Porsche 907

The 907 was introduced at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Following a suggestion by Ferdinand Piëch, the position of the driver was moved from the traditional left (as in German road cars) to the right as this gives advantages on the predominant clockwise race tracks.

With a new longtail body, the 907s reached 302 km/h (190 mph) on the straight, even though it used the reliable 220 hp Porsche 910 2000cc 6-cyl rather than the more powerful 8-cyl. Vented brake disks were being used as standard from that point on. The best Porsche 907 finished 5th, beaten only by Ford and Ferrari with their much bigger engines.

As the record-breaking performances of the 7.0l V8-powered Ford had triggered rumors about a future rule change, Porsche started to prepare themselves in summer of 1967. The 907 was equipped with the 270 hp 2200cc Type 771/1 8-cyl which was then modified for the rules of the new 3 litre prototype category that was announced in late 1967 to come in effect already in 1968. An engine with the full 3000cc would have to be developed first, though, to be introduced in the future Porsche 908.