Experimental Porsche 2nd

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33563, 18 June 1974, Page 30

Experimental Porsche 2nd

(N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) LE MANS. A futuristic version of an everyday Porsche which glows white-hot in the night and has a big-enough wing to fly finished second to the all-conquering Matra-Simca in the Le Mans 24-hour race.

The Porsche Carrera Turbo is what is known as a “silhouette” car—a machine that keeps the basic shape of a production model but which has been supercharged and improved so much that it is really a prototype. Early next week the international body which governs motor racing is expected to decide that this is the car of the future. It may scrap the present world championship reserved for prototypes like the Matras, Alfa-Romeos and Ferraris and replace it by another reserved for “silhouettes.”

The Porsche Carrera Turbo bears as little resemblance to the production car as the racing Matra does to their Bagheera production car. The engine power is boosted to 450 h.p. by a high-speed compressor which pumps air into the motor and glows white-hot in the night. In the Le Mans race it proved remarkably reliable and able to beat morefancied and much faster cars, coming to within three minutes of snatching the lead from the winners, H. Pescarolo and. G. Larousse. A HAT-TRICK

It was Pescarolo’s third victory in a row in the event and also gave the French Matra stable a hattrick.

Pescarolo and Larousse won the event last year, and Britain’s Graham Hill teamed with Pescarolo to win the gruelling race in 1972. The experimental Porsche Carrera was driven by G. van Lennep (Netherlands) and H. Muller (Switzerland). A second Matra, driven by F. Migault and J. P. Jabouille was third, and the

Gulf Ford of Britain’s D. Bell and M. Hailwood fourth.

The win gave MatraSimca a clear lead in the world sports car championship with 80 points, over Alfa-Romeo with 50, Porsche 49, and Gulf 45.