Classic Porsche Reborn: The Gullwing-America P/904 Carrera

The original Porsche 904 GTS Carrera of 1964/65 arrived at the tail-end of Porsche’s exiting from Formula 1 (in ’62) and set the stage for their ensuing dominance in subsequent road-racing efforts (take a long, well-deserved bow, Porsche 917). For homologation purposes, Porsche built 106 street-legal versions of the original 904, of which instantly deemed it a rather rare occurance to see one in-the-metal over the years…

The iconic 1964 Porsche 904 GTS

Since then, the 904 has gathered an almost legendary plume of respect and admiration amongst Porsche enthusiasts, collectors and race fans the world over. To own an original 904 would be a dream come true… To drive one would be a treat unlike any other, as the driving-legend himself, Walter Rohrl, found out last year…

Now though, Gullwing-America has unwrapped its modern-day take on the iconic 904 with its retro P/904 Carrera. Based on the 987 (’05-’11) Boxster platform, the P/904 retains the same 3.4L engine (rated at 295 bhp) and also borrows the same slick 6-speed manual transmission, the ABS and the power-steering unit to aid in the updating of a classic design flourished with modern-day familiarities.

Those modern-day ‘updates’ include a full instrument panel and center console with Sat-nav (GPS) and an iPod dock along with air conditioning as well. Bespoke seats, dashboard and steering wheel are also part of the unique 904 re-creation process. Outside, you’re treated to LED lights, a retractable rear-spoiler, a lowered ride-height and tasty 18″ Fuchs design wheels…

Cost for the total conversion comes in at a hefty 70,000 euros (approx $91,000) not including the donor porsche Boxster… but if you already own an ’05-’11 Boxster and you’re looking to ‘upgrade’ to something utterly unique, sexy and forever desireable then this might just be what you’re looking for… I mean c’mon…. Look at it…!!

-Blake J.
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Toyota 2000GT: The Land Speed Record Trials

Back in October of 1966, a team of Toyota speed wizards showed up at the Yatabe Test Track in Japan (now long-gone, sadly) with a lightly modified Toyota 2000GT in an attempt to smash a whole load of various Land Speed records. Their aims and goals were set high for this occasion – 3 days and 6 hours of successful, non-stop running would help in achieving those goals.

With the debut of the Toyota 2000GT prototype at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, four development mules were constructed around the ‘280-A1’ prototype with various racing and speed testing in mind. Some bodies were lightweight versions made from hand-beaten aluminium (for racing purposes) and some were constructed from steel (for the high-speed trials).

The car you see in these pictures (and video below) is rumoured to be the actual prototype ‘280-A1’ that was originally shown at the ’65 Tokyo Motor Show, albeit completely rebuilt and modified after catching fire during testing at Fuji Speedway in ’65 (after its lightweight/highly flammable magnesium wheels erupted in flames… oh dear). With a burnt-out shell on their hands, the Toyota Technocraft team set about rebuilding the car with the aim of obliterating the existing Land Speed records the following year in ’66…

And obliterate those records, it did – The 2000GT ran for 78 hours and in those 3.25 days it broke 13 International records and 3 World records for endurance and speed in the 1500-2000cc class with speeds averaging in the 206 km/h region.

After setting these impressive new records, the same car used to extract those world-record figures/numbers at Yatabe Test Track was eventually converted into a circuit racing car. Sadly, shortly thereafter the car was involved in a horrible crash whereupon it also caught fire and was subsequently destroyed.

An exact replica of the original record-breaking Green and Yellow 2000GT exists nowadays and can usually be seen at various motoring shows and exhibitions throughout Japan.

-Blake J.
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