1966 Porsche 906

Although it was a successor to Porsche’s winning 904 GTS race car, the 906 Carrera 6 featured a nearly comprehensive redesign, with development closely supervised by Ferdinand Piëch himself in the factory experimental department. Summarized in a nutshell, the 904 was the ultimate racing variant of the 4-cylinder 356 model, while the 906 was the first racing machine based on the new 911 road car. The 906 boasted a featherweight multi-tubular spaceframe chassis of notable stiffness, powered by a 210-horsepower 6-cylinder Carrera engine, and wrapped in molded fiberglass bodywork. With a low weight of just 1,235 pounds, the model possessed a remarkable power-to-weight ratio that was masterfully realized in numerous forthcoming competition victories. A total of 65 Carrera 6 examples were produced, of which 52 had the 2.0-liter engine. In the hands of privateer drivers, the model utterly dominated world-class 2-liter endurance racing for two seasons while becoming one of the most memorably powerful and beautiful competition automobiles of its era. Major accomplishments during 1966 included victories at the Targa Florio and Paris Grand Prix, a sweep of 4th through 7th place at Le Mans, and class wins at Daytona, Sebring, Spa and Monza. Privateer wins extended well into 1968 as the 906 dominated Continental sports car races and SCCA events. Even today, the shape of the 906 Carrera 6 is instantly recognizable to Porsche enthusiasts worldwide, perhaps as iconic as the 911 itself. It represents one of the most significant models Stuttgart ever produced — and the final road-legal race car Porsche ever built.