Page 5 - KCRPCA March-April

0-60 mph (97 km/h) : <6 seconds Top speed: 160 mph (260 km/h)
The Carrera GTS Type 904 was the rst Porsche to have a separate chassis, a glass-reinforced plastic body and a mid- ship-mounted engine. The four-cam, four-cylinder engine produced about 180 horsepower in racing trim.
The 904 prototype was introduced in 1963. It was de- signed by Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche, the grand- son of company founder, Ferdinand Porsche. One hundred had to be built in order for it to meet International Auto- mobile Federation regulations for racing. The sleek and aerodynamic body is roughly 42 inches tall and looks as gorgeous today as it did more than 40 years ago. Serra sur- mises that about 60 904s still exist.
Serra has restored the car to its original condition. When he got it, it had the wrong wheels, no headlight covers, no underbody pans and a missing muf er shield, but all of those items are intact once again. With its dark blue uphol- stery and silver paint, it looks like it did back in 1965.
Since the 904 weighs about 1,350 pounds, the small en- gine propelled it to 60 miles hour in roughly ve seconds, and to a top speed of 164 mph. Its rst victory was the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1964. A long streak of race wins fol- lowed.
Has Serra ever driven it on a track? No. He said he doesn’t want to risk it because it is so rare and valuable. He shows it at Porsche meets and occasionally drives it on the street. Even that is a challenge, he said, because it sits so low that beer cans and turtles are road hazards.
- Tom
Photos by Stan Thorne
Reader’s Rides
KCRPCA CARS
Robert Serra of Kansas City, Kan., relishes his Porsche 904 like an art connoisseur cherish- es great artwork. Serra, a Kansas dis- trict judge in Wyandotte County and the vice consul of Italy, is a longtime Porsche enthusiast. Owning a 904 is his crowning achievement.
Tom Strongman
Mar / Apr 2018
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