One to Buy: ex-Hermann Muller 1961 Porsche 718 RS 61
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Arriving mid way through the 1957 season, the 718 was Porsche’s second effort at a purpose-built racing car after the enormously successful 550 line. Owing to regulatory changes, the new model spearheaded Porsche’s move into single seat racing. Conventional variants were also raced with much success in Sports trim, perhaps most notably scoring a third overall at Le Mans in 1958, winning the Targa Florio outright in 1959 and collecting back-to-back European Hillclimb titles in ‘58 and 59.
For 1960, another raft of rule changes saw the 718 evolve into the RS 60. Based on a longer wheelbase chassis with advanced unequal-length rear wishbone suspension, power came from the potent Type 547/3 four-cam engine which developed 160bhp. To comply with those new regulations, the handsome bodywork featured a full height windscreen and larger cockpit.
After a successful 1960 campaign that saw the RS 60 take a 1-2 finish at the Sebring 12 Hours, a second victory at the Targa Florio and another European Hillclimb Championship, Porsche produced a batch of 14 customer replicas for 1961. Appropriately dubbed the RS 61, these cars marked the final chapter for Porsche’s legendary four cylinder four-cam Spyders.
Among the 14 RS 61s built was this car, chassis 718-076, which is currently on offer at the Canepa showroom in Scotts Valley, California. Completed in Silver with Red upholstery during February 1961, it was supplied to novice Austrian privateer, Hermann Muller, who for the next three seasons primarily contested European Hillclimb Championship events where he was an occasional class winner and frequent top three finisher.
Towards the end of 1963, chassis 718-076 was sold to Dawie Gous of Springs, South Africa, as a replacement for his 550. Gous used the RS 61 to win the 1964 South African Sports Car Championship, remarkably winning ever race that season.
According to Canepa: “In the late 1970s, the RS 61 was sold to California Porsche-Audi Inc. and exported to the United States. By this time, it had received competitive upgrades, including a 911-type steering rack, annular disc brakes, and a larger, more powerful Type 574/5 four-cam engine (90403) that remains in the car today.”
“Throughout the ensuing decades, the RS 61 passed through the hands of elite American Porsche collectors. Jeffrey Keiner acquired and restored the vehicle in 1987, racing it in historic events before selling it to A. Dano Davis of the famous Brumos Collection. In 2005, Stanley Gold purchased the car and actively campaigned it at prestigious vintage circuits, including the Le Mans Classic and the Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
Starting in 2013, chassis 718-076 was expertly maintained in a premier North American collection, meticulously preserved to look just as it did when Hermann Muller first raced it in 1961.”
