904 signalrot, salon internationale de l´auto Genève, 12.-22.03.1964

while doing the vin 13326 genève research,
https://www.early911sregistry.org/fo...-12-22-03-1964
i stumbled across these 904 images ( https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/)

salon internationale de l´auto Genève
Genève, 12.-22.03.1964
Porsche booth #35

Porsche 904, signal red 6407

This is one of the serial production cars, assumingly already equipped with the 587/3 engine.
The later dashboard now has the tachometer 'in line' with the other gauges. The steering wheel now is the three spoke version.

The Weber 46/48 Ida carbs had been on the display, too.

As on the autosalon brussel
(http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...73#post1040673),
the 904 seemingly gained more attention and interest as the 901.

the available colors for 904 had been:

silver 6206
orange, assuming 5711
Lechler blau 5012 (Lichtblau / Pastell blue R5012??)
borneo green metallic 173-26006 / ICI paint reference P031-4390
(http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...44#post1040744)

ruby red 6402
sky blue 6403
light ivory 6404
champagne yellow 6405
irishgreen 6406
signal red 6407
bali blue 6412
black 6413

The guy with the dark coat look like Jim Clark - could it be?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by one-two

The guy with the dark coat look like Jim Clark - could it be?

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Yes, and the Lotus display is just behind them.

Jon B.
Vista, CA

And the guy with the lighter-coloured coat is Huschke von Hanstein?

Yes Hanstein

Unless they are two very effective imposters posing for a photo between the Porsche and Lotus display areas ;-)

Jon B.
Vista, CA

Indeed. What a fabulous photo it is!

1977 in Geneva, Porsche used a very similar display, a red 928 and some white 911‘s.

Attachment 508885
Attachment 508883
Attachment 508884

I made some further investigations on the Geneva show car, studied the production and sales lists.
Up to the show begin on march 12th 1964, only a handful cars in “red” had been produced and delivered to the customers.

According to the lists and publications these had been

904 022, engine 99 009, gearbox 904 022, signal red 6407, interior blue, delivered 06.02.1964
904 027, engine 99 017, gearbox 904 027, signal red 6407, interior blue, delivered 21.02.1964
904 029, engine 99 022, gearbox 904 030, signal red 6407, interior blue, delivered 19.02.1964
904 034, engine 99 023, gearbox 904 034, signal red 6407, interior blue, delivered 26.02.1964
904 035, engine 99 029, gearbox 904 035, ruby red 6402, interior blue, delivered 25.02.1964
904 037, engine 99 026, gearbox 904 037, ruby red 6402, interior blue, delivered 28.02.1964
904 038, engine 99 032, gearbox 904 040, signalred 6407, interior blue, delivered 03.03.1964
904 039, engine 99 028, gearbox 904 039, signalred 6407, interior blue, delivered 09.03.1964
904 046, engine 99 042, gearbox 904 048, signalred 6407, interior blue, delivered 11.03.1964

To export the 904 from Germany to Suisse, in order to participate at the “Salon internationale de l´auto Genève” it is to be assumed, that customs and paper work plus tax fees had been obligatory and to be paid.

We do remember the story of the highly damaged S.M.A.R.T 904 025, being transported back to the factory, where it was decided to “hot swap” it with chassis 904 088, but keep vin 904 025 in the papers, because otherwise new tax fees would have been mandatory on reimport to the UK.

Or the episode, which made the first AFN UK sold 901 car, vin 300 027, reenter the UK via airplane, as it was imported in the first place for the sole purpose of being on display at the Earls Court Show in London. It had to be exported from the UK to be in accordance of the legal duties at that time.
https://www.early911sregistry.org/fo...-63-pics/page2, # 11

Customs for sure was a difficult issue in these days, which maybe could be bypassed by creative thinking: why not sell a 904 to a Suisse dealer, avoid extra taxes and trouble, lease it back for the purpose of the Geneva Show for a small “fee”?

The list get shorter, if we only look, which “red” cars had been delivered and sold into Switzerland:

904 022, sold to Heinz Schiller, Geneva
904 034, sold to Herrmann Müller, Zweizimmern / Bern
904 035, sold to Hans Ueli Eugster, Zürich
904 039, sold to Heinz Schiller, Geneva

From here I do need help, as it is really long time ago, and who can give an answer to this question:
Which car was on the Geneva show?

I did get in contact with Mr. Marinello from ElevenParts in Zurich. He is – modestly said – very familiar with the suisse and of course international Porsche family and sure some of you here do know him. I asked him about his estimation and he was quite quick forward:
“It must be 022! From vin 038 the delivery date would be too late for the Geneva Show.. ”, so his further assumption, “..Schiller was a very active racing driver and Porsche dealer at the time, it is therefore obvious that he borrowed his 904 for the salon”.

By 1972 Mr. Marinello visited the premises of Mr. Schiller in Geneve, and he said: “There were two 904 outside on the used car space in the rain, one red and one silver, both with about 10 cm water in the floor. Price CHF 15,000 and no one wanted these “jalopies”.”

I furtheron learned, that 904-022 is said to be still in Switzerland, still in an unrestored condition, anywhere hidden in a Garage. I am on it……….

As I already had contact to Mr. Loubser, due to the research of the S.M.A.R.T 904-025, I was getting in contact with him again, asking, if he maybe remembers of the sale of the 022, or the 039 which also went to Mr. Schiller. Mr Loubser left Porsche in the end of May 1964, since “…in mid-1962, I joined the export/sales department of the Porsche factory and a year later was asked to head up Werksverkauf, the VIP sales department that delivered cars directly, ex-works, to members of Royal Families, the aristocracy, ambassadors, diplomats, captains of industry, racing drivers (of course!) sports and film stars, etc….“

On asking about 022 and 039 he replied:” You are right about the second car for Heinz Schiller, ie 904.039. Both cars were delivered through my Werkverkauf department. How could I forget, but it is 56 years ago! The photo that I took was definitely 039. The photo in the book Porsche 904 (Porsche 904, Jürgen Barth, Patrick Albinet Bernhard Weigel) was taken at the same time as mine. Therefore it must be quite certain that the red 904 at the Geneva Show must have been either 022 or 039..”

GTS / 587 / 3 / coupe.
chassis 904.022
engine P – 99 009 - “Carrera GTS”, g
gearbox 904.069-904/0
signalrot 6407
interior “blau”
Dunlop 165-15

sold to Heinz Schiller on 06.February 1964 for 29.700.-DM, is to be assumed, due to the date of delivery, the Geneva show car from 1964.

........some pics from 904-022 in ???unknown place

Heinz Schiller, (* 25. Januar 1930 in Frauenfeld; † 25. März 2007 in Geneve)
was a race driver, who did participate in the years from 1955 up to 1967 in 33 events (25 finishes and 6 retirements), most of them in a Porsche (30), Lotus (1), Ferrari (1), AC (1). He was an official Porsche “Werksfahrer” , had a workshop “Garage Chateaubriand” in the Rue Gautier 1, did start the Geneva Porsche Dealership later on in Rue de Lausanne 71-73. In 1991, AMAG Geneva took over the Garage Schiller.

On 19th of April 1964 he was racing the Course de Cote Col Bayard with 904-039, finishing 3rd on arrival.

He was racing the 904-039 (some sources say it was 904-069) engine 587/3, # 99 028 (99 062), together with Jo Siffert at the “ADAC 1000 km Rennen Nürburgring”, which took place the 31.05.1964, start number 65, finishing 3rd in class and 8th overall in 7:11:53.200 with 42 Laps. The picture from this race shows in the background car number 45, 904-055, engine 587/3, #99 056,Koch / Ben Pon, finishing 1st in class and 3rd overall in 7:12:34.500, but with 43 Laps.

This was btw the very same race in which the changed S.M.A.R.T borneo green 904-088 aka 904-025 was starting with engine 587/3, # 99 024, number 50, and finished in 7:13:55.100, 9th overall, and 4th in class, driven by Lloyd Casner and David Hobbs
https://www.early911sregistry.org/fo...S-M-A-R-T-1964

On the 20th and 21nd of June 1964, Mr Schiller was participating in the 24 hours of Le Mans together with Gerhard Koch. Attendance was said to be 350.000! The race started at 16:00. It had been entered by 71 cars, practicing session was down already to 59 cars. The race did start with 55 cars and only 24 had been classified. Start number 31, factory workstream, chassis 904-006, the official Targa Florio Winner S-TJ 16, was listed with an engine type 587/3, but no engine number is in the records for this race. Finishing 3rd in class and 10th overall with 4227.520 km in 315 Laps with an average speed of 176,147 km/h. The picture is showing Gerhard Koch and 904-006. Behind is number 33, the 904-055 from Ben Pon / van Zalinge, engine 587/3, #99 056. They were finishing 2nd in class and 8th overall with 4281.310 km in 319 Laps with an average speed of 178,388 km/h.

On the 4th of July 1964 Mr. Schiller participated with Jo Siffert at the “Championat du Monde des Constructeurs Trophée France-Amérique, Les 12 Heures Internationales de Reims”. The race started with a LeMans type start at exact midnight! The chequered flag should be reached at Sunday noon. It had been entered by 46 cars, practicing session was down already to 38 cars. The race did start with 37 cars and only 20 had been classified. With starting number 41, the race was entered with Mr. Schillers above mentioned own signal red 904-022, engine 587/3; # 99 009. They had been 19th on the starting grid in a qualifying time of 2:33.500. The pole position, held by John Surtees / Lorenzo Bandini in their Ferrari 250 LM for the North American Racing Team N.A.R.T. was at 2:19.200.

Hill / Bonnier did finish this grueling race first after 12 hours with a distance of 2448.933 km, in 296 laps in an average speed of 204.078 km/h.

904-022 unfortunately did not finish and had to be brought to the pit with a broken clutch.

Btw – a nice side story -
550-0079 was completed on the 2nd February 1956 which was a red spyder with white darts, beige interior and fitted with engine # P90080. It was used for a promotional photo shoot outside the Porsche factory showing the range of colours the 550 spyders came in.

Shortly after, the hood was painted white for its new Swiss owner Rita Rampinelli who was a pioneer in female motorsport. She first entered the spyder in the June 1956 Saint-Ursanne-Les Rangiers race. By September she had sold the car to Heinz Schiller who raced it at Avus, Monza in Italy and a number of Swiss races before it was bought in mid 1958 by fellow member of the

There is one race entry from 23.08.1964,
Course de cote Saint-Ursanne-les Rangiers,
"Großer Bergpreis der Schweiz"
finishing 6th in GT class,
assumingly 904-022, as 904-039 had been already in the ownership of Mr. Calderari,
race documents do list 904-069 (??) with driver Antonin Chalut...


have to do some more homework....;

Haul

fab pics from the era
many thanks
sad to see Edgar Barth puffing away - wasn't that the cause of his demise ?

cheers
Dennis :)