Porsche 787

The Porsche 787 is a Formula One (F1) racing car built and raced by Porsche for one year in 1961.

History

In October 1958 the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced that for the 1961 Formula One season, engine capacity would be limited to the same 1.5 litres as in Formula Two (F2). This meant that Porsche could use their F2 cars almost unchanged in F1.

In 1959 Porsche unveiled the prototype of a narrow, open-wheel car called the Porsche 718/2 that married the 718 sport-racer's mechanicals with a more traditional single-seat Formula body. The unpainted car was entered in the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix, where driver Wolfgang von Trips qualified twelfth, but crashed on the second lap of the race. At Reims driver Joakim Bonnier finished third. For 1960 the production 718/2, starting with chassis number 718201, received revised bodywork, a 6-speed transaxle, and a wheelbase extended by . A total of five cars were built. Some of these four-cylinder cars were later raced in F1 under the 1½ litre formula.

In 1961 Porsche launched the Type 787. Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, the founder's grandson, was involved in the design of what would become Porsche's first Formula One car. The car had a new chassis that was longer than that of the 718/2 by an additional to accommodate the Type 753 flat-eight engine that was then in development. The 787 would not get the eight-cylinder though, continuing with the air-cooled, DOHC four-cylinder Type 547 boxer engine that had been developed by Ernst Fuhrmann and that had powered the 550 Spyders and 718 series until then. While it kept the 718/2's rear suspension of an upper A-arm and lower reversed A-arm with a radius rod and helical coil spring over damper units, at the front a new upper and lower A-arm suspension with coil-over damper units replaced the previous trailing arm and torsion bar system. The first chassis was completed in April 1961, and appeared at the Monaco Grand Prix shortly after. It was powered by a 547/3 four-cylinder engine with Kugelfischer fuel injection. At Monaco the car retired when the fuel injection cut out. A second car, also fitted with the 547/3 engine, was completed in time to appear in the Dutch Grand Prix on 22 May alongside the other 787. The cars placed tenth and eleventh. A single 787 was driven to an eighth-place finish at the non-World-Championship 1961 Solitude Grand Prix. This car was driven by Edgar Barth, and was fitted with Porsche's annular disk brakes. A 787 sponsored by Ecurie Maarsbergen and driven by Ben Pon raced in the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix. Pon retired after spinning off the course on lap two.

Only two 787s, serial numbers 78701 and 78702, were ever built. Due to their lack of power and poor handling Ferry Porsche retired the model and continued with the 718/2 as a stopgap. Porsche would focus on the upcoming 804 and its flat-eight engine for Formula One in 1962. Both 787s were scrapped by the factory in 1964.

Technical data

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

All points were scored using the other Porsche models.

References

External links

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{{F1 cars 1962

787
Sports cars
787
Cars powered by boxer engines
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles