1967 Porsche 911 R
Price on request
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Body
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Coupe
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Transmission
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Manual
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Exterior Color
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White
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Upholstery
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Leather
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Steering
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Lhd
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The beginnings
Barely five months after production had begun in September 1964, Porsche’s new 911 model commenced its illustrious competition career in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally. A solitary newly-homologated 911 was entered for veteran Porsche factory driver and engineer Herbert Linge, to be co-driven by his colleague - and future Head of the Racing Department - Peter Falk. The event experienced some of the worst weather in its history, with only 35 of the original 237 starters reaching the finish, but the pair finished in a remarkable fifth place overall and secured a valuable GT class win.
It was with the introduction of the 911S model in mid-1966 that the 911’s competition successes really began to gather momentum, with a GT class win at Le Mans on its International race debut being followed by further wins at Daytona, Sebring, the Targa Florio, Nurburgring and Le Mans again in 1967. That same year, Vic Elford secured the European Rally Championship for Porsche, whilst also finding time to win his class in the concurrent British Saloon Car Championship driving a 911T. Outright victory came Porsche’s way at the Spa 24 Hours in July courtesy of locals Jean-Pierre Gaban and “Pedro”, whilst Toni Fischhaber also ensured that the 911S made its presence known in the 1967 European Mountain Championship by winning the GT class at six out of the eight rounds, comfortably securing the class championship.
After just two years, Stuttgart had already proven the 911 across all four major competition disciplines: circuit racing, road racing, rallying and hillclimbing. However, the appointment of the fiercely determined Ferdinand Piëch - grandson and namesake of the founder of the company - as Porsche’s Head of Research and Development in 1966 ensured that development of the 911 would continue apace. Under his watchful and demanding eye a 911 project would, for the first time, be conceived and constructed from scratch in the Race Department:
the 911 R.
The Piëch-connection
One of the pre-eminent figures in the history of the European motor industry, Ferdinand Piëch was born in 1937 to Anton and Louise Piëch; the latter Ferdinand Porsche’s only daughter. After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1962, he joined Porsche the following year before being promoted to head of Research and Development in 1966, aged just 29. Having been central to the design and development of the 906 - which had been an unqualified success - Piëch was well placed to drive forward the development of the new 911 model, and was keen to capitalise on his powerful family connections in order to facilitate this.
The 911 R project was his brainchild, and it was no coincidence that its powertrain and the myriad weight-saving techniques employed on the “R” borrowed heavily from the 906.
