The road-racing "World Championship" began in 1953 and was a series to determine the best car makers, and not drivers. But in reality it was a European championship, as the races and car classifications were organized with those countires in mind. The United States always had Sebring as a championship race, but American cars never really fit into the various categories.
Ferrari won this championship almost every year, with Mercedes and Aston Martin getting in the way only occasionally. At the time, this championship was a big thing. The car makers involved were seen as symbols of national pride, and the cars themselves took on the character (stereotypes?) of the various ethnic groups. Italian Ferraris were stylish, fiery, and passioniate. German Mercedes were full of precision and technology, and the British cars were innovative and elegant. Winning this championship gave the sort of cultural bragging rights that World Cup Soccer does today.
Back in the USA, nobody really gave a damn about some pretentious foreigners whizzing around in their expensive little cars. The Americans were busy drag racing with their big-assed Hot Rods, and turned engine tuning into an entire subculture. If the Americans were going to race on a road course, they would do so only with their beloved big-block Chevys and 427 Fords.
People take their cars as extensions of themselves, and when these American gearheads showed up in Europe to race with their 5-litre Shelby Cobras, there was a predictable European response:
"These obnoxious, rude Americans and their big loud engines are like the Brute-Force, Big-Stick, government and society that they come from"
So once again, the car becomes a metaphor for the culture. The Shelby gang gave the powerhouse Ferrari factory team a good run in 1964, and won the premiere GTIII championship in 1965. Although Ferrari was able to put a spin on that result as they did not have an "official" team that year. Instead, they focused on the less-prestigous Prototypes championship.
Also round this time, a merger deal with Ford and Ferrari went sour, and Messers Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II themselves got into a big cross-cultural pissing contest.
In 1966 the FIA changed the name of the series to the International Manufacturers Championship. They altered the schedule so that there were fewer championship races, but prototypes were permitted at all events. The 'GT' championship classes were dropped in favor of 'Sportscars', althtough GT entrants still raced for non-points results. The net effect was that the term "World Champions" applied to the Prototypes class, and not GT cars.
These were the big engine racers with no corresponding road version. Examples are the GT40 MK II & IV, Ferrari P3 & P4, and Chaparral 2D and 2F. While the designs were very free, they still needed to cary a spare tire and have a luggage compartment for a standardized "FIA Suitcase" ...More about the Ferrari Prototypes
There was also a thriving 2-litre class that had the ferrari Dino 206, Porsche 910/907, and the Alfa Romeo T33/2.
The FIA/CSI called this class Group 6. In the 60's and early 70's these cars often carried a large "P" next to their racing number.
This new designation was for high-performance cars that were sold as both road and racing versions. The Ford GT40 is the classic example, but the Lola T70 Coupe' and the Ferrari 250LM were also in this class. These were the spiritual ancestors of cars like the Mclaren F1 GTR and the Saleen S7.
There was also a 2-litre class that had the Porsches 904 & Carerra 6 (906), and the Alfa TZ2. A minimum of 50 cars had to be produced to be eligable. The 906 competed in both "stock" S-Class and modified "Prototype" form.
From 1966 thru 1969, the FIA/CSI called this class Group 4. This name was changed to Group 5 for the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Throughout the period, cars often carried a large "S" next to their racing number.
The GT Group 3 classes had the Porsche 911S and the Alpine A110. In an interesting crossover, many of the GT teams and cars were also regulars on the European Rally scene.
These categories would remain somewhat stable until 1968. ...More about the 1968 rule changes
The FIA used the same brief set of rules that the USRRC was using for the Can-Am and called it Group 7. It is one of the few times in history that the French have listened to Americans. Cars in this class were NOT allowed into normal endurance events, but instead had standalone sprint races. ...More about Group 7 Races
It should be noted that Group 8 was for Formula cars and there was a nominal Group 9 for "Formula Libre"
Ford commissioned Lola to build the GT40 with the stated intent to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Most of the story is pretty well known, so I won't bore everyone with the usual details
A side note is that Colin Chapman of Lotus felt particularly snubbed that Ford went to Lola to commission a car. He already had a good working relationship with Ford Racing with their Indy 500 program, and he was at the top of his race engineering game.
When it comes to diecast GT40's the only thing to know is that you want to stay away from evrything but the IXO's. Solido, Jouef, Eagle's Race, and Bang have truly horrible products with chromy wheels, thick paint, and bad shapes. Ixo's products for this car are in the "Minichamps-esqe" league.
Minichamps have recently announced that they will start a Ford (GT40) Mark II line. Listed for 2005 are the 1966 Daytona Winner and the Dan Gurney Le Mans Car.
This was the first year that Daytona was a full 24 Hours, and also the debut of the GT40's under Shelby Racing
Buzz-cut, tobacco chewin' Texan Jim Hall's Chaparral scored a huge upset win on the most Euro of all European circuits- the Nurburgring. It was the most panic-inducing loss for Germans on their home soil since Patton marched into Berlin.
The Porsche 906 achieved homologation and two weeks later won the Targa Florio
Those with triskadekaphobia will blame this sory on the car's type designation, but Jaguar made a beauitiful one-off test car that was cancelled. While I don't normally include blank versions of cars, this model is intended to show the one-off prototype that was designed for Group 4 regulations.
International Manufacturers Championship 1966 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Daytona 24 Hours | |||||
1 | Ford GT40 Mk.II Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby | 98 P +2.0 | Ixo | GTM050 | |
Minichamps | 400 668498 | ||||
Universal Hobbies | 1120 | ||||
Jouef | 1120 | ||||
2 | Ford GT40 Mk.II Dan Gurney Jerry Grant | 97 P +2.0 | Ixo | GTM073 | |
Universal Hobbies ('Eagle's Race') | 3693 | ||||
3 | Ford GT40 Mk.II Walt Hansgen Mark Donohue | 95 P +2.0 | Universal Hobbies ('Eagle's Race') | 3696 | |
5 | Ford GT40 Mk.II Bruce Mclaren Chris Amon | 96 P +2.0 | Ixo | GTM074 | |
16 | Porsche 911 Jack Ryan Lin Coleman Bill Bencker (First win for a 911) | 18 GT 2.0 | Truescale | TSM144350 | |
DNF | Ferrari 275 P George Follmer Don Wester Paul Hawkins N.A.R.T. | 32 P +2.0 | Art Model | ART293 | |
DNF | Ferrari 365 P2 Lucien Bianchi Gérald Langlois van Ophem "Jean Beurlys" | 25 P +2.0 | Best | 9081/2 | |
Best | 9081 | ||||
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM | 26 | Fabbri | (Issue #26) | |
Sebring 12 Hours | |||||
1 | Ford GT40 Mk. II Spyder Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby | 1 P +5.0 | Bang | 7094 | |
5 | Ferrari Dino 206 S | 46 | Art Model | ART032 | |
14 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 63 | Best | ||
DNF | Ferrari 330 P2 Pedro Rodriguez Mario Andretti N.A.R.T. | 26 P 5.0 | Best | 9080 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM | 33 | Best | 9222 | |
DNF | Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Dick Thompson Dick Guldstrand | 10 P +5.0 | Universal Hobbies ('Eagle Collectibles') 2005 | ||
DNF | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 Lucien Bianchi Bernard Consten | 62 S 1.6 | Best | 9451 | |
DNF | Ford GT40 Mk. II Dan Gurney Jerry Grant | 2 P +5.0 | Bang | 7091 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 Teodoro Zeccoli Geki | 61 S 1.6 | Best | 9558 | |
1000km Monza | |||||
1 | Ferrari 330 P3 John Surtees Mike Parkes | 14 P +3.0 | Bang | 7227 | |
2 | Ford GT40 Masten Gregory John Whitmore | 5 S +3.0 | Bang | 7298 | |
8 | Ferrari 250 LM Pierre de Siebenthal António Peixinho | 21 S +3.0 | Best | 9198 | |
10 | Ferrari 206 S Lorenzo Bandini Ludovico Scarfiotti | 35 P 2.0 | Art Model | ART106 | |
13 | Ferrari 206 S | 38 | Art Model | ART035 | |
DNF | Ferrari 206 S Giampiero Biscaldi Mario Casoni | 37 P 2.0 | Art Model | ART269 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM | 22 | Box | 8437 | |
Best | 9011 | ||||
DNF | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 46 | Lorenzi | LO0216 | |
Targa Florio | |||||
1 | Porsche 906 Willy Mairesse Herbert M�ller | 148 S 2.0 | Ebbro 43637 | ||
2 | Ferrari Dino 206 S Jean Guichet Giancarlo Baghetti | 196 P 2.0 | Art Model | ART111 | |
4 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 Enrico Pinto Nino Todaro | 126 S 1.6 | Best | 9105 | |
10 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 Lucien Bianchi Roberto Bussinello | 130 S 1.6 | Best | 9104 | |
11 | Lancia Fulvia HF 1200 | 18 | Progetto K | 083 | |
12 | Ford GT40 Guy Ligier Henri Greder | 176 S +2.0 | Bang | 7150 | |
13 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 114 S 1.6 | Best | 9441 | |
16 | Ferrari 250 LM Clemente Ravetto Gaetano Starrabba | 180 S +2.0 | Best | 9256 | |
30 | Ferrari 250 LM | 174 | Best | 9119 | |
DNF | Ferrari 330 P3 Spyder Nino Vaccarella Lorenzo Bandini | 230 P +2.0 | Brumm | S036 | |
Bang | 7188 | ||||
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB4 | 228 | Box | 8430 | |
Best | 9007 | ||||
1000km Spa | |||||
1 | Ferrari 330 P3 Mike Parkes Ludovico Scarfiotti | 1 P +2.0 | Brumm | R157 | |
2 | Ford GT40 Mk.II John Whitmore Frank Gardner | 4 P +2.0 | Minichamps | 400 668484 | |
6 | Ferrari Dino 206 S | 12 | Art Model | ART127 | |
1000km Nurburgring | |||||
1 | Chaparral 2D Phil Hill Jo Bonnier (With Engine Detail) | 7 P +2.0 | Minichamps 436 661407 | ||
TrueScale | TSM124315 | ||||
2 | Ferrari 206 S | 11 | Art Model | ART030 | |
3 | Ferrari 206 S | 12 | Art Model | ART031 | |
9 | Ferrari 250 LM Willy Mairesse Herbert M�ller (#48 in practice, changed to #8 for P class) | 8 P 3.0 | Best | 9399 | |
13 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 77 | Fabbri | ||
Best | 9229 | ||||
21 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 76 | Best | 9092 | |
Mugello | |||||
2 | Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA | 11 | Progetto K | PK 2035 | |
23 | Fiat Abarth 1000 | 164 | Progetto K | PK 122 | |
500km Nurburgring | |||||
13 | Alpine A210 | 2 | Eligor | 101168 |
Non-Championship Races 1966 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Nurburgring 84 Hours (Marathon de la Route) | |||||
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 | 55 | Best | 9280 | |
Paris 1000km - Montlh�ry | |||||
1 | Ferrari 250 LM | 26 | Best | 9489 | |
Kyalami (Springbok series) | |||||
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM "Eld�" Jacky Ickx | 5 GR4/D | Box 8446 | ||
Best | 9018 | ||||
Test | Ferrari 250 LM | 7 | Best | 9246 | |
Surfer's Paradise | |||||
3 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 | 9 | Best | 9393 | |
Unraced Prototype | |||||
Test | Jaguar XJ13 | Auto Art | 53541 |
This was the most outright hateful period in sportscar racing history. Ferrari came back from their ass-whipping at Le Mans by sweeping Daytona. Enzo made no secret of his satisfaction in embarassing Ford in front of their home crowd.
These teams have rich histories, and deserve their own separate pages
North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T) US distributor team that took Le Mans in '65.
Ecurie Francorchamps Belgian Team
Scuderia Filipinetti Swiss team
Maranello Concessionaires UK Ferrari Dealer.
David Piper If anyone in Sportscar Racing deserves to be called "swashbuckling" it's David Piper. His desire to race anytime, anywhere, against anyone is legendary. He was a Ferrari Works Driver in 1963, and has been on their preferred customer list ever since.
The Ferrari "P" series of cars were the backbone of their 60's racing effort. The P, P2, P3, and P4 were the bodystyle, The model number (250, 275, 330, 365,) was the engine size, but not total displacement. It was rather the "swept volume" of one cylinder in their V12 engine.
The first of the series the 250P was pretty much a 250SWB wth the engine relocated to behind the driver. This open-topped car took Le Mans in 1963 and 1964. This car was rebidied into a closed semi-road version 250 LM
While the Ferrari P2 had done well in the factory's hands, it was raced by privateers in 1965.
Ferrari built and raced three 330 P3's in 1966. At the end of the season two were upgraded by the factory to the 412P specification and sold to privateers. The 412 name referred to the 4-litre 12 cylinder engine so it did't go by the old naming convention. Two more cars were also built from scratch as 412P's. Another 330 P3 chassis was given the engine and body of a P4 and was called the 330 P3/4.
...More about the 330 P3/412P
For 1967, Ferrari ran the 330 P4. After this year, such "big-bore" prototypes were illegal, and they took off from sportscars in 1968. They would
return in 1969 with the 312P.
...More about the 312P
John Wyer, who had taken Aston Martin to victory at Le Mans in 1959, debuted a Gulf-sponsored GT40 at Daytona. Instead of the classic powder blue this car was the darker hue seen in the Gulf logo. They changed to the lighter color and created a GT40-derived prototype car called the Mirage M1....More on the JW Gulf team at 1968 Le Mans
While happily entering the data for the new Ebbro Porsche 910 Nurburgring winner, I came accross the familiar-but-unfamiliar name of Joe Buzzetta. I went to college with a guy named Todd Buzzetta, and the association just struck me wierd. But who was Joe Buzzetta? He's listed as an American driver. He just doesn't seem to have much notoriety for a guy who won the 1000km Nurburgring for the Porsche works team, in a 2.0 liter car against monster unlimited prototypes in the heyday of sportscar racing...
International Manufacturers Championship 1967 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Daytona 24 Hours | |||||
1 | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Lorenzo Bandini Chris Amon SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 23 P +2.0 | Bang | 7120 | |
Brumm Limited Edition | S026 | ||||
Hot Wheels Elite | P9958 | ||||
Jouef High Detail | 3025 | ||||
2 | Ferrari 330 P4 Coupé Mike Parkes Ludovico Scarfiotti SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 24 P +2.0 | Brumm Limited Edition | S027 | |
Bang Limited Edition | 1019 | ||||
3 | Ferrari 412P Pedro Rodriguez Jean Guichet | 26 P +2.0 | Brumm Limited Edition | S028 | |
7 | Ford GT40 'Gulf' Dick Thompson Jacky Ickx (First appearance of 'Gulf' livery) | 11 S +2.0 | Ixo | GTM104 | |
Universal Hobbies Eagle's Race | 1039 | ||||
Spark | S4541 | ||||
21 | Ferrari 250 LM Peter Clarke Edward Nelson | 32 S +2.0 | Best | 9563 | |
DNF | Ferrari 412P Willy Mairesse "Jean Beurlys" | 33 P +2.0 | Bang | 7175 | |
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB/C Carlos Salas Guterrez Hector Rebaque, Sr. | 29 GT +2.0 | Best | 9747 |
International Manufacturers Championship 1967 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
12 Hours of Sebring | |||||
1 | Ford Mark IV Mario Andretti Bruce McLaren Shelby American | 1 P +2.0 | Ixo | GTM007 | |
Verem | 615 | ||||
17 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Spyder | 25 | Best | 9127 | |
DNF | Chaparral 2F | 6 | Minichamps | 430 671406 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33.2 'Fleron' Andrea de Adamich Teodoro Zeccoli | 65 P 2.0 | Fabbri ('Alfa Romeo Sport - I' Collection)(Issue #49) | ||
Fabbri | 48 | ||||
DNF | Ferrari 206 S | 34 | Art Model | ART232 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM Ricardo Rodriguez Federico de la Chica | 23 P +2.0 | Best | 9811 | |
Monza | |||||
1 | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Lorenzo Bandini Chris Amon | 3 P +2.0 | Bang | 7174 | |
2 | Ferrari 330 P4 Coupe Mike Parkes Ludovico Scarfiotti | 4 P +2.0 | Monza (Scarfiotti Special Edition) | S0822 | |
4 | Ferrari 412P Nino Vaccarella Herbert M�ller | 7 P +2.0 | Bang | 7104 | |
14 | Ferrari 275 GTB/C Paul Vestey Carlos Gaspar | 53 GT +2.0 | Best | 9288 | |
N/C | Alfa Romeo TZ2 Teodoro Zeccoli Ottorino Volonterio | 29 P 2.0 | Fabbri ('Alfa Romeo Sport' Collection) | 62 | |
  |   |   | Best | 9141 |   |
DNF | Alfa Romeo TZ2 Paolo de Leonibus Riccardo Di Bona | 28 P 2.0 | Best | 9118 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo TZ2 Serge Trosch Teddy Pilette | 27 P 2.0 | Best | 9193 | |
Spa | |||||
1 | Mirage M1 Jacky Ickx Dick Thompson | 6 P +2.0 | Bizarre | BZ384 | |
3 | Ferrari 412 P | 10 P +2.0 | Fabbri | ||
4 | Lola T70 Paul Hawkins Jackie Epstein | 2 P +2.0 | Best | 9409 | |
9 | Alfa Romeo TZ2 Serge Trosch Teddy Pilette | 30 P 2.0 | Best | 9529 | |
DNF | Ferrari 412 P Willy Mairesse "Jean Beurlys" | 11 P +2.0 | Bang | 7224 | |
Targa Florio | |||||
1 | Porsche 910/8 Paul Hawkins Rolf Stommelen Porsche System Engineering | 228 P +2.0 | Spark | S3463 | |
4 | Ferrari Dino 206 | 198 | Art Model | ART132 | |
7 | Porsche 911 S Bernard Cahier Jean-Claude Killy (Legendary Alpine Ski Champion) | 46 GT 2.0 | Minichamps | 430676746 | |
Spark | S4024 | ||||
DNF | Chaparral 2F Phil Hill Hap Sharp | 222 P +2.0 | Minichamps | 430 671422 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron') | 170 | |||
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron') "Geki" Nino Todaro | 200 P 2.0 | M4 | 7108 | |
DNF | Ferrari 412P Herbert M�ller Jean Guichet | 220 P +2.0 | Bang | 7106 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron') | 190 | |||
DNF | Lola T70 Coup� Jackie Epstein Hugh Dibley | 216 P +2.0 | Best | 9183 | |
DNF | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Nino Vaccarella Ludovico Scarfiotti | 224 P +2.0 | Bang | 7147 | |
Brumm | S037 | ||||
Jouef | 1031 | ||||
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 "Ben Hur" Gaetano Starrabba | 122 S +2.0 | Best | 9372 | |
Mugello | |||||
DNF | Ferrari 412P Mario Casoni Herbert M�ller | 3 P+2.0 | Bang | 7347 | |
1000km Nurburgring | |||||
1 | Porsche 910 Udo Sch�tz Joe Buzzetta Porsche System Engineering | 17 P 2.0 | Ebbro | 43640 | |
Spark | S3464 | ||||
5 | Alfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron') Roberto Bussinello Teodoro Zeccoli Andrea de Adamich Nanni Galli | 22 P 2.0 | M4 | 7154 | |
15 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 Serge Trosch Teddy Pilette | 82 P 1.6 | Best | 9322 | |
25 | Honda S800 Carl Smet Hughes de Fierlant | 125 GT 1.0 | Vitesse | V98117 | |
DNF | Abarth 1000 SP Mike Walton Jeremy Delmar-Morgan | 52 P 1.3 | Best | 9531 | |
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Paul Vestey Carlos Gaspar | 92 GT +3.0 | Best | 9133 | |
DNF | Costin Nathan Norman Abbott Albert Powell | 51 P 1.3 | Spark (Germany Special Edition) | SG030 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Coupé John Surtees David Hobbs | 1 P +2.0 | Best | 9210 | |
Del Prado ('Racing Car Collection') | (Issue #?) | ||||
Test | Ferrari 206 S Herbert M�ller Jean Guichet | 34 P 2.0 | Art Model | ART266 | |
Brands Hatch | |||||
1 | Chaparral 2F Phil Hill Mike Spence | 1 P | Minichamps | 430 671401 | |
2 | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Chris Amon Jackie Stewart | 6 P +2.0 | Bang | 7266 | |
Jouef | 1003 | ||||
4 | Porsche 907 LH Hans Herrmann Jochen Neerpasch Porsche System Engineering | 12 P +2.0 | Ebbro | 44649 | |
5 | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Ludovico Scarfiotti Peter Sutcliffe | 7 P +2.0 | Bang | 7121 | |
6 | Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder Paul Hawkins Jonathan Williams | 8 P +2.0 | Bang | 7140 | |
7 | Ferrari 412P Richard Attwood David Piper | 9 P +2.0 | Bang | 7116 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Mk.3 GT Chevrolet John Surtees David Hobbs | 2 P+2.0 | Best | 9231 | |
500km Nurburgring | |||||
11 | Honda S800 Tetsu Ikuzawa | 57 GT 1.0 | Ebbro | 44250 |
Non-Championship Races 1967 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Kyalami | |||||
5 | Ferrari 412P 'Coca-Cola' David Piper Richard Attwood | 7 J | Bang | 7148 | |
Bloemfontein (Land Speed Record Trial) | |||||
1 | Ferrari 412P 'Coca-Cola' David Piper (South African Flying Mile Land Speed Record of 189.41 mph; Fitted with long-nose attachment) | 5 | Bang | 7245 |
The ACO and ISC decided that seven-litre American cars were a bit too obnoxious for their taste. So they rewrote the entire rules for Prototypes, and set a maximum of 3-litre engines. The "Supercars" that had at least 50 road-going units could have 5-litre engines. In theory, this made sense as the "S" class's bigger engine size would be balanced by weight and more real-wold practicality requirements like trunk space.
In April of 1968, the F.I.A. announced that as of 1969 only 25 cars would be required to homologate a particular model to compete in Group 4 of the "International Championship for Makes". This minor change would eventually lead to the most famous sportscar of all time, the Porsche 917. ...More about the Porsche 917
The main problem with this class is that nothing existed to run in it. Nobody had a car ready for this spec, but Porsche entered some 2.2-litre 910's. At mid-season they launched the excellent 3-litre 908. ...More about the Porsche 908
Due to these rule changes, the Ferrari works team was left without a competetive car for either class and sat the out year. They spent the time concentrating on F1 and developing a "proper" 3-litre prototype, the 312P for 1969.
These categories would remain somewhat stable until 1970. ...More about the 1970 rule changes
Phoebe once said to Joey: "I like the idea of a name that begins with 'the'". So it is THE Targa Florio, which was a half-rally open-road race in Sicily
While the entry was large, it wasn't as large as the car numbers implied. 0-99 were for GT cars, 100-199 were for 3-litre prototypes, and 200-299 were for sportscars.
Best has a version that is somewhat chude in detail and finish, and Minichamps came out with a box set of a "road" version.
The 911R of 1967 had lived a strange existance, being stuck in the Group 6 prototype classes as it had been modified beyond what was legal in Group 3. For 1968, Porsche was able to take advantage of the lighter weight of the low-line 911T, and add some of the parts that were developed for the 911R. They offered the 911 T/R as ready-to-race, and it was fully compliant to the Group 3 GT car category. The rules allowed owners to upgrade to any available Porsche engine, which typically was the 911S-style fuel injected unit. While only 35 were built this way at the factory, many other owners used these parts to prep their 911 racers.
International Championship for Makes 1968 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Daytona 24 Hours | |||||
1 | Porsche 907 LH Vic Elford Jochen Neerpasch Porsche System Engineering | 54 P | Spark | 43DA68 | |
Schuco | 450 362900 | ||||
2 | Porsche 907 LH Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann Porsche System Engineering | 52 P | Spark | S2985 | |
3 | Porsche 907 LH Jo Schlesser Joe Buzzetta Porsche System Engineering | 51 P | Spark | S2986 | |
5 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Udo Sch�tz Nino Vaccarella | 20 P | Best | 9121 | |
6 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Mario Andretti Lucien Bianchi | 23 P | Best | 9120 | |
7 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Mario Casoni Giampiero Biscaldi Teodoro Zeccoli | 22 P | Best | 9200 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM David Piper Masten Gregory N.A.R.T. | 81 S | Best | 9266 | |
12 Hours of Sebring | |||||
1 | Porsche 907 Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann Porsche System Engineering | 49 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 400 686849 | |
Spark | S4161 | ||||
DNF | Lola T70 Coup� Scooter Patrick Dave Jordan | 9 S 5.0 | Best | 9310 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Coup� Mike De Udy Hugh Dibley | 11 S 5.0 | Best | 9172 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Coup� Lothar Motschenbacher Ed Leslie | 6 S 5.0 | Best | 9379 | |
Brands Hatch | |||||
6 | Lola T70 Coup� Jo Bonnier Sten Axelsson | 2 S 5.0 | Best 9157 | ||
Monza | |||||
14 | Abarth | 60 | Best | ||
15 | Abarth | 59 | Best | ||
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Gustave Gosselin Serge Trosch | 26 P 2.0 | Best | 9632 | |
Targa Florio | |||||
1 | Porsche 907 Vic Elford Umberto Maglioli (Includes cutaway roof detail) Porsche System Engineering | 224 P 3.0 | Spark | S4160 | |
Schuco | 4503621002 | ||||
2 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Ignazio Giunti Nanni Galli | 186 P 2.0 | Spark | S4874 | |
3 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Lucien Bianchi Mario Casoni | 192 P2.0 | Best | 9286 | |
6 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Giancarlo Baghetti Giampiero Biscaldi | 182 P2.0 | Best | 9191 | |
22 | Ferrari Dino 206/S Hans W�ngstre Evert Christofferson | 206 P 2.0 | Art Model | ART202 | |
24 | MGB MkII Peter Brown Tony Fall | 202 P2.0 | Universal Hobbies (Eagle Collectables) | UNHV1140 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM David Piper Paul Vestey | 138 S5.0 | Best | 9369 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Gustave Gosselin Serge Trosch | 180 P 2.0 | Best | 9390 | |
1000km N�rburgring | |||||
1 | Porsche 908 Jo Siffert Vic Elford | 2 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 400 686802 | |
Ebbro | 43738 | ||||
5 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Nanni Galli Ignazio Giunti | 16 P 2.0 | Best | 9402 | |
DNF | Porsche 908 Gerhard Mitter Ludovico Scarfiotti | 1 P 3.0 | Ebbro 43739 | ||
DNF | Ford F3L P68 Frank Gardner Richard Attwood | 7 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 400688407 | |
DNF | Ford F3L P68 Chris Irwin Pedro Rodriguez (Severe crash in practice; Irwin survived but never raced again) | 8 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 400688408 | |
1000km Spa | |||||
1 | Ford GT40 'Gulf' Jacky Ickx Brian Redman | 33 S 5.0 | Bang | 7349 | |
3 | Porsche 908 Hans Herrmann Rolf Stommelen | 5 P 3.0 | Schuco | 450372500 | |
10 | Lola T70 Coup� Jackie Epstein Eric Liddell | 31 S 5.0 | Best | 9158 | |
16 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Gustave Gosselin Serge Trosch | 16 P 2.0 | Best | 9578 | |
DNF | Ford GT40 Willy Mairesse "Jean Beurlys" | 32 S 5.0 | Bang | 454 | |
Box | 8454 | ||||
Watkins Glen 6 Hours | |||||
6 | Porsche 908 Hans Herrmann Tetsu Ikuzawa Jo Siffert Porsche System Engineering | 2 P 3.0 | Ebbro | 44590 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Horst Kwech John Martino | 33 P 2.0 | Best | 9639 |
Non-Championship Races 1968 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Paris - Montlh�ry | |||||
1 | Porsche 908 Hans Herrmann Rolf Stommelen | 12 P | Spark | SF050 | |
DNF | Ferrari 412P David Piper Richard Attwood | 9 P | Bang | 7180 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Andr� Pilette Rob Slotemaker | 22 P | Best | 9419 | |
Mugello | |||||
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Teodoro Zeccoli Teddy Pilette | 1 | Best | 9204 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Ignazio Giunti Nanni Galli | 7 | Best | 9148 | |
Imola | |||||
1 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Nino Vaccarella Teodoro Zeccoli | 3 | Best | 9115 | |
3 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Mario Casoni Spartaco Dini | 2 | Best | 9186 | |
Hockenheim | |||||
1 | Porsche 908 Hans Herrmann | 1 P +2.0 | Ebbro | 44604 | |
Nurburgring 500km | |||||
9 | Ford Escort TC Rolf Stommelen | 79 T 1.6 | Minichamps | 400 688179 | |
DNF | Ford Escort Gerhard Mitter (Flared fenders; Run in the Prototype category) | 2 P 1.6 | Minichamps | 400 688192 | |
DNF | Ford Escort Hubert Hahne (Flared fenders; Run in the Prototype category) | 3 P 1.6 | Minichamps | 400 688193 |
Because it lives in the shadow of the 917, it gets no respect. They debuted the open version of the 908 at Sebring, and called it the 908/2. The 908/2 would also be raced with modified "Flunder" bodywork and also in longtail trim. The 908 concept would be taken even further with the 908/3. ...More on the Porsche 908/3
James Garner got some money from Goodyear and founded a team called American International Racers. Thay ran a Lola T-70 Mark III at Daytona and Sebring, finishing a fine second at the former. And they even made a promotional documentary film of the whole thing called The Racing Scene. Speedvision used to show it all the time before they started with all the NASCAR crap. Maybe we'll get a DVD release some day... On a brighter note, the diecast model of this Lola has finally been released.
When the minimum pruduction requirement for the Group 4 "Sportscar" class was reduced from 50 to 25 chassis, it was intended to allow for more "supercars". When this change was announced, Porsche began developing the 917 and actually made 25 cars. While the cars were technically road-legal, this was so they could jump through the "production based" loophole. Doing this then would be like Bentley saying that the EXP 8 is available for sale at your local dealer. This may be the ultimate "up yours" gesture that anyone has ever made in racing history.
Although the first body configuration was so bad that many drivers refused to race them. They had a disasterous run at LeMans that year. They sorted out the bugs, and 917's dominated the whole sports car scene for two years. But since there were 25 cars running around, there was still lots of competition. Arch-rival teams 'Gulf' and 'Martini' provided plenty of drama, along with numerous other privateer teams.
Excerpt from Driving Porsche�s Panzer by Bob Ward
The origins of Porsche�s all-conquering 917 go back to the dominating performance of Ford�s mighty 7-liter Mark II and Mark IV LeMans winners of 1966 and 1967. After upstart Ford steamrollered the European competition two years running the FIA decided that steps had to be taken to restore the proper order of things. For 1968 the 7-liter monsters were banned. In their place The FIA established a class for 3-liter prototypes. These would be, in essence, Formula 1 cars with fenders � light, agile, and very European. The FIA knew, however, that the 3-liter cars couldn�t carry the whole show by themselves, so it established a new class called Group 4, for cars with a minimum production of 25 units in one year and a 5-liter displacement limit. This was to be the home of all the privately owned Ford GT40s, Ferrari 275 LMs, and Chevy-powered Lolas needed to provide the supporting cast to the 3-liter prototypes.
Porsche, however, saw the group 4 rules as a window of opportunity big enough to drive a truck through � or more to the point, a LeMans winner. The 3-liter 908, introduced in 1968, barely lost that year�s Manufacturers� Championship to the JW / Gulf Ford GT40s. Why not, the Porsche racing engineers thought, add four more cylinders to the 908 engine to make a 12-cylinder, 4.5 liter unit, wrap it in a chassis and body rather like a 908 coupe on steroids, and build 25 of them?
The bean counters gave the okay and the result, designated the Porsche 917, turned up at the 1969 LeMans test day. With 520 horsepower on tap the car easily set the fastest time at almost 143 miles per hour. The cars were awe-inspiring on the long Mulsanne straight, but when they were entered in their first actual race, at Spa, Belgium, their handling was so twitchy that Porsche�s leading driver pair, Jo Siffert and Brian Redman, switched to a 908 for the race even after setting the fastest time in practice with their 917. The big cars were even worse at the Nurburgring, proving almost undrivable on the winding 14-mile circuit.
The biggest change for the 1970 season was the farming out of the 917 racing effort to private teams, though with heavy involvement by factory engineers. Porsche made a deal with its arch-rival of 1968 and 1969, John Wyer�s JW Automotive Engineering, to be its lead team for 1970 with Gulf Oil sponsorship continuing from Wyer�s previous efforts.
Porsche and JW embarked on an intensive development program. One of the major problems to be overcome was a shortage of grip at the rear, causing the car�s infamously dodgy handling. The tests produced the now-famous upswept tail that has come to characterize the definitive 917 shape. This change transformed the 917, giving it the stability it needed to convert all of its power into speed on the track.
The rest is history. The 917K, as the revised car came to be called, dominated endurance racing in 1970 and 1971. The JW team won 11 World Makes Championship races with its 917s in those two years. Porsche Salzburg won LeMans in 1970 and Martini Racing took the 1971 race with a JW car second. In the 1970 Watkins Glen CanAm, the 917 coupes, which had run 700 miles the day before, finished 2-3-4-6-7, beaten only by Denis Hulme�s McLaren M8D. The 917, created in a rush project to take advantage of a loophole in the rules, had more than fulfilled its promise and purpose.
When he smashed his brains out on the flag tower at Goodwood, Bruce McLaren was building a street-legal version of the M6 Can-Am car. This car had a small-block chevy, and a spaceframe chassis. They had 25 copies of the bodywork made and were planning on getting them into the sportscar class.
There were plans to finish these cars and sell them to collectors. I caught this one at the California Speeedway historic races in 2002:
While sportscar racing has typically considered each event on its own merit, this era is one of the few times when the overall championship points was important.
Of the ten championship races in 1969, points were awarded to the best finishing car of each make. Nine (9) foints for first place, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 3 for 4th 2 for 5th and 1 for 6th. Also, only the five best scores of the year were counted. Therfore a perfect score of 45 points could be had by winning any five races.
Ferrari ran these cars as open spyders, and then converted them to Coupes for Le Mans. Both versions exist by BEST model
Penske-Donohue Lola T-70 scored an upset against the heavy hitters at Daytona.
Collectors Note: There is a non-compliant red version of the crude Solido model
International Championship for Makes 1969 | |||||
Place |
Car |
Car # Class |
Model |
Ref. # |
Image |
Daytona 24 Hours | |||||
1 | Lola T70 Mk.3B 'Sunoco' Mark Donohue Chuck Parsons | 6 S 5.0 | Spark | S1437 | |
Spark | 43DA69 | ||||
Solido 100 Series | 175 | ||||
GMP Penske Donohue Box Set | 12401 | ||||
2 | Lola T70 Mk.3 Ed Leslie Lothar Motschenbacher | 8 S 5.0 | Best | 9223 | |
Spark | S1466 | ||||
Super Champion | 34 | ||||
7 | Lola T70 Mk.3 Scooter Patrick Dave Jordan | 9 S 5.0 | Best | 9477 | |
23 | Ferrari 275 GTB/C Sam Posey Ricardo Rodriguez (Cavazos) | 41 GT 5.0 | Best | 9710 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33.2 2.5 Eduardo Dibos Mario Calabattisti | 25 P 3.0 | Best | 9242 | |
12 Hours of Sebring | |||||
1 | Ford GT40 'Gulf' Jacky Ickx Jackie Oliver | 22 S 5.0 | Bang | 7208 | |
Spark | SE4369 | ||||
Eagle's Race | 1138 | ||||
2 | Ferrari 312 P Chris Amon Mario Andretti SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 25 P 3.0 | Best | 9298 | |
(Centauria) Ferrari Racing Collection (2019) | #13 | ||||
47 | Ferrari 250 P Pedro Rodriguez Chuck Parsons N.A.R.T. | 26 P 3.0 | Art Model | ART296 | |
Brands Hatch | |||||
Porsche System Engineering | |||||
1 | Porsche 908/2 Jo Siffert Brian Redman | 53 | Best Sports Racing | 9042 | |
2 | Porsche 908/2 Vic Elford Richard Attwood | 55 | Best Sports Racing | 9043 | |
3 | Porsche 908/2 Gerhard Mitter Udo Sch�tz | 54 | Best Sports Racing | 9041 | |
8 | Lola T70 Coup� Chris Craft Eric Liddell | 7 S5.0 | Best | 9283 | |
DNF | Ford F3L P68 Denny Hulme Frank Gardner | 58 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 400 698458 | |
Monza | |||||
DNF | Ferrari 312 P Pedro Rodriguez Peter Schetty SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 2 P 3.0 | Best | 9221 | |
DNF | Ferrari 312 P Mario Andretti Chris Amon SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 1 P 3.0 | Best | 9227 | |
Targa Florio | |||||
1 | Porsche 908/2 Gerhard Mitter Udo Schütz Porsche System Engineering | 266 P3.0 | Ebbro | 43729 | |
Best | 9195 | ||||
2 | Porsche 908/2 Vic Elford Umberto Maglioli Porsche System Engineering | 270 P3.0 | Best | 9238 | |
3 | Porsche 908/2 Rolf Stommelen Hans Herrmann Porsche System Engineering | 274 P3.0 | Best | 9670 | |
Lorenzi | 0209 | ||||
4 | Porsche 908/2 Willy Kauhsen Karl von Wendt Porsche System Engineering | 272 P3.0 | Best | 9482 | |
5 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Enrico Pinto Giovanni Alberti | 248 P3.0 | Best | 9137/2 | |
Best | 9137 | ||||
8 | Abarth | 178 | Best | ||
9 | Lancia Fulvia F&M Special Rauno Aaltonen Sandro Munari | 238 P 2.0 | Best | 9698 | |
11 | Abarth | 122 | Best | ||
21 | Porsche 908/2 Rudi Lins Gérard Larrousse Porsche System Engineering | 264 P3.0 | Best | 9209 | |
33 | Porsche 908/2 Richard Attwood Brian Redman Porsche System Engineering | 268 P3.0 | Best | 9666 | |
39 | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Nino Vaccarella Andrea de Adamich | 262 P3.0 | Best | 9147/2 | |
Best | 9147 | ||||
46 | Costin-Nathan GT | 206 | Spark | ||
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Ignazio Giunti Nanni Galli | 180 P 5.0 | Best | 9814 | |
Spa | |||||
1 | Porsche 908 Jo Siffert Brian Redman Porsche System Engineering | 25 P 3.0 | Spark | SB037 | |
2 | Ferrari 312 P Pedro Rodriguez David Piper SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 2 P 3.0 | Best | 9243 | |
Nurburgring | |||||
1 | Porsche 908/2 Jo Siffert Brian Redman Porsche System Engineering | 1 P 3.0 | Minichamps | 437692001 | |
Best | 9093 | ||||
2 | Porsche 908/2 Rolf Stommelen Hans Herrmann Porsche System Engineering | 4 P 3.0 | Best | 9771 | |
3 | Porsche 908/2 Vic Elford Kurt Ahrens, Jr. Porsche System Engineering | 3 P 3.0 | Best | 9754 | |
15 | Alfa Romeo | 86 | Best | 9514 | |
27 | Lancia | 50 | Best | ||
29 | Lancia | 51 | Best | ||
DNF | Ferrari 312 P Chris Amon Pedro Rodriguez SpA Ferrari SEFAC | 7 | Best | 9672 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Mk. 3B Jo Bonnier Herbert Müller | 55 S 5.0 | Super Champion | 34 | |
DNF | Alfa Romeo T33/2 Teddy Pilette Rob Slotemaker | 16 P 3.0 | Best | 9464 | |
Watkins Glen | |||||
1 | Porsche 908/2 Flunder Jo Siffert Brian Redman | 1 P 3.0 | Best | 9145 | |
5 | Ford GT40 Helmut Kelleners Reinhold Joest | 7 S 5.0 | Bang | 1030 | |
Zeltweg | |||||
1 | Porsche 917 Jo Siffert Kurt Ahrens, Jr. (First victory for a 917) | 29 S 5.0 | Spark | 1897 | |
DNF | Lola T70 Coup� David Piper Dieter Quester | 32 S 5.0 | Best | 9295 | |
Tour de France (Non-Championship) | |||||
1 | Porsche 911R G�rard Larrousse Maurice G�lin | 181 | Spark | S0946 | |
Vitesse Limited Edition | L042 | ||||
DNF | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Hedriud Syda | 142 | Box | 8442 | |
Best | 9015 | ||||
DNF | Porsche 910 Henri Balas Robert Neyret | 183 | Spark | S3476 | |
DNF | Ferrari 250 LM Jean-Pierre Rouget Jean C. Depret | 192 S +2.0 | Best | 9023/2 | |
Best | 9023 | ||||
Box | 8451 | ||||
Kyalami | |||||
1 | Porsche 917 'Coca-Cola' David Piper Richard Attwood | 9 J | True Scale | TSM114312 |