Steve Lawing of Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.

is pleased to announce the development of a

PORSCHE 904 CARRERA GTS TRIBUTE CAR

The Specialty Auto-Sports (SAS) 904 Carrera GTS tribute is being designed and built as a refined street sports car with modern amenities.  Other assemblers of 904 replicas strive to retain most, if not all, of the race track features attributable to the original racing Porsche 904.  SAS believes that many would prefer a version of this memorable car in a more sophisticated version just as they do in the famous SAS 356A Speedsters, Cabriolets, and Coupes.

 

Modern Day Replicas

Replicas of the 904 are currently being produced by a number of companies including Martin and Walker in the UK, and Beck and Thunder Ranch in the US.  For those who prefer to have a race track car they should visit these folks.

 

The other Approach

This refined SAS 904 GTS (Gentleman's Touring Special) tribute car combines the best of retro automotive styling and racing history with selected modern amenities to create the SAS 904/6 GTS - a truly desirable modern touring car.

• The car is powered by a mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted Subaru 3.0 liter Boxer 6 engine that creates 245 HP and 215 pound-feet of torque.  The 3.6 liter Boxer 6 version is also available as is the turbocharged 275hp 2.5 liter 4 cylinder, and the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder 170 hp.

• It is available with a 5-speed manual or automatic overdrive transmission.

• The well-appointed leather interior is fitted with comfortable seats.

• What Gentleman's car would not have a powerful hot water heater and defroster with an electronically blended air conditioning system ?

• Power windows, 4 wheel power brakes, intermittent wipers, hidden modern sound system, emphasis on sound deadening, and effective weather proofing assure your driving comfort under all weather conditions without losing much of the feel of a vintage racer.

 

If sterling performance combined with ergonomic comfort is important to you then you will indeed be pleased with the very limited production SAS 904 Carrera GTS tribute just as are our 356A Speedster, Cabriolet, and Coupe clients.

Developmental data will follow in future Newsletters.

We are not taking orders, accepting deposits, holding queue positions, or promising date of availability.  We are promising a correct appearing, well engineered,  reliable, and enjoyable replica of a deserving icon

 

   Interested?  Contact Steve at 865-925-2500.  or  

 

   

 

Original car file photo

History of the 904 GTS

After retiring from F1 at the end of the 1962 season, Porsche focused again on sports cars.  The 904 debuted in 1964 as a successor to the Porsche 718, which had been introduced in 1957.  The 904 was the first Porsche to use a fiberglass body.  While many German race cars had used unpainted aluminum bodies since the famous 1934 Silver Arrows, most 904s were painted silver, the German racing color.  The 904 marked the beginning of a series of sports cars that culminated in the mighty Porsche 917.

 

Porsche initially designed the GTS variant to compete in the FIA-GT class at international racing events.  In 1964 the street-legal version debuted and complied with GT class homologation regulations requiring a certain number of road worthy variations be sold.  Both versions featured a fiberglass body bonded to a steel chassis for increased rigidity.   The mid-engine layout was inherited from the Porsche 718 known as the RSK which was the leading race car for Porsche.

The 1964 models featured an aggressively tuned 180 hp version of the four-cam, flat four-cylinder "Fuhrmann" engine, originally designed for race use in the 550 Spyder, and later the 356 Carrera engine with 130 hp.  To satisfy demand, twenty 1965 models were produced, some featuring a variant of the 911's flat six-cylinder engine.  The six-cylinder units were identified as the 904/6.

A race prepared four-cylinder 904 weighed approximately 1,443 pounds and could accelerate to 60 mph from a standstill in under six seconds with a top speed of 160 mph.  Since the 904's fiberglass body was made by spraying chopped fiberglass into a mold, the amount sprayed often varied in thickness over the shape of the car and as a result the weight of the cars was inconsistent.  Due to the less weight issues of the first generation plastic body, the 904's successor, the 1966 Porsche 906 or "Carrera 6", was developed with a tubular space frame covered with an unstressed, lighter fiberglass body.

Racing

During its debut race season in 1964, the 904 won outright at the Targa Florio race in Italy, one of Porsche's many wins at the event.  Another event during that season included the winning of first place in P3.0 at Sebring 12 Hours by Briggs Cunningham and Lake Underwood.