Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/883686
OCTOBER 2017 WWW.PNWR.ORG 53 Vic Elford receives the Rolex at Daytona, 1968. Porsche 908/03, chassis 003, Michael Alschner, copyright 2017, courtesy of RM Sotheby's. bodywork, it made you perspire slightly. In fact, the first time I saw a 908/03 must have been Christmas of '69. I was at Weissach and the engineers said 'would like to see the new 908/03?' I said 'yes, please' and of course, they took the sheets off and it didn't have any bodywork on. It looked like a big go-cart. It was pretty unnerving. There was very little in front of the driver's feet apart from the oil cooler." The nimble 908/03 performed very well in the races for which it was designed. In 1970, the Gulf-sponsored 908/03 won the Targa Florio with Siffert and Redman driving. At the Nurburgring a few weeks later, the Porsche Salzburg entry won, Vic Elford driving with Kurt Ahrens. Richard Attwood and Hans Hermann finished second for Salzburg, two weeks before winning at Le Mans in the 917. Sadly, the young Finnish driver, Hans Laine, was killed in practice driving a 908/02 for the AAW team. In 1971, the Targa Florio was a disaster for Porsche with Redman nearly being killed in a fiery crash on the first lap. All three 908/03s crashed and Alfa Romeos finished first and second. Porsche returned to form at the Nurburgring where Elford and Larrousse won for Martini Racing. The 908/03s took all three spots on the podium. The 908/03 that finished second at the Nurburgring in 1970 sold this past August at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction for $3,250,000 excluding the buyer's premium and import duty if the car were to stay in the United States. The 908 would go on to have one of the longest careers in motorsport that I can think of. In 1972, an aging longtail 908 finished third at Le Mans behind two Matras. Later in the 1970 Targa Florio 1st (Siffert/Redman) 2nd (Rodriguez/Kinnunen) Sicily 5th (Attwood/Waldegard) DNF (Elford/Herrmann) 1970 Nurburgring 1000 KM 1st (Elford/Ahrens) 2nd (Herrmann/Attwood) West Germany DNF (Siffert/Redman) DNF (Rodriguez/Kinnunen) 1971 Targa Florio DNF (Siffert/Redman) DNF (Elford/Larrousse) Sicily DNF (Rodriguez/Muller) 1971 Nurburgring 1000 KM 1st (Elford/Larrousse) 2nd (Siffert/Rodriguez) West Germany 3rd (Marko/van Lennep) Chart of 908/03 Results for 1970/71. continued on next page