1968 Porsche 908 ‘Short-Tail’ Race Car is a Survivor

Despite hitting a telephone pole during a race and having multiple owners over the years, this 1968 Porsche 908 is ready to race.

For some race cars, an accident marks the end of the road. Others reach the checkered flag, then never appear on a track again, instead winding up in a private collection or museum. This Porsche 908 has been through all of that and is ready for a new owner…and another race.

On May 26, 1968, Porsche System Engineering entered two 908s in the Spa 1,000 KM race in Belgium, according to RM Sotheby’s, which will be auctioning off this piece of motorsports history in Monterrey at the end of this week. Drivers Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch piloted the #6 car (chassis 908-010) in the Prototype 3000 class. Rain poured down that day at the track, reducing visibility to virtually zero and causing Neerpasch to slide off the course and hit a pole. The impact knocked him out and banged up his car, but both Neerpasch and the 908 survived.

In its listing for this 908, RM Sotheby’s said, “After Spa, 908-010 was returned to the factory where it was disassembled and put into storage. Eventually the chassis and body were sold to a Swiss collector.” Both components wound up coming to the U.S. Its new owner commissioned a restoration, which started in 1999. A noted expert restored the steel spaceframe chassis, replaced the tubing damaged by the accident, and sourced several missing parts, including an engine and five-speed transaxle. Although the 3.0-liter flat-eight he put in was not original to this particular car, it was a series-correct factory original.

After being repainted its original white, the #6 car attended a number of vintage car events. At the 2004 Rennsport Reunion at Daytona International Speedway, Porsche factory racing drivers autographed the underside of the engine cover. It also ran in the 2007–2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunions.

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Nine years later, the North Carolina Museum of Art showcased #6 in its Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed exhibit. An engine refresh was performed in 2016 – the same year #6 won Best in Class at the Forest Grove, Oregon Concours d’ Elegance. It hasn’t been raced since then, but whoever ends up placing the winning bid can break the rejuvenated engine in in style because #6 has been approved for competition at Rennsport VI at Laguna Seca next month.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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