Chassis Number: 907031
It was May 19, 1968, the date of the Nürburgring 1000 Km, the sixth round in the International Championship for Makes. The showdown between Ford and Porsche was at its height: Porsche’s 907s won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, ahead of the mighty GT40s, which caught up with victories at Monza, Brands Hatch, Spa and Watkins Glen. Porsche bounced back on the Targa Florio, with a win for Elford and Maglioli’s 907.
To do battle at the Nürburgring, Porsche entered two 2-liter 907s and two 3-liter 908s. At the start, Siffert and Elford’s 908 quickly took the lead, followed by the Ford GT40 of Ickx and Hawkins. Behind them, the Porsche 907s of Herrmann/Stommelen and Neerpasch/Buzzetta laid in ambush. Stopping for fuel less often, Ickx’s Ford briefly held the lead, but Siffert regained the upper hand, with Herrmann and Stommelen’s 907 right behind him. Neerpasch, driving 907031 (the car we are presenting), lost time as he nearly ran out of fuel and limped back to the pits, but he held on to 4th place. At the finish, Porsche was triumphant, with a 908 and 907 1st and 2nd. Neerpasch and Buzzetta’s 907031 came home 4th, ahead of several Alfa Romeos and the Ford GT40 of Hobbs/Redman.
It is this car, chassis 907031, that we are offering for sale, and its 4th place in one of the toughest races in the world speaks volumes for its performance and endurance: With its 2.2-liter engine, it could hold its own with a 5-liter V8-engined rival. The Porsche 907031, the last but one built, left the workshop in Zuffenhausen a month before the race, with the final preparations carried out in May 1968.
