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Porsche Carrera GTS Type 904 - a piece of art made of plastic

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Created on September 1, 1985

Text:

Dr. Seifert

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv

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Daniel Reinhard

16

Archiv

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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The bodywork of the 904 was created at Heinkel in Speyer - (1964)

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The body is already contoured from individual parts - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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The racing coupe slowly takes shape - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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How glass silk multiplies plastic strength - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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This part, which is being sprayed with water here, emerged from the mold - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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The original model of the Porsche 904 made of Araldite resin - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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The complete frame with the Palatal body consisted of extremely torsion-resistant sheet steel profiles and weighed just 54 kilograms - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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These layers form the plastic structure - surface fleece, glass mat, glass fabric, glass mat, surface fleece - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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Here is the negative mold for the roof section - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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The contour of the door jamb is removed here - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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Here, the shredded synthetic fiber is sprayed on with a gun - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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The crushed glass silk strands are pressed on with a lambskin roller - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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Various artificial butt joints are simply glued together and fixed with clamps during the curing process - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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Porsche Carrera GTS Type 904 - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Porsche 904 GTS (1965)

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Bei Heinkel in Speyer entstand die Carrosserie des 904 - (1964)

Aus Einzelteilen konturiert sich bereits der Aufbau - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Das Rennsport-Coupe nimmt langsam Formen an - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Wie Glasseide die Kunststoff-Festigkeit multipliziert - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Aus der Form ist dieses Teil hervorgegangen das hier mit Wasser abgespritzt wird - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Das Ur-Modell des Porsche 904 aus Araldit-Kunstharzmasse - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Summary

On April 26, 1964, Porsche won its fifth victory in this classic race with a 904 GTS at the Targa Florio. Further victories followed at the Tour de France, at the 1000 km race on the Nürburgring, in Le Mans at the 24-hour race and in Reims. We describe the creation of the "plastic rocket" in a report from 1965.

This article contains the following chapters

The history of plastics
Plastic: slowly but surely on the rise
Plastics in car construction dominate interior design
There are many advantages to the new material
Cars with plastic bodywork
Production of the GTS body at Heinkel

Estimated reading time: 14min

Preview (beginning of the article)

On April 26, 1964, Porsche won its fifth victory in this classic race with a 904 GTS at the Targa Florio. Further victories followed at the Tour de France, at the 1000 km race on the Nürburgring, in Le Mans at the 24-hour race and in Reims. We describe the development of the "plastic rocket" in a report from 1965. "The new Porsche Gran Turismo Type 904, the crowning glory of the current Carrera program, is a thoroughbred sports instrument that continues the tradition of the Spider, RS and RSK models." In terms of lines, the racing coupé is very similar to the 2-liter 8-cylinder prototype of the previous year, which immediately won 3rd place overall in the Targa Florio with Bonnier/Vacarella. But whereas in 1962 they were still experimenting with a "slimmed-down" light alloy body, they had now switched to plastic, so that the car weighed 150 kilos less, i.e. only 650 kg without fuel. The Porsche 904 GTS with the further developed 4-cylinder Carrera engine, now delivering 180 hp at 7000 rpm, of which 100 units had already been completed by April 1 so that it could be homologated, was already so popular that it was being dubbed a "plastic rocket". No wonder, the factory quotes impressive times: from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.0 s, from 0 to 160/h in 11.8 s, top speed 270 km/h. Compared to the competition, the high-performance car was exceptionally inexpensive, costing just DM 45,000.

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Images of this article

Bei Heinkel in Speyer entstand die Carrosserie des 904 - (1964)

Aus Einzelteilen konturiert sich bereits der Aufbau - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Das Rennsport-Coupe nimmt langsam Formen an - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Wie Glasseide die Kunststoff-Festigkeit multipliziert - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Aus der Form ist dieses Teil hervorgegangen das hier mit Wasser abgespritzt wird - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

Das Ur-Modell des Porsche 904 aus Araldit-Kunstharzmasse - Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1964)

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