One of the most authentic 907s

The 907 marked an important turning point for Porsche. Introduced for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967, the model aimed not only at winning its category, as the 906 and 910 (referred to as the 906/10 by the factory) had done countless times, but also outright victory in the races for the World Endurance Championship. For example, to improve its chances of success, Ferdinand Piëch relocated the driver's seat on the right, as this gave an advantage on racetracks. The first 907s were 'long tail' (LH or Langheck) versions, with a 6-cylinder 2-litre engine, and the model got off to a good start, finishing 5th at Le Mans in 1967, at an average speed of over 200kph, behind the 7-litre Fords and 4-litre Ferraris.

The following year, Porsche took advantage of the changes to the regulations, which limited the capacity for Prototypes to 3 litres and for the Sports category to 5 litres, so excluding the Ford GT40 Mk IIs and Ferrari P4s. Ready from the start of the season, the 907s - now fitted with a more powerful 2.2-litre 8-cylinder engine (280bhp) - took the first three places at the 24 Hours of Daytona. It was a small step for the 907 to evolve into the 908, with the 8-cylinder engine bored out to 3 litres. After narrowly missing out to Ford for the world title in 1968, Porsche won it for the first time in 1969, thanks to the 908. The 907 thus marked the company's first step towards the domination that continued with the 917 in 1971 and 1972.

Altogether, 21 examples of the Porsche 907 were built: six in 1967 and fifteen in 1968. The last twelve were the more versatile short tail models. In 1968, the 907 was the overall winner of three rounds of the championship: the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Targa Florio.

The car featured here is no. 907-031, the penultimate 907 (the final production chassis number being 907-032), built as a short tail version with a 2.2-litre 8-cylinder engine developing 270bhp. It comes with a wealth of history, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, 1971 and 1972 as well as finishing a strong 4th at the Nürburgring 1000 Km in 1968.

This stunning factory 1968 Porsche 907 is available at Artcurial’s upcoming Rétromobile Sale held between the 18th-19th February 2022 in Paris. It is estimated to fetch between €4m-€6m. Photos © Peter Singhof / Artcurial / Motorsport Images / McKlein.de