718 RSK RS60 RS61

[Rickie]

In my post #37758 the photo shows RSK race number 29. That is the Behra/ Hermann 3rd overall '58 LeMans machine. I discovered the true chassis number of this car while it was the one of two RSK's owned by Michael Graham of Greenwich Connecticut, and was able to help my friend Murray Smith acquire this car. It was restored by Tony Dutton at Northumberland Engineering and driven by him at Monterey. I was fortunate enough to race #28 in the same event.

[Porschinelle]

The 1958 Le Mans 24 hours race were held June 21st/22nd
For Porsche it was the occasion to enter 3 off 718 RSK
718RSK 005 race number 29 for Jean Behra/Hans Hermann
718RSK 004 race number 30 for Claude Storez/Richard von Frankenberg
718RSK 003 race number 31 for Edgar Barth/Paul Frere
This edition was raced with very bad weather conditions and only 20 off cars out of the 60 starters finish the race
Again the occasion for Porsche to proove the extraordinary reliability of their cars with 4 cars finishing out of the 5 starters
With their small 1.6 engine Jean Behra/Hans Herman were 3rd overall behind the 3 liter Ferrari 250TR of Olivier Gendebien/Phill Hill and the 3.0 Liter Aston Martin of the Withehead brothers
Edgar Barth/Paul Frere were 4th overall
The Porsche success was completerd, by the 5th place overall of the private 550 RS 0145 of Carel Godin de Beaufort/

This success was immortalised by the following video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCRBAeNPKCI

[356]

[Stormin]

Not the smoothest drive I've seen and the engine complaining at being lugged while out of the power band, painful to the ears.

[Porschinelle]

another video of the same car and same pilot not so good as the one already posted but still enjoyable mainly the music of the 4 cams from inside the car is far away less excitant than when it is taken from outside
I have also been surprised that Dereck Bell drive most of the time on couple not changing gears


www.youtube.com/watch?v=izMu4biA828

[Porschinelle]

For those who have not yet seen it a quite fantastic Petrolicious video turn in Sicilia on the roads used in the past to race the Targa Florio by Porsche in 2016 at the occasion of the launch of the 718 Boxter
The driver is Dereck Bell, english pilot born in October 1941, who raced 26 times the Le Mans 24 hours from 1970 to 1996 and 13 times for Porsche with 4 overall wins
The car tried is 718 RS 60 041 (presumably from the Porsche Stuttgart museum) winner of the 1960 Targa Florio with the team Jo Bonnier/Hans Herrmann









www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y25dYXbr5M

[Rickie]

RSK 718-009 and 718-005 at Monterey 1986.

[Rickie]

Wonderful well known photo by the great Julius Weitmann of the race mechanics wheeling out 3 of the "customer cars" from Werkes I. Unlike almost all of the 9 (10) works cars which had maroon/wine upholstery. the customer cars had parchment colored interior trim. they also had Wendler badges on the lower flank, which did not appear on the factory cars, and a Porsche logo emblem on the hood.
There was no number 718-010 produced, a well known fact which I confirmed personally in Zuffenhausen from the factory records, but there was a 1 and an 001, so there actually were 10 works cars.

[356]

[Porschinelle]

Thanks Ric for your explanation
Everything ckearer now

[Rickie]

The upper photo with the front end damage was actually taken during practice for the Ollon-Villars hillclimb in Switzerland on the last weekend of August, 1958. Trips did compete in the damaged car with race number 130, where he finished sixth. Note that the iconic "Spyder" outside mirror is not on the car, although the mounting holes can be seen. Also the fog lights and the four tonneau snap bases for the half tonneau on the rear decklid front attest to its prior use in long distance track competition, likely Le Mans. Jean Behra set a course record on a dry hill in practice in another works entry, but only finished 11th in the rain.

[Porschinelle]

Recondsidering what I have post above I have written something wrong
Both pics have been taken in May 1959 during the Targa Florio
Car race number 130 was effectively driven by Jo Bonnier/Wolfgang von Trips
The 2 gents examining the 718 RSK are Wolfgang von Trips and Huschke von Hanstein but even if they wear the same race number they are 2 different cars
(no fog lights on Jo Bonnier car and 130 painted at a different place)
718RSK race number did not finish the race but may be not because it had an accident
Vraissembly a reconnaissance car

[Porschinelle]

Wolfgang von Trips (right) examining with Huschke von Hanstein the 718 RSK race number 130 that he shared with Jo Bonnier at the 1959 Targa Florio after the accident who force them to abandon the race
Note Huschke camera on the car bonnet

That same car before the accident

[alan hall]

Delivered with the soft top.

[Jbrooks]

Nice place to store the jack