Lomac
03-27-2012, 11:32 PM
Pretty, isn't it? What you're looking at is the automotive equivalent of Back To The Future. It's called the Porsche P/904 Carrera, and it is the latest in an army of classic bodystyles hiding modern machinery.
Texas-based Tuner Gullwing America has announced this as its latest project; an ambitious build harking back to the glory days of 1960s endurance racing, and one of the prettiest Porsche models ever built.
You'll no doubt remember the original Porsche 904: it was designed by ‘Butzi', the eldest son of Ferry Porsche and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, as an entrant for the mid-60s endurance racing scene, who admits it remains his favourite car. Conceived as a featherweight, the 904 utilised steel and plastic in its construction, and weighed in at just 530kg. In fact, it was the first Porsche to use a full plastic body.
Naturally, homologation required 100 examples to be built to allow it race time, and when it reached the circuits in those heady days, it won the Targo Florio (1964), and had successes at the Tour de France, 1,000km Nürburgring race, Le Mans and the Reims 24 hour race.
So a handy starting block for the Texan tuner, then. Gullwing America told TopGear.com that they use the base of a second-generation Porsche Boxster, complete with a six-speed manual gearbox and 3.4-litre engine, producing 291bhp. The tuner will also fit a sports exhaust to keep the 60s racecar sound and vibe alive, together with adjustable suspension.
Unlike the original though, this new P/904 will feature a hybrid aluminium composite body built in Germany, and Gullwing told us they're not after aping the original's featherweight brief "for safety reasons - remember, this is a street car".
Custom 18in GWA five spoke alloy wheels will fill those 60s arches, while inside the instrument panel, seats and steering wheel will all be adjusted to give it that retro feel too, we're promised.
Currently, the company is developing a prototype, and so a final production date hasn't been set. But the conversion from Boxster to this glorious throwback will cost just under £60,000 - and that doesn't include the donor car or any additional work.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/cabc8e55-76b5-42a3-ba03-189bfa7f94e5/670x377Image.jpg
http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/699cb6fc-cb4d-4933-bf11-5415b0f7ef95/670x377Image.jpg
Additional photos and source: You want: Porsche P/904 Carrera - BBC Top Gear (http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/porsche-p904-carrera-boxster-2012-03-08?imageNo=0)
Texas-based Tuner Gullwing America has announced this as its latest project; an ambitious build harking back to the glory days of 1960s endurance racing, and one of the prettiest Porsche models ever built.
You'll no doubt remember the original Porsche 904: it was designed by ‘Butzi', the eldest son of Ferry Porsche and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, as an entrant for the mid-60s endurance racing scene, who admits it remains his favourite car. Conceived as a featherweight, the 904 utilised steel and plastic in its construction, and weighed in at just 530kg. In fact, it was the first Porsche to use a full plastic body.
Naturally, homologation required 100 examples to be built to allow it race time, and when it reached the circuits in those heady days, it won the Targo Florio (1964), and had successes at the Tour de France, 1,000km Nürburgring race, Le Mans and the Reims 24 hour race.
So a handy starting block for the Texan tuner, then. Gullwing America told TopGear.com that they use the base of a second-generation Porsche Boxster, complete with a six-speed manual gearbox and 3.4-litre engine, producing 291bhp. The tuner will also fit a sports exhaust to keep the 60s racecar sound and vibe alive, together with adjustable suspension.
Unlike the original though, this new P/904 will feature a hybrid aluminium composite body built in Germany, and Gullwing told us they're not after aping the original's featherweight brief "for safety reasons - remember, this is a street car".
Custom 18in GWA five spoke alloy wheels will fill those 60s arches, while inside the instrument panel, seats and steering wheel will all be adjusted to give it that retro feel too, we're promised.
Currently, the company is developing a prototype, and so a final production date hasn't been set. But the conversion from Boxster to this glorious throwback will cost just under £60,000 - and that doesn't include the donor car or any additional work.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/cabc8e55-76b5-42a3-ba03-189bfa7f94e5/670x377Image.jpg
http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/699cb6fc-cb4d-4933-bf11-5415b0f7ef95/670x377Image.jpg
Additional photos and source: You want: Porsche P/904 Carrera - BBC Top Gear (http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/porsche-p904-carrera-boxster-2012-03-08?imageNo=0)