- Porsche 787

- code S1947

- dan gurney

- 1961

- circuit zandvoort

The Porsche 787 is a historic Formula One racing car built and campaigned by Porsche in 1961 and 1962. Designed by Wilhelm Hild and Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, the car proved unsuccessful due to a lack of engine power and tricky handling. Only two official chassis were ever built (78701 and 78702), and both were scrapped by the factory in 1964.

Despite its competitive shortcomings, the 787 introduced key technical advancements for Porsche, notably mechanical fuel injection and all-around coil spring suspension.

The car was fielded by both the factory team (Porsche System Engineering) and the private Dutch outfit Ecurie Maarsbergen. Notable drivers included Formula One icons Jo Bonnier and Dan Gurney. Dutch racing driver Ben Pon also famously made his F1 debut in a 787 at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Because the car failed to score a single championship point, podium, or victory, Ferry Porsche quickly halted its development. Porsche temporarily reverted to the older 718/2 models before successfully introducing the eight-cylinder Porsche 804 later in 1962.

The heart of the 787 was the Porsche Type 547 engine, an absolute masterpiece of miniature engineering designed by Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann in the early 1950s. 

Initially built for the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder, it featured dual overhead camshafts per cylinder bank (DOHC) driven by a complex system of internal bevel shafts rather than chains or belts. For the 787 variant (Type 547/3), Porsche implemented an experimental mechanical fuel injection system. While it produced an impressive 186.4 horsepower from just 1.5 liters, the engine lacked the low-end torque required to pull the 787 effectively out of corners, making it incredibly difficult to drive compared to the smoother British Climax and Italian Ferrari powerplants.

The engine was mated to a ZF 6-speed manual transaxle with a limited-slip differential. With a weight of 450 kg it could reach 50 km/h top speed.

- Porsche 718

- code S1864

- heini walter

- 1962

- nürburgring

The Porsche 718 is a legendary mid-engine racing car built between 1957 and 1962 that achieved massive success in international endurance racing, Formula Two, and Formula One, and whose name was later revived for modern sports cars.

The 718 was a development of the successful Porsche 550A with improvements made to the body work and suspension. The car's full name is 718 RSK, where "RS" stands for RennSport (sports-racing) and the "K" reflects the shape of the car's revised torsion-bar suspension. It had a mid-engined layout and used the 142 horsepower 1.5-litre Type 547/3 quad-cam engine introduced in the 550A.

Formula One switched to a 1.5-litre formula in 1961 and Porsche entered three 718s for Dan Gurney, Hans Herrmann and Jo Bonnier. Gurney scored three 2nd places taking him to 4th place in the Drivers' Championship. For 1962, Porsche entered a new car, the Porsche 804 in Formula One.

When Porsche realized how quick the car was, they built a center-seat version (the Mittellenker), which eventually evolved into the 718/2 monoposto for Formula Two racing. Porsche won the unofficial F2 Constructors' Championship with it in 1960.

When Formula One shifted to a 1.5-liter engine formula in 1961, this F2 car suddenly became a fully-fledged F1 machine. While the factory team struggled to make the new 787 competitive, the legendary Dutch gentleman racer Jonkheer Carel Godin de Beaufort kept racing his private, bright orange 718/2 under the Ecurie Maarsbergen banner. He consistently scored world championship points in a car that was technically outdated, cementing his status as a cult hero.

In 2016, Porsche paid homage to this four-cylinder racing heritage by renaming its fourth-generation Boxster and Cayman models (internally known as the 982) to the Porsche 718. Just like the original, these cars switched from a six-cylinder engine to a compact, punchy turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine.

- Porsche 804

- code S7516

- joakim bonnier

- 1962

- autodromo nazionale monza

The Porsche 804 is a single-seat, open-wheeled racing car produced by Porsche to compete in Formula One (F1). It raced for a single season in 1962 in the 1½ litre formula.

The 804 was designed by Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, also known as F.A. Porsche. He is the son of Ferdinand Anton Ernst "Ferry" Porsche, and grandson of the company's eponymous founder Ferdinand Porsche. F.A. Porsche was assigned the project by the company's long-time chief body engineer Erwin Komenda.

A total of four cars were built. The fourth chassis was never raced.

The 804 gave Porsche its only F1 wins as a constructor, at the 1962 French Grand Prix, and at the (non-WC) Solituderennen at Castle Solitude in Stuttgart, both with Gurney as driver.

The 804 was the first Porsche to have some factory body panels made of synthetic materials. The nose and the cockpit surround were made of fibreglass later in the season. The 804 weighed approximately 455 kg; only slightly above the regulated minimum weight of 450 kg.

Design of the new Type 753 flat-eight engine for F1 was handled by Hans Hönick and Hans Mezger. With a compression ratio of 10.0:1, the 753 flat-eight engine produced 177 hp at 9200 rpm on its first outing. This was still less power than the new Coventry-Climax and BRM V8 engines. With the improved six-speed transmission from the Type 718 and a ZF limited-slip differential, the car reached a top speed of 270 km/h.

Just before the end of the season, prior to the running of the South African Grand Prix, Porsche halted its F1 activities. At this point Porsche's F1 participation had cost the company £500.000. The 804 was not raced again, but the Porsche flat-eight engines were later used in sportscars.