18.09.2025Triumph all along the line: The Porsche 908/03 from 1971

The 1000km race at the Nürburgring is one of the most important and toughest endurance races in Europe – and has been an integral part of the Sports Car World Championship for decades. On the infamous Nordschleife, over 20 kilometers long and featuring countless corners, the race became the ultimate endurance test for man and machine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, one car dominated the race: the Porsche 908. With its lightweight chassis, outstanding aerodynamics, and air-cooled eight-cylinder engine, the 908 was tailor-made for the Eifel race. Between 1968 and 1970, Porsche celebrated several overall victories at the Nürburgring, often under the most difficult weather conditions. Legends like Jo Siffert, Hans Herrmann, and Vic Elford pushed the low-slung sports car to its limits – and carved themselves into the history books of motorsport. The Porsche 908 thus became not only a technical milestone, but also synonymous with Porsche's endurance successes in the Green Hell.

The 1,000-kilometer race at the Nürburgring was not just an important individual sporting event. Between 1953 and 1984, it was also part of the then Sports Car World Championship – the forerunner of today's FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

In 1971, Porsche dominated the Sports Car World Championship. With the powerful 917K and the agile 908/03, the company, based in Zuffenhausen, won seven of the eleven World Championship races and comfortably secured the Manufacturers' World Championship title. The performance at the 1,000-kilometer race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife was particularly impressive, where the Zuffenhausen-based company achieved a one-two-three victory.

Subsequently, the racing cars changed drastically, but with remnants from the 908/03 era. From 1972, the FIA ??regulations limited the displacement of the prototypes to three liters, which meant that the mighty Porsche 917s with their 5.0-liter engines were no longer eligible to compete in the World Championship. Porsche temporarily withdrew as a works team and concentrated on the lighter 908/03 and the development of new prototypes. This change laid the foundation for Porsche's later successes with smaller, more maneuverable racing cars modeled on the 908/03, which had won success in 1971.

The two aforementioned race tracks have also survived into the modern era. The 1,000-kilometer race in the Eifel region is now a classic car event. In Sicily, a rally is held as a tribute to the Targa Florio, with stages running over parts of the former race track. In addition, numerous roadside signs remind island tourists of the significant track they are currently driving on. Porsche's model name "Targa," still used today, is also not accidental.

WERK83 has released a model of the Porsche 908/03 in scale 1:18 that finished third in the Nürburgring endurance race. The vehicle, featuring the iconic Martini livery, reflects the original as closely as possible and is produced to the usual high quality. Furthermore, the cockpit and engine compartment have been faithfully reproduced in detail.

Porsche 908/03 #4 3rd 1000km Nürburgring 1971 van Lennep, Marko 1:18 WERK83, RRP €79.95, item-no.: W18031010

产品

Porsche 908/03 #4 第三 1000km Nürburgring 1971 van Lennep, Marko 1:18 WERK83

71,96 €