Porsche 907

Production period:	1967-1968
Class :	race car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline : 2.0-2.2 liters (162-198 kW)
Length:	4033-4650 mm
Width:	1720 mm
Height:	940 mm
Wheelbase :	2300 mm
Curb weight :	600 kg

The Porsche 907 was a race car of Porsche . The vehicle was based on the Porsche 910 and was its successor. from the late 1960s

History

The car was operated by the factory team in 1967 and 1968 until it was replaced in the sports car world championship by the Porsche 908 in 1969.
Some private teams utilised the race car in the sports car World Cup, European Sports Car Championship, and Inter Series from 1969 to 1972.
The FIA announced a change in the brand world championship for prototypes and sports cars in October 1967.

Only prototype racing cars with a maximum displacement of three litres could be used starting in the 1968 season. The displacement limit for sports cars was reduced to five litres. With the rule change, the two manufacturers were allowed to Ferrari and Ford to their strongest and most successful racing cars such as Ferrari 330P4 and the Ford GT40 would not use with 7-liter engine further in the racing series.

Porsche had not completed the development of the 3-liter eight-cylinder boxer engine, which was later used in the 908, and decided to develop an aerodynamically optimized racing car based on the 910 on the 907 in order to compete on high-speed tracks such as Le Mans, Monza and Spa. Francorchamps with the established 2.0 and 2.2-liter engines to celebrate the first victories. 

907 long tail (1967-1968) 

The structure of the grid frame of the Porsche 907 and the 910 were largely identical. Optimized for the Le Mans race body of the long tail, however, was fundamentally new and differed by over the 910 extended by around 0.5 meters tail. The body was streamlined designed to provide low air resistance and thus achieve high end speeds. The cockpit was given a slim and elongated shape. The windshield was longer than its predecessor and already had the shape as it was later adopted for the 908 Coupe. Behind the driver's seat, the cockpit was extended by a transparent plastic hood provided with ventilation slots flush. Under the hood was the engine. At the rear edge a continuous movable flap was mounted, which adjusted itself over the suspension depending on curve entrance and ensured the optimal contact pressure.

An important innovation was the steering wheel and the driver's seat arranged for the first time on a Porsche race car on the right side. This arrangement brought the drivers on most racetracks benefits, as these were traveled clockwise and the driver got a better idea ahead. 

In the first used in 1967 Langheck version was at the front of the car no opening for the fresh air intake of the driver incorporated. Due to a lack of air, the temperature rose in the cockpit during the race and there were also exhaust fumes in the interior. From the 1968 season onwards, these developers put an additional burden on the pilot through a central front opening. 

The chassis with the suspension was taken over almost unchanged from the Porsche 910. The 907 had an independent suspension with wishbones and the front. The suspension and damping served coil springs and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. To avoid tilting movements, adjustable stabilizers were used at the front and rear.The disc brakes were hydraulically addressed via a dual-circuit system. The distribution was carried out in a front and rear circuit whose brake force distribution could be adjusted individually. The ventilated brake discs tested for the first time on the 910 at the 910 were installed as standard on the 907. The car rode ahead on 8J × 13 rims with 5.25-13 tires and rear on 9.5J × 13 rims with 7.00-13 tires.  The lightweight 13-inch wheels already used in 910 with central locking consisted of die-cast magnesium.

The two long-tail coupes used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 were equipped with the tried-and-tested air-cooled 2.0-liter six-cylinder Boxer 901 engine, which was also used in the Porsche 906 and 910. The valve control per cylinder row was carried out by a camshaft driven by a chain. The engine had a petrol injection and performed at a maximum of 162 kW (220 hp) at 8000 rpm. The later used Langheck vehicles received the more powerful 2.2-liter eight-cylinder horizontally opposed type engine 771. This is also air-cooled injection engine had two driven bevel camshaft per row of cylinders for valve control. With a compression of 10.2: 1, the engine produced 198 kW (270 hp) at a maximum speed of 8600 rpm.All cars had a fully synchronized 906 gearbox with a limited slip differential. 

907 short tail (1968) 

The positive experience gained with the 910 Bergspyder in the 1967 European Mountain Championships was partially reversed by Porsche in the 907 short-tail coupe. As with the Bergspyder, the tubular frame was made of aluminum instead of steel to save weight. The outer skin resembled the 910 coupe. However, the cockpit was narrow as in the 1967 constructed 907 long tail and with its flat windshield streamlined than the 910th The raised up to the roof-reaching side windows allowed a good all-round view. In contrast to the long tail, the engine was not covered by a transparent plastic hood. As with the 910, the cockpit roof ended with a spoiler lip. Under the plastic plate painted horizontally to the rear in the body color lay the air inlet openings and the blower of the engine. The rear hinged rear had a fixed spoiler. 

The chassis of the 907 long tail was taken over unchanged for the short tail coupe. The only difference between the two vehicles was the 13-inch rims mounted on the rear axle. In the short tail, the developers used instead of the 9.5-inch wide, new 12-inch wide rims. 

When introduced in 1968 coupe Porsche built at the beginning of the air-cooled 2.2-liter eight-cylinder boxer engine, which made a maximum of 198 kW (270 hp). The proven five-speed manual Type 906 is unchanged from the Porsche 907 long tail.

After the brand world championship season in 1968, some Porsche 907s sold to customers received the 771 twin-cylinder boxer engine with 2-liter displacement.  The air-cooled injection engine had with the ratio of 10.4: 1, a higher compression ratio than the 2.2-liter version and performed at a speed of 8800 / min up to 191 kW (260 hp).

Race History 

For the first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 , Porsche used the newly developed 907 long tail, optimized for this race. At the start were two vehicles, of which the driven by Jochen Rindt and Gerhard Mitter car prematurely retired after the 103rd round with a defective camshaft. In contrast, Joseph Siffert and Hans Herrmann were able to place their car in fifth place behind two Ford GT40 and Ferrari 330P4 and celebrate victory in the P2.0 class. The second and final race in the 1967 sports car world championship season was the 907 Langheck in the Brands Hatch 6-hour race. There, the car was already used with the 2.2-liter eight-cylinder boxer engine. The race ended Hans Herrmann and Jochen Neerpasch with fourth place in the standings behind by Jo Siffert and McLaren Bruce piloted Porsche 910.

For the 1968 season, Porsche expected real chances to win the title of the sports car world championship. Ferrari stayed away from all races in protest of the FIA ​​regulations change and Ford could not use its strong GT40 and developed the Ford P68 as a competitor to the Porsche race cars.

The first results of the first two World Championship races met Porsche's expectations. At the 24 Hours of Daytona, four of the 907 longbacks with a 2.2-liter engine started in the top three in the first three places. 

At the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring, Porsche set the 908 for the first time, winning with Joseph Siffert and Vic Elford. The 907 short tail, piloted by Hans Herrmann and Rolf Stommelen, took second place in front of a Ford GT40. At the race in Spa-Francorchamps, the factory team used the 907 for the last time. The car, driven by Gerhard Mitter and Jo Schlesser , came in second behind the GT40 of Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman in the overall standings.

As at the end of the racing season in 1968, the Porsche factory team only used the 908 in the long and short-tail version, and from June 1969 the Porsche 917 in the sports car world championship. The Porsche 907 was sold to private teams who successfully used it in 1969 and 1970 in World Cup races.