Porsche 908 Short Tail Racer Headed to Auction
One of only five remaining Porsche 908 Short-Tail racecars is going up for auction at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale.
It’s a 1968 908 K. The K stands for Kurzheck, German for short-tail. It was the version for tighter tracks, with a long-tail version made more aerodynamic for faster courses. It packs a 3.0L flat-eight engine that makes 350 hp. The 908 was launched in 1968 to do battle in sports car racing across Europe, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Just 31 of the racers were built, with most since lost or destroyed.
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This car was one of two that Porsche System Engineering entered in the 1968 Spa 1000 km race. It was driven by Vic Elford, winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona the year before. Ultimately the car retired following a crash with two laps remaining. It was retired, sold, and remained in storage for two decades.
Restored in the late 1990s, the car began vintage racing in 2004, participating in numerous historic events. It was also featured in the Porsche By Design exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2013
The car, chassis 908-010, is expected to bring $2.3 to $2.8 million at the auction, held at the end of August.
[Source/Photo Credit: RM Sotheby’s]
A version of this story originally appeared on VW Vortex.
Evan moved from engineering to automotive journalism 10 years ago (it turns out cars are more interesting than fibreglass pipes), but has been following the auto industry for his entire life. Evan is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer and is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. You'll find him behind his keyboard, behind the wheel, or complaining that tiny sports cars are too small for his XXXL frame.
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https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5ddea4cd5f192546caaaea24b614be69cc6eee2532b5d1eca45d39199ab23e7e.jpg It may be or was at the Blackhawk Museum this past weekend for a Vic Elford talk.
Incredible what Porsche was building 50 years ago.