anti-roll bar. The rear suspension consisted of a Watt linkage and coil springs over telescopic shocks. The transmissions were manual, and at just 1,260 pounds, the Spyder is extremely quick.

Some of the notable drivers of this type of car were Graham Hill, Stirling Moss, Wolfgang von Tripps, Gerhard Miller and Dan Gurney.

The 718 RSK Spyder has a mid-engined layout and used the 142 horsepower 1.5 liter Type 547/3 quad-cam engine introduced in the 550A. The car made is racing debut at the 1957 24 Hours of LeMans driven by Umberto Maglioli and Edgar Barth. The car failed to finish the race due to an accident.

In 1957, Formula Two was reinstated as the Junior Formula to Formula One. The rules called for unsupercharged 1500cc engines with full envelope or open-wheeled cars eligible. Porsche achieved success with both G50s and RSKs. In 1959, at the request of several customers, Porsche built rear RSKs that could be switched from left-hand drive to center-steer.

In 1959 the car driven by Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel, claimed overall victory at the Targa Florio. A Type 718 also won the European Hill Climb in both 1958 and 1959.

RSK number 718-028 was built in April 1959 and sold to Kurt Christian Goethals in Belgium. RSK number 028 was successfully raced by Goethals for one season and then returned to Porsche to be fitted with a 1600cc engine.

This center seat RSK is one of six built and one of four left in existence. Dubbed 'The Giant Killer' it was much smaller than its competitors. It converts from a two seat left-hand drive to center steer in a few hours time. This is the only car to ever compete in Formula 2 and Sports Car racing, finishing seventh at the 1959 U.S. Grand Prix in Sebring, Florida.

The car remained at the Porsche factory, unraced, until it was sold to a U.S. buyer in 1974. The car was raced briefly, resold, and stored until the current owner purchased it in 1990. RSK #028 was restored in the single seat configuration and has been actively vintage raced since 1992.