Since many of the factory teams were now shifting their focus to June’s running of Le Mans, the May 28th running of the Nürburgring 1000 Kms saw a much smaller entry from the factory Ferrari and Ford teams, though Porsche once again threw in a 6-car entry with three 910/8s and three 910/6s. At the Ring, the effort was richly rewarded with Porsche winning its first major 1000 Kms overall victory. The 910/6 of Joe Buzzetta and Udo Shuetz (#007) claimed the overall win with the sister 910/6s of Hawkins/Koch (#013) and Elford/Neerpasch (#009) finishing second and third, followed by the 910/8 (#028) of Mitter/Bianchi.
By the June running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Piëch and his crew had already built and tested the successor to the 906/910 line of sports racers, the 907. With overall victory at Le Mans now the goal, the focus was on the new, more aerodynamic 907, so only two 910/6s were entered to help shore up the Porsche effort. The Shuetz/Buzzetta entry (#017) retired after 84 laps with an uncharacteristic oil starvation problem, while the Stommelen/Neerpasch 910/6 (#016) would finish 6th overall and 2nd in class, one position behind its successor, the 907 of Siffert/Hermann. And with that, just as quickly as the 910 had burst onto the endurance racing scene just six months prior, it was essentially remaindered by the now relentless advance of Porsche’s development.
However, the 910 did see continued service that year as a factory entry, first in the Circuit of Mugello, a grueling 41-mile Tuscan road circuit, similar to the Targa Florio, where the 910/8s of Shuetz/Mitter and Neerpasch/Stommelen led home a resounding 1-2 victory after the Ferrari team withdrew due to the death of driver Guenther Klass during practice.
The last race of the season was the July 30th Brands Hatch 6 Hours and the stakes couldn’t have been higher as Ferrari and Porsche were tied for the overall Manufacturer’s Championship. As a result, Porsche brought one 907 and four 910s—a pair of 910/6s and a pair of 910/8s.
In the race, the Chaparral of Phil Hill and Mike Spence would eventually go on to win, but the real race was for second place with the Ferrari 330P4 of Chris Amon and Jackie Stewart in a tight battle with the 910/8 of Siffert and Bruce McLaren. As the final laps wound down, the Ferrari led the Porsche, but still needed to make a final stop for fuel—the result would decide which manufacturer won the FIA Manufacturers’ Championship. Amon dove into the pits, stayed in the cockpit and with a brief 26-second splash of fuel, he retuned to the track and was able to just keep ahead of the Porsche. At the flag, the Ferrari finished in second, the 910 in third and with that Ferrari won the championship…by just one point!
The Porsche 910 of Siffert and McLaren finished just behind the second place Ferrari of Amon/Stewart resulting in Ferrari winning the Manufacturers’ Championship by just one point. Photo: Roger Dixon
2 Comments
Casey…One of the best motorsport stories I’ve ever read. I was fortunate to have grown up in this epic era of spellbinding engineering and craftsmanship. I have been privileged to have met both Siffert and Hermann and your article brings all elements to life. You successfully captured the essence of these remarkable cars and the people immersed in their place in a storied history. Thank you for never letting amazing motorsport history fall by the wayside. Best regards, Mark Hoag
Many thanks, you’re too kind. This is such a wonderful car, with such fascinating history that these stories seem to write themselves. All the best, Casey