Auction-Bound Porsche 908 Short-Tail Is Vintage Race Car Perfection

A factory-entered Porsche 908 'Short-Tail' raced in the 1968 Spa 1000 Km will headline RM's August auction.

1968 Porsche 908 Works Short-Tail Coupe

By: Matt Kew

Published by: Adrian Padeanu

Feb 28, 2018 at 9:06am ET

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RM Sotheby’s will auction a 1968 Works Porsche 908 "Short-Tail" coupe at its Monterey sale, thought to be one of only five remaining of the 31 originally built.

The 908 K – "Kurzheck" meaning short-tail – has a 3-liter flat-8 engine that producing 350 horsepower. RM will be selling chassis 908-010, one-half of a two-car entry Porsche System Engineering fielded for the 1968 Spa 1000Km.

This Porsche was driven by Vic Elford, who won the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Porsche 907 the previous year, the marque’s first-ever outright win in a 24-hour endurance race. Alongside was Jochen Neerpasch, winner of Daytona in a 907 in 1968.

Elford led the race during his opening 32-lap stint before Neerpasch retired from the race with two laps to go, following a crash during wet conditions. Following which, 908-010 was retired by the factory and then sold into private Swiss ownership where it remained in storage for over two decades.

Check out a modern interpretation:

In the late 1990s, Porsche racing expert Dale Miller took it to the United States where it was sold to Bill Ferren. He oversaw a complete restoration by noted prototype expert John Corsen, who prepared the car for the 2004 Rennsport Reunion at Daytona.

During the most recent 12 years of ownership, the 908 "Short-Tail" Coupe has participated in numerous historic events and was featured in the Porsche By Design exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2013.

The car retains its repaired original chassis, as well as a recently serviced factory 908 engine.

Chassis 908-010 is listed with an estimate of $2.3 million to $2.8M for the August 24/25 sale. In 2016, Gooding & Company auctioned 908-011 which finished third in the 1968 Spa 1000Km, then listed for $3M.

Car specialist David Swig said: "Built to maximize the new 3-liter displacement limits put forth by the FIA at the time, the 908 took a big evolutionary step from the 904, 906, and 907 that came before it. Introduced in 1968 and raced up until the early 1980s, the model had a useful competition life of almost 15 years – an incredibly long time in endurance racing."

"Chassis 908-010 is one of very few of the first-series 908s, which pioneered the development of the 908/02 and 908/03; these models went on to become some of Porsche’s most celebrated and successful race cars of all time. Driven by two of the great Porsche team drivers of the 1960s in one of the marque’s final years in official Works competition, 908-010 is an important piece of motorsport history."

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RM global head of auctions Gord Duff said: "The 908 prototype is a fantastic early highlight for our Monterey sale, made even more exciting by its offering during Porsche’s 70th anniversary year."

Photos: Robin Adams / RM Sotheby's