Porsche 718/2-05 Experimental F2 (1960)
Premiere: 1960 July 24, Solitude race track near Stuttgart / Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cam flat-4
The fifth and the last of the 718/2 F2 cars, with chassis number 718/2-05 was an experimental formula racing car. It had the 718/2 chassis, but a different body. The car never got its own type number. It was a one-off car, continuous development project that later evolved into something that became the prototype for the 1961 Porsche 787 F1 car and then even for the 1962 Porsche 804 F1 car.
The 718/2 with a new body, chassis number 718/2-05, was first seen at the F2 race on Solitude race track near Stuttgart in July 1960.
The 1960 Solitude F2 race was won with a Ferrari. If you haven’t heard of a Ferrari F2 car, here comes the explanation. From the next 1961 season the F1 cars would be downgraded from 2.5-litres to 1.5-litres and so, in 1960 Ferrari fitted an F1 car with a 1.5-litre engine. The purpose was not to have a Ferrari F2 car, but to test the next season’s F1 prototype in action. The driver of the winning Ferrari was Wolfgang von Trips. A week later, at the Nürburgring F2 race on Südschleife, von Trips was at the starting line with the Porsche 718/2-05!
Two of the 1960 European Formula 2 races were unique from the perspective of the 718/2 history – all of the five 718/2 chassis ever built were in the same race together – at Solitude on July 24 and at Nürburgring on July 31. Following the victory with Ferrari at Solitude, von Trips scored second at the Nürburgring with the 718/2-05 after Jo Bonnier in “regular” 718/2.
4 weeks later, Edgar Barth used the 718/2-05 to win the 1960 Ollon-Villars hill climb on August 28. The car was wearing number 160 at that event. The last race for the 718/2-05 in its F2 form was in Austria at the Zeltweg airfield race day on September 18, 1960.
In October, 1960, Porsche engineer Hubert Mimler took the 718/2-05 to Hockenheim for some tests before the winter period when the prototype of the 1961 Porsche 787 F1 was created from the 718/2-05. As the 718/2-05 was turned into the prototype of the 787, it means that the one-off Formula 2 car seen in this article ceased to exist by the end of 1960.
© Arthur Fenzlau / Technisches Museum Wien
1960 Solitude-Rennen, 718/2-05 #22 among the other Porsche 718/2 F2 cars. © Porsche
1960 European Formula 2 Championship race at Solitude. Dan Gurney in the Porsche’s experimental formula car finished 5th after the winning Ferrari of Wolfgang von Trips and three Porsche 718/2 that followed it. On this photo the car is missing the grille that covers the large opening behind the engine fan. © Porsche
1960 Nürburgring, 718/2-05 #9 with Wolfgang von Trips. © Porsche
1960 Zeltweg, Austria, F2 race start. Porsche 718/2 #7 of Stirling Moss (starting from the first row) would win the race, followed by 718/2 #3 of Hans Herrmann and 718/2-05 #2 of Edgar Barth. © Arthur Fenzlau / Technisches Museum Wien
1960 Zeltweg, Edgar Barth in the 718/2-05. © Arthur Fenzlau / Technisches Museum Wien
Edgar Barth was one of the few top drivers who didn’t kill himself at the wheel, he lost to cancer at the age of 48. He was a 3-times European Hill Climb Champion and a Targa Florio winner. His son Jürgen Barth became a famous Porsche engineer, racing driver and historian. © Arthur Fenzlau / Technisches Museum Wien
1960 Zeltweg, Barth, Porsche 718/2-05. © Arthur Fenzlau / Technisches Museum Wien
1960 Zeltweg F2 race, Edgar Barth scored 3rd. © Erwin Jelinek / Technisches Museum Wien
Coil springs on front axle show that this car is starting to become the prototype for the 787. Hans Herrmann at the wheel.
Sorry for the awful quality, but this picture shows the experimental and unique engine cover the car had in the end of 1960.
