1964 Porsche 901

The Porsche 356 was in production from the late 1940s, and by the early 1960s, a change was needed. The lightweight, nimble, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door was offered in both hardtop coupe and open configurations. Over nearly two decades of production, approximately 76,000 examples of the Porsche 356 were built.

Creating a replacement for the venerable 356 was a delicate and important endeavor, one that was preceded by years of development. Several prototypes were built from 1959 to 1961, with the Type 695 T-7 four-seater having the closest design shape to the forthcoming replacement.

The new car was called the 901 and introduced at the Frankfurt Motorshow in September 1963. After several additional months, the cars were ready for sale to customers. French carmaker Peugeot objected to Porsche using any three-digit number where the middle number was 0, claiming ownership of the naming rights as they had sold many models with that scheme. Instead of selling their new model with a different name in France, Porsche's solution was to replace the middle 0 with a 1 and called the car Porsche 911.

The Porsche 901 was based on a 356 unitary structure with a new front suspension comprised of lower wishbones and strut-type coil springs over damper unit. The rear trailing arms suspension of the 356 was modified and adapted for the 901. Disc brakes from the 356C provided the stopping power. Ferri 'Butzi' Porsche created the 901 design and many of its design cues would continue to be used in future generations.

The Type 745 2-liter flat six-cylinder engine was created for the 901, with overhead camshafts that eliminated the need for pushrods. Two Solex carburetors helped the air-cooled engine produce 130 horsepower.

Between September 14 of 1963 and November 16 of 1964, 82 examples of the 901 were built. An additional 150 examples were built in 1964 and labeled as 911s.

by Dan Vaughan

The Porsche 901, the forerunner for the famous 911, was the first 'new' vehicle Porsche had ever produced. Prior to the 901, there was the 356. This vehicle had lived a relatively long lifespan and was nearing its end, both in mechanical capabilities and in appeal. Many variations of the 356 had appeared during its production-run, most improvements where mechanical with very few visual improvements. Albeit, the 356 was a very beautiful car and improvements to its design were not necessary. In the Mid-1950's, the Porsche company began producing prototypes for the successor of the 356. The result was a vehicle built on the same unitary structure used for the 356 but with a new front suspension, front disc brakes, and a six-cylinder engine. The design was penned by Ferri 'Butsi' Porsche and was dubbed the 901. The name would not last due to the French company, Peugeot. Peugeot used the naming scheme where numbers were on the outside with a zero in the center. The 901 name was infringing on Peugoet's claim to the name, so the vehicle was designated 911 a year later. As a result, only a few Porsches used the 901 name. The Porsche 901 was introduced to the public in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motorshow. The silhouette body was available only in fixed-head coupe form. In 1967 a Targa bodystyle became available featuring a removable center roof section. The 1991 cc flat-six engine was air-cooled. It's 2-litre capacity was the same as its predecessor. The six-cylinder engine was chosen over the four to allow more room for growth and improvement in the future. Two Solex carburetors aided in the 130 horsepower output. This time-tested design and unmatched performance has made the 901/911 a legend.

by Dan Vaughan

The name originally picked for the Porsche 911, the Porsche 901 was first debuted in Frankfurt at the Internationale Automobile-Ausstellung (Frankfurt Motor Show) in September of 1963. The first 'new' vehicle Porsche had produced, the Porsche 901 was the forerunner for the famous 911. Porsche project design numbers had reach into the 800s by the early 1960s and it was time for a big change. The successor to the Porsche 356, the 901 required several months following the show before it was ready to be offered to customers.

The 356 was the predecessor to the 901 and had lived a relatively long production run but was nearing the end of its mechanical capabilities and popularity. Porsche began working on prototypes in the mid-1950s for a replacement for the aging model. The 901 was built on the same unitary structure as the 356, but featured a new front suspension, front disc brakes, and a six-cylinder engine. The design was created by Ferri 'Butsi' Porsche.

Eighty-Two cars were constructed between September 14 and November 16th 1964, and then the 901 was introduced at the 1964 Paris Auto Salon in October. Asserting ownership over naming rights with a three-digit number with the middle number being 0, French carmaker Peugeot strongly objected to Porsche's naming convention. To rectify this Porsche simply replaced the middle 0 with a 1 and renamed the car Porsche 911.

Since the 901 had already officially been constructed, and were currently used for testing and for exhibitions, Porsche just sold none to private customers. The silhouette 901 was only available in fixed-head coupe form. In 1967 a Targa body style soon became available and came with a removable center roof section. Regardless some of the cars kept by Porsche at the time did make it to private ownership. Since other cars were affected which had been intended solely for racing, but also sold as road legal cars, Porsche kept the internal part number of 90x, but changed the names. For example the Porsche 906 was renamed the Carrera 6, while the Porsche 904 was redubbed Carrera GTS. Some pure racing cars designed by Porsche that were not manufactured for road use, and therefore not competing with an Peugeot models carried the design numbers 907, 908 and 909.

The 901 number is also often used by Porsche enthusiasts to refer to the aluminum five-speed transmission used in early 911s. It is also used to identify the part number for these transmissions using an 11-digit code being with 901 along with numerous other parts on the early cars. From 1969 on, later 911s used a different magnesium case and a part number that began with 911. The design of the 901/911 was a time-tested design that featured unmatched performance that made the vehicle an unforgettable legend.

by Jessican Donaldson

Coupe
Chassis number: 300024
Engine number: 900128

Porsche introduced the 901 prototype in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though it would take approximately a full year before Porsche was ready to enter production of the new model at Zuffenhausen. The production version of the 901 was shown at the Paris Auto Salon in October 1964, and it was here that Peugeot took objection to the car's name, asserting its ownership of the naming rights of vehicles identified by three digits with a zero in the middle. Porsche had begun producing the 901 from September 14 to November 16 of 1964, with 82 examples receiving the 901 designation before the name was officially changed to the now 911 designation.

This particular Porsche 901 is one of the earliest surviving examples, with a production date of October 6, 1964, making it the 25th example and the second one built on that day.

This Porsche 901 left the factory wearing a Signal Red exterior over black leatherette with pepita inserts and fitted with an optional Blaupunkt Stuttgart-type radio, speaker, and antenna. The car was invoiced and delivered to its first owner on November 23rd, entering the care of the Swedish Porsche distributor AB Scania-Vabis of Södertalje, Sweden.

It is believed that this Porsche 901 may have been used as a dealer demonstrator. By September 1965, it had accumulated 22,864 kilometers. The car was sold on October 12, 1965, to Stockholm dealership group Kaiser Bil AB/Kaiser Car Stockholm. A motorsport enthusiast, the new owner soon took the 901 to the track.

Bo Strandell, also of Sweden, acquired the Porsche in 1967 and would continue to race the car. In 1967, it crashed while racing with damage to the front nose, which was then replaced with a 1965 911 front clip. Bo raced the car throughout Sweden and later the UK until the late 1970s when it was then acquired by Josh Sadler. Also a motorsport enthusiast, the new owner would continue to expand upon its racing resume, including an accident at Snetterton in 1984. Following the crash, the car was put into storage for the next fifteen years.

A U.K. resident name Adam Richardson acquired the Porsche in 1999 who sent the car to Porsche specialist Bruce Cooper of Sportwagen in Essex for a restoration. A donor chassis was sourced and refitted, although the original chassis stampings were retained. The bodywork was replaced with panels from another car.

Upon competition, this Porsche became the first 901/911 to be accepted to the Goodwood Revival. Richardson applied for and received a FIA Historic Technical Passport from the Motor Sports Association (MSA) of the United Kingdom in 2007.

Along with its competition outtings at Goodwood, this Porsche also competed at the Classic Le Mans race on two occasions, achieving a class victory in 2012. In 2013 the original engine was rebuilt by Buckinghamshire, UK based specialist Neil Bainbridge. Dyno testing revealed a peak output of 170.6hp at 7,100rpm and 141.5 lb-ft of torque at 5,700rpm.

The car entered new ownership in 2018 and was shown at that year's Rennsport Reunion VI in Laguna Seca. It was chosen by Porsche to win the prestigious Eifel Trophy. More recently, it was shown at the 2020 Amelia Island Concours.

This Porsche is the 7th oldest 901/911 in existence.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 300024
Engine number: 900128

A half-century ago a lawsuit compelled Porsche to rename its new grand touring car '911' when French manufacturer Peugeot claimed that in France its cars had the exclusive right to designations formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. Instead of selling their new model with a different name in France, Porsche changed the name from 901 to '911' and a legend was born.

This car is the 24th 901 Porsche built, the earliest known 901/911 race car and the first 901/911 imported into Sweden. It retains its original 2 liter flat-6 'boxer' engine and 'Type 901' 5-speed manual transmission.

The car raced extensively in Europe from the time it was new until the late 1970s and is still competitive today in blue riband vintage and historic events winning its class in the 2012 Classic Le Mans.