Friday 21st October 2011

Pic Of The Week: Porsche 908 At Laguna Seca

Brian Redman takes a Targa Florio winner down Corkscrew

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Here at PH Towers we're not 100% sure if this is the 'actual' Porsche 908 that British racing legend Brian Redman triumphed with at the 1970 Targa Florio, so if anybody out there does know either way - be a sport and share.

Until somebody steps up with the info, all we can tell you is that this is definitely a Porsche 908 of some important provenance, sporting glorious Gulf racing colours. Oh, and that 74 year old Mr Redman is definitely the legend at the wheel.

The picture was taken at the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca last weekend, and even if we knew less about it than we do, we'd still know fantastic desktop fodder when we saw it!

Meanwhile, we look forward to our PH-style history lesson in the thread below, and here's a bit of extra video action on the side...

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[randombloke]

Fancy putting up the right size pictures? they are all tiny.

[MattDell]

Should be good now.

[randombloke]

Lovely lovely lovely. thats my background for the next year sorted.

[BMWill]

Saw this on Jalopnik a few days ago... Love that track!

[Chunkychucky]

Perfect picture ruined by the driver's boatrace gurning away in the cockpit

[shoestring7]

Is that Brian Redman in the seat?

SS7
PS Doh!

Edited by shoestring7 on Friday 21st October 11:58

[The Angry Gopher]

Chunkychucky said:

Perfect picture ruined by the driver's boatrace gurning away in the cockpit

Legend though Brian may be, that's what full face helmets were designed for.

[Ipelm]

The archive results show chassis 008 as the winning car and 009 as the second place car. However as you dont publish/dont have any details on the car that doesnt really help!! Sorry

[mark3man]

Brian gets all the luck ! a few laps again in THAT car.
He took some of us round Lime Rock in a DB4GT a couple of years ago. A real master of racecar control and the nicest of guys. And quite as heroic in the bar afterwards......

[Ipelm]

I found the following on the web from the James List which if I have read it correctly seems to suggest that this ISN'T the actual WINNING car?? Assuming that this California car is the same as the car in your photo, but with a different paint job and rear bodywork which it might not be I suppose. The Laguna car could have been the factory Museum car shipped over for the event but I cant find any chassis or id for that car, and besides the Museum car has the proper paint job where as the car in your photo is different and not I think very accurate. Anyone got a catalogue for the museum?

Anyway below is the details of the Californian domiciled 908/3 chassis 003.

"1970 Targa Florio Porsche 908/3


October 13, 2011


California’s Tillack is offering the amazing ex-Vic Elford 1970 Targa Florio works entry Porsche 908/3 for sale at about $1.4 million. In Italy Elford qualified in second position in the beautiful car while the race was won by Siffert and Redman in the other 908/3. The car was then repaired and upgraded to 1971 specification, following which Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko entered it in the 1000 km race at Nürburgring. The Martini sponsored car finished third right after two other 908/3s driven by Elford/Larrousse and Rodriguez/ Siffert, making it one of the most successful racers of the era.

The 908/3 was originally introduced to complement the legendary longer Porsche 917 on twisty tracks that favored more nimble racers, and its successes have been pretty much eclipsed by its more famous sibling. Other 908 versions are equally notable; Steve McQueen drove a 908/2 in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring. Today the car is presented in its 1970 Targa Florio sunburst over white livery as restored by Moorespeed for its debut at the 2000 Monterey Historic Races. The car was then sold to a client in Europe where it was campaigned actively before returning to the US in 2007 and raced again at the Monterey Historic Races."

Edited by Ipelm on Friday 21st October 14:51

Edited by Ipelm on Friday 21st October 15:29

Edited by Ipelm on Friday 21st October 15:33

[redpen]

Chunkychucky said:

Perfect picture ruined by the driver's boatrace gurning away in the cockpit

I think my jaw would drop too down the cork screw in one of those - that's one of the reasons this is a great photograph!

[thewheelman]

A racing Porsche in Gulf livery......

[Ipelm]

thewheelman said:

A racing Porsche in Gulf livery......

I think however that the livery is is not accurate. I havent seen any photos of this particular interpretation of the nose of the car.

[rathur]

I was fornunate to be at the event, it was brillant. 935, 906, 908, 917s racing down the corkscrew. Very memorable.

[sc00byd00byd00]

Driver looks like Dr. Edgemar (Roy Brocksmith) from Total Recall - The Doctor supposedly implanted holographic projection to pursuade him to swallow a pill as a symbol of his willingness to leave his dream.

http://im.in.com/connect/images/profile/nov2009/Ro...

[Merle]

I was at this event and I can say for sure that you had better start preparing to go to the next one there in 2014.

[DS240]

Too much talking in the vid and not enough of the cars... plus it smelt a bit of a 991 advert also by the end.