Porsche 908 Kurz, Langheck, and Spyder (LINK TO CHASSIS NUMBER LIST)
The 908's motor made it a vastly different car than the 907.
Though both the 907 and the 908 shared eight-cylinder motors, the
907's Type 771 2.2-liter motor was far more complex than the 908's
3.0-liter unit (the Type 908). The 908's motor was intended, to some
extent, to be a production motor. As a result, it was much
simpler than the Type 771, which was, essentially, a Grand Prix motor.
Whereas the 907 unit, with its gear-driven accessories, would
take close to 300 hours to rebuild, the 908's (with chain-driven
camshafts and belt-driven accessories) could be rebuilt in about 25
hours. Early in its development, the 908 motor would produce 320
hp and, by the end of 1968, partly because of an increase of 1 mm in
the bore, it would produce 350 hp.
To handle the power of the Type 908 motor, a new six-speed gearbox (the
Type 916) was designed later in 1968. This gearbox would also
be fitted to 907s in
1968.
The early 908 chassis was almost identical to the 907 chassis (and both
shared the same 90.6" wheelbase).
Only
the rear bulkhead on the right side was moved a few centimeters forward
to accomodate the right side of the Type 908 motor. The first 12,
"000" to "011," along with "017" to "021" (that I believe were
earlier chassis renumbered by Porsche), had a chassis made of
steel. "012" to "016" and "022" to "031," had aluminum chassis.
Early on, two additional tubes were added at the rear of the
frame, triangulating an area above the gearbox.
As far as bodies go, the early 908s were nearly identical to the 907.
Both had the same suspension and steering, and ran on 13" wheels.
After Monza in 1968, 908s would run on 15" wheels. To
accomodate the bigger wheels, the 908's body was then widened by 4.3"
and the fenders were higher (and bigger) than the 907's.
Documenting the early 908s (and the 907s for that matter) has
been difficult for historians. I believe that the essence
of the problem lies in the increasingly developmental and disposable
nature of Porsche's racecar program. It
simply was not economically feasible to build a single run of 25 or
more 908s (or 907s). There weren't enough serious privateers to
absorb such a
quantity of competition cars. Though several 907s would be sold to
privateers, very few early 908s were ever sold. I believe that,
for the first series of the 908, Porsche entered into a recycling
program where a few cars would be built, then be used for tests and/or
a race
or two, and then, finally, be disassembled. The usable parts,
including some chassis I believe, would be reassembled into a new
car, with a new chassis number. Therefore, though first series
908 chassis numbers run from "000" to "031," I highly doubt that
significantly more than a dozen existed as complete cars beyond 1968.
Very few (only seven or so, I believe) were sold to privateers to race in
period. Notably, it does not appear as though any 908K Coupes were sold to privateers.
Furthermore, I believe that almost all of the first 16 908 chassis
(numbered "000" to
"015") were either scrapped
or renumbered. Therefore, if I am correct, it would mean
that,
beyond 1968, with perhaps a few exceptions, mainly 908 chassis with
numbers "016" to "031" would exist ("003" and "007," now in the Porsche
Museum, being obvious exceptions).
"017" to "021" were short ("Kurz"),
steel chassis, that, I believe, originally had numbers between
"005" and "011" and were renumbered by Porsche in 1968. A
Factory document shows "017" to "021" as Porsche's inventory of 908Ks
in 1968. I believe that only nine 908Ks were built (eight with a
steel chassis and one, "012," with an aluminum chassis, weighing about 45 pounds less than the steel chassis).
"016" and "022"
to "031" were Langheck, aluminum chassis. Among these, "016," "022," "024," "026," "027," and "031" are known to have been Langheck
cars that were converted to Spyders with a short ("K") tail and then sold to
privateers who raced them. "025" appears to have survived as a Langheck.
Among the Kurz Coupes, "018" and "019"
are known to have be sold by Porsche, along with Type 908 motors and Type 916 gearboxes, to Alan
Hamilton
in Australia in 1974. I believe that these two cars originally
carried numbers "009" and "011," respectively. Other than "007"
that is in the Porsche Museum, "018" and "019" appear to
be the only surviving 908Ks with a continuous, documented history. Others have appeared recently but I
suspect that they have little to do with the respective
908Ks that were built by Porsche. Again, though the following thirteen numbers have been listed as steel-framed Kurz
Coupes: "001," "005" through "011," and "017" through "021," I believe
that "017" to "021" actually find their origins in numbers "005" to
"011" and that, as a result, only eight in all were built. See CHASSIS NUMBER LIST.
