<< Prev Page 2 of 2 By the spring of 1965 testing commenced with both a six and an eight cylinder engined car. The handling proved to be very tricky and one of the prototypes was referred to as the Kangaroo for its tendency to hop around. Curing the handling issues took a long time and included the use of wider rear tyres and eventually the suspension bushings were also reinforced. Improvements were clearly made but the 904 Bergspyder was not a favourite among the drivers. Some of the blame was put on the chassis but it was later found that the relatively high unsprung weight was the main culprit.
Piech insisted the cars to be painted white, which was Germany's original racing colour but had never been used for the Porsche works cars before. Fitted with an eight-cylinder engine, the first 904 Bergspyder debuted in the Targa Florio where it finished second overall and first in the two-litre class. Later in the year, several outright victories were scored in hill climb events but the coveted European Championship was lost to Ferrari.
Not all of the five examples had survived the rigours of testing and racing, undoubtedly due to their troubled handling, but those that did were sold to privateers. All of them were re-engined with the more docile and certainly easier to service six-cylinder engines. In private hands, the cars had some success, particularly in North America. Considered by some as the most ugly Porsche competition car ever created, the 904 Bergspyder did offer the first sign of things to come under Piech's leadership, which was ruthless but did bring great successes. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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By the spring of 1965 testing commenced with both a six and an eight cylinder engined car. The handling proved to be very tricky and one of the prototypes was referred to as the Kangaroo for its tendency to hop around. Curing the handling issues took a long time and included the use of wider rear tyres and eventually the suspension bushings were also reinforced. Improvements were clearly made but the 904 Bergspyder was not a favourite among the drivers. Some of the blame was put on the chassis but it was later found that the relatively high unsprung weight was the main culprit.