by "Blondude" (Blondude)
Published 01/31/2017 at 23:00
by "Blondude" (Blondude)
Published 01/31/2017 at 23:00
Tags: Oppositelock
; Goodnight Oppo
STARS: 5
"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
02/02/2017 at 06:54, STARS: 0
Wow, that is a lovely picture. I wonder whether it is a replica or a real one?
The 906 is extremely important in Porsche racing history. One may even argue that competition-wise it was the most important project they ever did. As gorgeous as the 904 is, it was a technological dead-end: its development can be traced back to those charming little cars like the RSK or the 550 - scarcely state of the art even then.
The 906 was a clean break with all that. It had a proper (spaceframe) chassis, a thorough aerodynamic study and, most importantly, proper suspension design (which for the first time started really taking into account questions such as unsprung weight, for example). In fact Porsche acquired some suspension parts from Lotus (uprights, if I remember correctly). Also it had a certain new flat-six engine. On top of that it was even possible to drive them on the road (carefully...)
For Porsche it was quantum leap. Starting with the 906 there is a clear evolutionary path leading to all Porsche racing cars that followed it.
Of course the 906 was Ferdinand Piëch’s baby and also the beginning of his onslaught for power in what still was Porsche KG. Things got so bad that five or six years later both his cousin “FA” Porsche, the designer, and Piëch were kicked out before there was some sort of Austrian civil war in Stuttgart.
Difficult to believe now but just 20-25 years ago people were still finding them in barns or lockups.