1966 Porsche 910 #39 Pilots: C. Poirot, P. Maublanc Team: Christian Poirot Race: 9th overall (1st in S 2.0) at Le Mans in 1969 Spark - S3468 (resin)
Published 08/05/21
During the 1960s, Porsche’s motorsport department worked at a frantic pace. The 1964 904 swiftly evolved into the 906 of 1966. Shortly after, they developed a third car following the same lines. Using chassis #906-10 as the base, the engineering department came up with the 910. Though shorter than the 906, the new car used the same space frame chassis, however with a new suspension. This new suspension was necessary to accommodate smaller 13” magnesium wheels. The smaller wheels came from F1, in an attempt to lower the car. Since it had a removable “targa roof”, normal doors replaced the gullwing doors of the 906. The engine was the Typ 901/21, a boxer-6 displacing 1991 cm³. Using MFI slide throttle fuel injection from Bosch, the Typ 901/21 delivered 220 hp.
Chassis #910-006 rolled out of Weissach in 1966, originally used as a test mule for brakes and suspension. Its first race was at the Targa Florio in June of 1967, racing as a factory car. Yet, it had to abandon with a broken suspension. A couple of months later it raced as a privateer in the 200 Miles of Nuremberg, coming in fifth place overall. The car was then parked until 1968, when Christian Poirot bought it to race at the 24 Heures du Mans. In Poirot’s hands the car only raced at Le Mans, in 1969. Sharing the wheel with Pierre Maublanc, they finished ninth overall and first in class (S 2.0). Interestingly, this 910 officially only raced those three times. Despite (or maybe because of) the very light race record, the car exists to this day.
Porsche produced a total of 34 cars, from 1966 to 1967. The factory raced the 910 for only one year, and the central wheel nut made the car unsuitable for street use. Nonetheless, even with a brief racing career, the car brought Stuttgart numerous victories. In scale, Spark did a terrific job on the model. Details are crisp and abundant, and all in all it is a convincing model. However, it is a rare beast to find. It is my first 910, and furthermore has another thing going for it. It was a birthday present from my dearest wife 🥰.
Oh yes, I married well. Very well 😍.