Equipment
Type 587/3 four-cam engine, Sebring race exhaust, alloy wheels, Dunlop Racing tires, single Talbot Berlin mirror, woodrim steering wheel.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Sold new from the factory to Italian racer Ernesto Prinoth, originally finished in Silver Metallic over blue velour. Entered in hill climbs and other regional events in period. Long term ownership in California starting in 1968. Its owner gave it a quick restoration and then used the car on the street for about 20 years before it went into storage from the 1980s until 2021. It has gotten recent restoration work at Emory Motorsports and an engine rebuild from Ed Pink Racing Engines, but cosmetically it still has the 1960s paint and seats. Retains its matching numbers engine and gearbox. The paint is faded, cracked and crazed everywhere but it's charming. Tidy underneath. Clean interior. Well preserved and mechanically sorted, this is an awesome 904.
Market commentary
Porsche built just 106 examples of the 904. It was the first Porsche with coil springs as well as the first of the so-called "plastic Porsches" thanks to the fiberglass bodywork that would be used on racing Porsches for the rest of the '60s. The 904 continued where the old 718 Spyder left off by winning on twisty circuits while competing with much more powerful cars everywhere else. Class wins came the 904's way all over the world, and one took overall victory at the 1964 Targa Florio. This one didn't really share much of the 904 legend on track, but it is a good, genuine, honest and sorted example with charming patina. And despite the paint finish not being original and despite the lack of race history, it sold at the very tip-top of the range that 904s typically sell for at auction. In fact, it's the most expensive 904 ever sold at auction as well as the top sale of this auction.