At the end of the 1962 season, Porsche announced that it would be abandoning its Formula One efforts to focus on other endeavors and racing series. Only a year or two later, Ferdinand Piëch — the grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche — was tasked with designing a new sports car racer from the ground up, resulting in the 904 debuting in 1964. A few short years later in 1966, Porsche introduced the 904’s successor with the much-improved 906. Also known as the “Carrera 6,” this aerodynamic endurance racer would go on to achieve ample success in a variety of different events over its years in service. With only 62 units ever produced, all Carrera 6 specimens are extremely rare and immensely valuable, though recently it was announced that one of the winningest and most historically significant Porsche 906 examples in existence will soon be heading to auction.
Sporting gull-wing doors, an aircraft-inspired cockpit, and what was then a state-of-the-art aero kit, this soon-to-be-auctioned-off example left the factory in ’66 and shortly after was campaigned over the course of the next several race seasons. During this time it amassed numerous high-profile wins, including taking first place at the 1968 Suzuka 500 and the top spots on the podium at the Suzuka 1000 the years directly before and after in ’67 and ’69, respectively. Good for 260hp at around 6,500rpm, this Carrera 6 was powered by an air-cooled 2.5-liter single-overhead-cam flat-six engine that was fed via a set of twin 46IDA 3C Weber carbs and mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The brand’s 906 racer also came outfitted with then cutting-edge four-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel fully independent suspension.
After finally being replaced by its own successor, the Porsche 910 — or “Carrera 10” — this 906 specimen would trade hands on several occasions, though it remained in its original race-used, period-correct, matching-numbers condition all the while. Eventually it ended up in the tutelage of noted Yokohama-based Japanese Porsche enthusiast and collector Takashi Yasunaga, who, in 1992, commissioned the Stuttgart firm to perform a meticulous ground-up factory restoration of the endurance racer, returning the vehicle to its former glory. Fast forward to today, and this particular factory-restored matching numbers 906 example — which is due to soon cross the auction block — is also eligible for a myriad of premier league competition events around the world.
Slated to cross the auction block this August at Bonhams’ The Quail Auction in Carmel, California, this 1966 Porsche 906 ‘Carrera Six’ Two-Seat Endurance Racing Coupe is expected to fetch between $2,200,000 and $2,500,000 when it takes its turn going under the hammer next month.
