1968 Porsche 911T #43
Pilots: J-P. Gaban, R. van der Schrick
Team: Jean-Pierre Gaban
Race: 12th overall (1st in GT 2.0 class) at Le Mans in 1968
Spark - S9738 (resin)
Published 07/02/25
The first 911 to come out of the Porsche’s factory in Stuttgart did so in 1964. Initially Ferdinand Porsche wanted to call it “901”, yet Peugeot protested so they went with 911 instead. With it’s air-cooled 1991 cm³ boxer-6 engine, the 911 was a commercial success. Not overly powerful, however nimble and considered as a “driver’s car”. Porsche produced the first series of the 911 unchanged from 1964 to 1967. Despite the car’s success, Porsche felt that a few improvements would be welcome. Therefore, for 1968 Stuttgart released a (somewhat) improved 911, in four basic versions. You could choose between a 911T, 911, 911L or a 911S. While the L was the luxury version and the S was the flagship, the 911 was the regular version. However, the 911T was a Europe only model for 1968, and was the budget version of the 911 range.
Powering the 911T was the Typ 901/13 engine, which had cast-iron cylinder heads. It also had a different crankshaft, camshafts and compression ratios. Consequently, it was less powerful than other models, delivering 81 kW (110 hp). Using a 4-speed Sportomatic gearbox, it took 8.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h, with a top speed of 198 km/h. With all that, the 911T was the cheapest and also the slowest of the 911 range. Even so, Porsche produced 2132 units of the 911T that year. One of these customers was the Belgian Jean-Pierre Gaban. A Porsche enthusiast with a background in touring cars and hill climbing until 1968, he decided to tackle Le Mans. So, he bought a new 911T and together with Roger van der Schrick went to La Sarthe to race for 24 hours straight. They finished 12th overall, coming in first in the GT 2.0 class.
This 911T #43 here was the third 911 to win a class at Le Mans (the first was in 1965). And this car is another of those stories that I love about Le Mans. A privateer that without factory support or a huge budget comes out on top. Unfortunately though, this kind of story is a thing of the past. Nowadays Le Mans is nothing but corporate business…😏 Oh well, I know I sound old saying things like that, yet it’s true. Nonetheless, I’m very happy that Spark makes these models, and they’re a way to revisit the glories of the past.
In scale, Spark (again) hit a home run. Their 911T #43 is a gem of a model. To the point that I couldn’t find explanation for the two lights on the windshield. One light for each driver 🤔? Mystery lights notwithstanding, a total looker. Perhaps this may not appeal to every collector, but a must buy for the Porsche geek.