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Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Modernized Into “904e” Electric Sports Car

Produced between 1964 and 1965, the 904 series is officially called Carrera GTS because Peugeot called dibs on the three-digit designations with a zero in the middle. Designed by “Butzi” Porsche of 911 fame, the mid-engine racecar didn’t impress on its first outing on the track.
Porsche 904e electric sports car and racing car rendering 44 photos
Photo: Mike Turner and Tom Underhil on Behance
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On the other hand, the Nine-Oh-Four finished first overall at the Targa Florio despite the four-cylinder powertrain versus the likes of the Ferrari 250 GTO and Shelby Cobra. There are plenty of other instances where the 904 showed its capability, and yes, Porsche produced a little over one hundred road-going units to comply with GT homologation rules.

Replaced by the 906, the Carrera GTS is much more than a collectible in this day and age. It’s a reminder of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s talent and the automaker’s no-holds-barred approach to racing. If it were revived for 2020, the 904 might have looked like the car envisioned by senior designers Mike Turner and Tom Underhill from Jaguar Land Rover.

Tom has previously worked for JCB while Mike has his own product design and development company. The904ethey’ve jointly created is obviously inspired by the original, yet the boxer engine has been replaced by an all-electric powertrain for both the racing and street-legal versions.

The purity of the car’s silhouette is joined by Fuchs-like wheels, LED lights front and back, as well as Ford GT40-like doors that cut into the roof are featured, along with a charging port on the passenger-side of the hood. Level up to the motorsport specification – which has been imagined in retro liveries such as the “Pink Pig” – and you’re treated to a lot of aero trickery.

Porsche doesn’t plan to revive the 904 or to replace the 718 series with an all-new model, but this design study does offer a new perspective for the Stuttgart-based automaker’s electrified ambitions. For the time being, the Taycan Cross Turismo shooting brake and new Macan crossover are the company’s sole full-EV projects that have been officially confirmed.

By 2025, Porsche expects half of the vehicles it sells to be EVs and PHEVs.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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