Technology in race cars (9): Porsche 804 - Aero number

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Technology in race cars (9): Porsche 804 - Aero number

Created on October 2, 2021

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv Gerhard Schütz

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Bruno von Rotz

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Porsche Museum

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ISC Archives/Daytona Speedway

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Archiv Porsche AG

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Archiv Daytona

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Porsche 804 (1962) - more than just competitive

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Porsche 804 (1962) - the "little Silver Arrow"

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Porsche 804 (1962) - Gurney on Porsche chases Brabham on Lotus (Rouen 1962)

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Porsche 804 (1962) - Dan Gurney at the 1962 Rouen Grand Prix

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Porsche 804 (1962) - flat and wide in the grille cage, the 8-cylinder boxer engine

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Porsche 804 (1962) - the engine as a sculpture

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Porsche 804 (1962) - horizontal ventilation wheel drew 84,000 liters per minute

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Porsche 804 (1962) - section through the engine, the camshaft drive is clearly visible

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Porsche 804 (1962) - Technical package for the slipstream race in Monza 1962

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Porsche 804 (1962) - tubular frame, very classic

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Porsche 804 (1962) - the tubular frame weighed only 34 kg

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Porsche 804 (1962) - in Monza high-speed configuration with wheel disks, covered rear wishbones and GRP body parts

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Porsche 804 (1962) - a broad back can also be delightful

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Porsche 804 (1962) - Front suspension with torsion bar spring, activated by the upper wishbone

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Porsche 804 (1962) - Camping with a racing car - Test drives in Hockenheim in 1962

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Porsche 804 (1962) - the brake grabs from the inside

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Porsche 804 (1962) - beach chair instead of grandstand (debut Zandvoort 1962)

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Porsche 804 (1962) - there was no upgrade for 1963, despite Gurney's victory in Rouen

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Porsche 804 (1962) - at the Solitude Revival 2011

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Solitude 1962 - Dan Gurney wins Formula 1 with the Porsche 804

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Porsche Type 718 Formula 2 (1960) and Porsche Type 804 Formula 1 (1962)

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24 Hours of Daytona 1968 - Porsche celebrates the triple victory of the Porsche 907 with additional laps of honor in formation

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24 Hours of Daytona 1968 - formation lap after the triple victory of the Porsche 907 Longtail

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Porsche 804 (1962) - at the Solitude Revival 2011

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Goodwood Revival 2012 - Tribute to Dan Gurney - Jacky Stewart drives the Porsche 804

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Porsche 804 (1962) - in the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari

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Summary

After the successes in Formula 2, it was a logical next step for Porsche to move up to the more prestigious Formula 1. A new car was built for this purpose, the Porsche 804, and a new engine, which, true to previous experience, was an air-cooled boxer engine. Although successful, the Formula 1 project was soon stopped again, and with good reason. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars from 1958 to 1978" describes the design of the Porsche 804 from 1962.

This article contains the following chapters

New Formula 1 target
High engine complexity
Engine successfully used in sports car racing
Proven chassis design
Retrofitted in the wind tunnel
Innovative brakes
Two victories

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958-1978 were the two most creative decades in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most innovative, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy cars, sports cars and CanAm, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. The series started with Lotus, one of the most important innovation drivers of these two decades. And the series will also finish with Lotus: With the first ground-effect Formula 1 to win a world championship in 1978, the Type 79. The air-cooled Porsche 804 is an example of an innovative project that, despite winning the French Grand Prix in Rouen in 1962, was withdrawn prematurely and thus failed before it could really show what it was made of.

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