Porsche 908: The Long Distance Runner
By Jörg Thomas Födisch and Harold Schwarz
Perhaps Porsche’s 908 is remembered more for a race it lost than any of the many it won, but it remains the car that first established the marque as a constant threat for overall honors. That race is, of course, the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Hans Herrmann’s 908 fell just short of victory after an electrifying late duel with Jacky Ickx’s Ford GT40.
Built to the FIA’s 1968 regulations for Group 6, the 908 evolved from the 906 and formed the basis of the 917—as well as three of its own variations. It originally carried a 3.0-liter flat 8, but was subsequently fitted with a variety of engines, including the potent twin turbo flat 6 from the 935. Jo Siffert took an early version around the Nürburgring inside the F1 lap record, and 908s were still running competitively 20 years later.
Peter Albrecht’s first English translation of the original German work by Födisch and Schwarz chronicles all that history and much more, featuring many first-person accounts as well as contemporary reports. The package is illustrated with heretofore unseen photography from the Porsche archives and elsewhere, and completed with the inclusion of the 908’s full competition history.
Available for US$89.95 (£45) at enthusiast bookstores, as well as direct from publisher, Veloce Publishing at www.veloce.co.uk
