1964 Porsche Carrera GTS (904)
● Engineering – Porsche’s first fiberglass car, a capable and winning sports racing car, lightweight and perfectly balanced.
+ Design – A totally new design vocabulary for the brand, timeless and classic at introduction, perfectly suited for the task of winning races.
= Passion – A car from a championship marque of limited production, beauty, performance and as adept on the road as the track.
This Porsche 904 is perhaps the most historically significant car in Begovich’s collection, showing just 1800 miles from new. This 904 stands as one of, if not the most original example of a 904 in the world. This car was never taken apart in its life and was recently recommissioned by the Audrain team to be confidently road worthy once again.
The 904 was launched by Porsche ahead of the 1964 racing season to comply with homologation regulations, designed to compete in the FIA-GT class at international racing events. The 904 was the first Porsche to utilize a fiberglass body, which was bonded to the chassis to increase structural rigidity.
In April of 1964, Nick flew to the Porsche Factory in Stuttgart to pick up his new 904. A car with few options, Nick ordered the optional sports exhaust, which to this day has never been mounted on the car. Nick briefly drove the car in Germany before having it shipped to Southern California, where he delightedly picked it up at the airport.
The blend of function and form was a strong interest of Nicks: extremely capable sports cars that are just as beautiful to admire as they are to drive. With a drag coefficient of just .34 and weighing less than 1500 lbs., the car was one of the most balanced and capable sports cars of its period, consistently beating cars with far more horsepower. The mid-mounted 2.0-liter engine was referred to as the most complex four-engine of the period by periodicals, paired to a five-speed transmission with 3.362 gearing the 904 was capable of reaching 160 MPH. The 904 was not the biggest or most powerful but was often the most durable when it competed in international racing events. A victory at the grueling Targa Florio and a class victory at Le Mans solidified the cars reputation as a reliable and consistent competitor in the world’s most important endurance races.
Today, this car serves as a reference point for other surviving 904s. As parts for the 904 are extremely hard or impossible to find, replacement parts often need to be replicated as close to original as possible. This car has and will continue to have its parts scanned for reproduction in the future. Porsche produced just 104 Carrera GTS’ for road use, and fewer survive today. Many were involved in racing incidents and have since been rebuilt or restored. This 904 retains all of its original parts just as they were new, never having been crashed or restored. All of us at the Audrain are excited and proud to continue sharing this car, and of course, driving it as well!
904 Specifications:
Engine: 2.0L Flat-Four Cylinder
Horsepower: 153 @ 6900 RPM
Torque: 125 ft./lbs. @ 5000 RPM
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
0-60 MPH: 5.5 Seconds
Top Speed: 157 MPH
Suspension: Coil Springs
Weight: 1433 lbs.
