Restored 1966 Porsche Carrera Six Is a Priceless Piece

Racing Royalty

The Porsche 906 is one of many legendary racers built over the brand's seven decades in existence, and a rather celebrated one at that. The 906 racked up many victories on many tracks over the years, and that includes this 1966 Porsche Carrera Six - a car that's set to cross the block at Bonham's upcoming Quail Auction.

Photos: Bonham's

Immediate Success

One of just 62 built in total, this particular 906 was originally delivered to Japanese racer Shintaro Taki, who proceeded to campaign it with great success. Taki claimed victory at the Suzuka road circuit and the All-Japan race at Fuji, while also taking home a second-place finish at Funabashi in 1966. He went on to secure many more victories in the car with fellow driver Kenjiro Tanaka over the next couple of years, including five straight in 1968.

Photos: Bonham's

Enduring Success

Following a change in ownership in 1970, the 906 continued to race and enjoy tremendous success, even in spite of its age at this point. In fact, that wasn't even close to being the end for this car - its final event wound up being the 1974 Macau Grand Prix, where it managed to finish fourth amid much newer competition.

Photos: Bonham's

Enjoying Retirement

In 1992, the Carrera Six was purchased by Japanese Porsche enthusiast Takashi Yasunaga, who commissioned the automaker to give it a restoration. However, the car didn't need terribly extensive work to bring it back into tip-top shape, with the only real problem being the fact that the factory couldn't undo the increase in displacement for its original engine that took it from 2.0 liters to 2.5.

Photos: Bonham's

Monumental Task

Other than that, this 906 remains one of the most used, successful, and original examples left in existence, which is really saying something given the model's prominence, in general. The mastermind behind its creation was Ferdinand Piech - the nephew of Ferdinand Porsche himself - who was tasked with the difficult job of creating a suitable replacement for the 904GTS Coupe.

Photos: Bonham's

Super Lightweight

The basic concept here was to shave as much weight as possible, which was accomplished by giving it a new multi-tubular spaceframe chassis and molded fiberglass bodywork, which helped it shave 255 pounds compared to its predecessor - giving it an amazing curb weight of just 1,235 pounds. Better yet, its 2.0-liter powerplant churned out 210 horsepower, giving it a stellar power-to-weight-ratio.

Photos: Bonham's

Living Legend

For a number of years, the 906 dominated world-class two-liter endurance racing, at least until it was inevitably replaced by the newer 910. However, many still consider the 906 to be among the finest racers ever conceived by Porsche, and it's certainly one of the most beautiful to look at. Throw in this one's illustrious history, and it more than justifies the car's auction estimate of $2.2-$2.5 million.

Photos: Bonham's

>>Join the conversation about this restored 1966 Carrera Six here at Rennlist.com.

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