Think of vintage Porsche and the following comes to mind. A Porsche 356 speedster. Or the legendary 911 Carrera RS 2.7 from the 1970s.
But perhaps the most successful Porsche ever made and certainly among the most collectible and valuable is a model that is little known to most classic car collectors. Its the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.
The car was designed by Ferdinand ‘Butzi’ Porsche (who also designed the 911 series) in the 1960s as a dual purpose car (meaning for the road and for racing).
The 904 was revolutionary in many ways.
Firstly the design was completely new, with the long front nose and many considered this Porsche the most attractive car ever made. Secondly the 904 was the first Porsche made completely out of Fiberglass, making the car extremely light. The car only weighed 750 kg! Powered by 4, 6 cylinders (works cars had 8 cylinders) and by a 4 cam, 2L engine (the last 4 cam to be built by Porsche), the 904 had a 5 speed gearbox, independent suspension and disc brakes.
It was no surprise that on hill climbs and rallys most cars could not keep up with the 904, which one the Targa Florio numerous times. Only slightly more than 100 cars were ever built by Porsche (116 to be exact). You thought a 356 Speedster was rare? They made thousands of those. The only other very rare car made by Porsche was the 550 spyder of which 90 were made.
So why are we mentioning the 904 Carrera GTS?
Because its very rare, super collectible and being undervalued by the market right now! Sure a 356 speedster might be more glamourous, an old 911 more elegant. But the 904 Carrera GTS is the ultimate Porsche when it comes down to racing history, looks and performance.
Gooding & Co recently sold a wonderful red 904 at Monterey which was mostly original (rare if you think this was a race car with a delicate fiberglass body). The car was interesting because it had racing history but still retained its original chassis, engine, gearbox and fuel tank. Even the seat material in velour was correct and original! Despite the cars original condition and race history it sold for under the estimate of $1.75-2.25m, to sell for $1.59m.
This proves that in the classic car market there are still values to be had if you do your homework.
In another sign that 904s are being undervalued in the current bull market for classic cars, another fine 904 sold in London by RM Auctions this week for £1.23m or $1.94m also well below the estimate of the auction. The 904 by RM Auctions had fantastic racing history (winning its class in Sebring in 1967) and was an official Porsche works car.
For the classic car collector looking for a dual purpose car for the road and racing there are not many options. A DB4 GT Aston Martin is one choice, the other being the Iconic Ferrari 250 SWB.
But for someone looking for something more unusual, more exotic – the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS should be given close consideration.
Below a rare 904 Carrera GTS with 8 Cylinders at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
