- BODY: Aurora
- WHEELS: Vincent
- TIRES: Road Race Replicas
This is the 2nd of the 4 Porsche 904 bodies I acquired, and like the earlier white one profiled some months ago, it is one of 2 that were originally pressed as slot bodies rather than being Cigar Box conversions. I don’t remember the exact figure and the info from ePay is long gone after over 2 years, but I know I got this as a body only and I know I got it cheap. It was a little rough, with the black stripe somewhat worn off from the roof. I was able to touch it up with nothing fancier than a black Sharpie, and I added a Porsche shield logo with a red roundel background to the front and of course a set of black on white “Ultracal” racing numbers. For a while it ran on a set of RRR wheels but I later traded these for the gunmetal and black “Alpina” style from Vincent that she now wears, coated with full-sized RRR silicone racing tires. Because some cars just seem undesirable in tan I think I paid less than $20 for it.
A “budget Porsche?” Well, no such thing for a 904! The air-cooled “flat” 4 cylinder, 4 camshaft engine that powers this legendary car has been referred to as “probably the most complex four-cylinder ever.” Relying on hemispherical combustion chambers and two 46 mm, 46IDA3 dual-choke Weber carburetors, the engine’s horsepower rating varied depending on application and choice of cam, engine timing and allowable rpm applications, and eventually was producing nearly 180hp in its final 1500cc form. Extensive use of aluminum and magnesium in the car’s construction as well as the air-cooled design made feather-light, and with the right final drive ratio was capable of up to 160 MPH, an astonishing top speed for such a small car with such a small engine. 904’s stormed to victory in road races all over Europe in 1964 and ’65, but their tenure was brief, and by 1966 it was replaced with the larger, six-cylinder model 906.
Don’t be fooled by its somewhat “sedate” color; there can be little question that “Ragnar”, the car featured here, carries one of the highest final drive ratios the 904 could be ordered with (3.636) due to its incredible top speed. This is a 1965 1500cc version, one of the later cars made, piloted by Warwick “Wolf” Wagner, the British-born offspring of an English mother and a German father who now lives in international California, and who brought the car over with him when he moved. The car is serviced and kept in tune by Brad Metzger, one of the head mechanics at The Outlaw Garage, so it always hits the track in top form. Wagner has won many Drag City Raceway trophies with this car and has several tournament wins to his name. He is known for his unwavering skill, having never had a serious wreck, let alone caused one. As a result “Ragnar” is in superb condition and as always with Porsches, is far more than the sum of its parts, capable of stomping cars that appear at the starting gate to be much bigger and more powerful. The combination of engineering and skill is hard to beat!
With a body like that, I think the subdued color is perfect. The car has so much drama in it’s lines, it doesn’t need a flash color. The touch ups you did look great! Those tires are something else and I’m not at all surprised this beauty carried him to the winners circle!