Photo: Worldwide Vintage Autos
If you’re going to talk about Porsche’s racing exploits, then there’s no way to leave out the 718. The nameplate has been around since the late 1950s, at first used for the one- or two-seat racing cars of the era. More recently, the 718 number is better known for its association with the road going sports cars that are the Cayman or the Boxster.
But the one the ones that gave birth to the 718 name remain the race cars. These Porsches made their racing debut at the 1957 Le Mans, and then moved on to compete in a variety of racing events, including Formula 1.
There were a number of 718s made back then, ranging from the 550A-derived 718 RSK that started it all to the ones driven by Dan Gurney or Hans Herrmann during their 1961 Formula 1 exploits. That means quite a number of them were made over the years, but it’s hard to say how many survive to this day.
Those wishing to have a piece of Porsche motorsport history can always go for replicas, which are much more abundant. Something like this one here, selling on a specialized website for $38,900.
Sure, it may not have the appeal of a vehicle touched by Dan Gurney, but it’s the closest you’ll get to the real thing for that much. The replica’s body, built by a now-defunct garage called Thunder Ranch, is meant to be of a 1959 model year 718, and a lot of Porsche-parts went into the build to make it more accurate: the gauges, switches, roll bar, racing driver seat, and even the wheels.
The most important bit of this car, the engine, is a rebuilt 2.2-liter sourced from a 911, linked to a manual transmission and with just 2,800 miles (4,500 km) on it since completion - the original 718 was powered by a tad smaller, 1.5-liter engine. We are not told how much power the engine develops.
There were a number of 718s made back then, ranging from the 550A-derived 718 RSK that started it all to the ones driven by Dan Gurney or Hans Herrmann during their 1961 Formula 1 exploits. That means quite a number of them were made over the years, but it’s hard to say how many survive to this day.
Those wishing to have a piece of Porsche motorsport history can always go for replicas, which are much more abundant. Something like this one here, selling on a specialized website for $38,900.
Sure, it may not have the appeal of a vehicle touched by Dan Gurney, but it’s the closest you’ll get to the real thing for that much. The replica’s body, built by a now-defunct garage called Thunder Ranch, is meant to be of a 1959 model year 718, and a lot of Porsche-parts went into the build to make it more accurate: the gauges, switches, roll bar, racing driver seat, and even the wheels.
The most important bit of this car, the engine, is a rebuilt 2.2-liter sourced from a 911, linked to a manual transmission and with just 2,800 miles (4,500 km) on it since completion - the original 718 was powered by a tad smaller, 1.5-liter engine. We are not told how much power the engine develops.
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