1968 Porsche 908 Works 'Short-Tail' Coupe
This Porsche 908 Works ‘Short-Tail’ Coupe was one of the first iterations of the legendary 908 and one of a mere handful of ex-Works short-tail prototypes surviving today. Often referred to as a 908 K or 'Kurzheck' (German term for 'short-tail'), the Porsche is powered by a 3-litre, flat 8-cylinder engine producing 350 bhp, and is one of two cars introduced by Porsche System Engineering as a Works entry at the 1968 Spa 1000 KM race.
Chassis 908-010 was entered at Spa as number six and piloted by Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch. As was often the case at this particular race, the drivers battled with the elements. Elford drove the first 32 laps, leading on multiple occasions, before Neerpasch took the wheel. Unfortunately, the wet track led Neerpasch to slide off the track just two laps in, causing an accident and forcing the car to be retired from the race. 908-010 would not race again for the factory team and was sold to private hands in Switzerland where it sat in storage for more than two decades.
In the late 1990s, the car was rediscovered and taken to the United States, where it was sold and then underwent a complete restoration in time for the 2004 Rennsport Reunion at Daytona. Under current ownership for the last 12 years, the 908 ‘Short-Tail’ Coupe has participated in numerous vintage events and was featured in the Porsche By Design exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2013-2014.
RM Sotheby's will be offering this very car at their upcoming Monterey auction between the 24-25th August. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos: Robin Adams ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's.