Among Porsche’s early competition cars, perhaps few models encapsulate the marque’s core engineering philosophy as completely as the Porsche 718 RS61 Spyder. Introduced for the 1961 season, the RS61 represented the final and most developed expression of Porsche’s four-cylinder, mid-engine Spyder program, a lineage that began with the 550 Spyder and evolved through the 718 RSK and RS 60.

The foundation for this lineage was established by the Porsche 718 RSK, introduced in 1958 to succeed the highly successful 550A Spyder. The RSK defined the essential Spyder architecture, combining a lightweight tubular spaceframe chassis with a mid-engine layout and Porsche’s advanced four-cam flat-four engine.

For the 1960 season, revisions to FIA regulations prompted Porsche to refine the RSK concept further, resulting in the 718 RS 60 Spyder. To meet new requirements for windscreen height, cockpit dimensions, and practical accommodations, Porsche adopted a taller windscreen, widened the cockpit with larger doors, and added a modest luggage compartment above the transaxle, while also slightly lengthening the wheelbase and revising the suspension, including the adoption of a double-wishbone rear layout. These changes were accompanied by continued development of the tubular spaceframe, which gained stiffness without a meaningful weight penalty, as well as the adoption of 15" wheels in place of the earlier 16" rims. Together, these refinements improved high-speed stability and composure, yielding more predictable handling at the limit without compromising the Spyder’s inherent lightness.

Power was supplied by Porsche’s Type 547/4 four-cam flat-four engine, conceived under the direction of Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann, and widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated small-displacement racing engines of its era. In this specification, the air-cooled unit displaced 1,587 cc, having been enlarged from its earlier 1.5-liter (1,498 cc) RSK form, and employed dual overhead camshafts per cylinder bank driven by an intricate system of vertical shafts and bevel gears. In racing tune, output approached 160 hp, an extraordinary figure for an engine of its size. Later displacement increases notwithstanding, this iteration combined exceptional specific output with notable durability when properly maintained. Mounted amidships and paired with a close-ratio five-speed transaxle, the four-cam engine contributed to near-ideal weight distribution and responsiveness.

These qualities translated directly into results during a banner 1960 season for Porsche. In the hands of Hans Herrmann, one of Porsche’s most accomplished and versatile factory drivers, and Olivier Gendebien, already established as one of endurance racing’s most formidable competitors, the RS60 claimed an immediate overall victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Success continued in Europe, where Herrmann secured victory at the Targa Florio, completing Porsche’s third consecutive European Hill Climb Championship and underscoring the effectiveness of the marque’s disciplined, evolution-driven approach to competition.

With continued success and little need for substantive revisions, RS60 chassis completed in the closing months of 1960 and into early 1961 were designated RS61 for competition in the 1961 season, with 14 examples so identified. In practice, the RS60 and RS61 were nearly identical in specification and appearance, together representing the most mature and fully resolved expression of Porsche’s four-cylinder Spyder program.

Throughout 1961, RS61 Spyders continued to demonstrate the effectiveness of Porsche’s lightweight, balance-driven approach, delivering strong results in international endurance racing and on demanding road circuits against increasingly powerful opposition. Campaigned by both factory-supported and private entrants, the RS 61 stands as the most mature and fully resolved expression of Porsche’s four-cylinder Spyder program.

This 1961 Porsche 718 RS61, chassis 718-066, stands among the most historically significant of this rare group. Completed in October 1960, this early-production RS61’s aluminum coachwork was finished in Silver over a red interior and delivered new to Bob Donner of Colorado Springs, Colorado. An accomplished American racer and a director of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Donner had already demonstrated his aptitude at the mountain, claiming a class victory there in 1960 while driving a Porsche RS60 Spyder in the 1,500 cc class.

Donner first entered chassis 718-066 at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 25, 1961, the opening round of the FIA World Sports Car Championship. Sharing driving duties with Don Sesslar and Ernie Erickson, both seasoned American sports-car racers with experience in SCCA and international endurance competition, the trio delivered a strong result against a deep international field, finishing 7th Overall and 2nd in Class after 198 laps. The performance underscored both the reliability of the RS61 and the inherent competitiveness of Porsche’s lightweight Spyder design.

Following Sebring, 718-066 continued to be actively campaigned on the West Coast of the US, accumulating numerous podium finishes in SCCA and USRRC competition. Returning to Pikes Peak later in 1961, Donner achieved an extraordinary result, finishing first in the 2,000 cc class and 1st Overall.

Donner continued to race the RS 61 through at least late 1963, when the car was sold to Don Wester, proprietor of a prominent Monterey-area Porsche and Volkswagen dealership. Under Wester’s ownership, the Spyder was refinished in a distinctive yellow and black livery shared by several of his competition cars, making it immediately recognizable on track. Wester is also said to have replaced the original 1,600 cc engine – P90316 – with an enlarged 1,700 cc Homer Worth-tuned unit – P90322 - seeking additional power and torque. The car quickly returned to competition and enjoyed further success, including eight podium finishes in SCCA and USRRC events during 1963 alone, with two overall victories at Stockton and Cotati.

With the introduction of the new Porsche 904, the RS61 became less competitive, and by 1964 chassis 718-066, then owned by Eldon Beagle, was raced only sparingly. The car subsequently passed through the ownerships of American private collectors John Grove and G. Grandell before entering a prominent Japanese collection in the 1990s.

Under long-term Japanese ownership, the RS61 underwent an extensive restoration by a respected specialist in the US. Non-original components accumulated over years of competition were said to be removed and replaced with factory-correct items, and the car was refinished in its original Silver over red leather bucket seats. At this time, the car was returned to its original engine specification, with its correct and original Type 547/4 four-cam engine, P90316, reinstalled.

In January 2014, this historically important RS61 was acquired at auction by its current custodian, a noted collector of significant classic competition cars. Following its export to England, the RS61’s ongoing care and maintenance was entrusted to respected marque specialist and historian Andy Prill who prepared the car for exhibition and vintage racing at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in March 2015.

Presenting very well today, this RS61 appears to have been restored to period-correct specification, while retaining significant elements of originality. A detailed inspection conducted in July 2021 by historic vehicle experts in Luxembourg confirms that the car remains in its original configuration, with no essential modifications to the technical characteristics of its principal components. The accompanying report notes that its major systems – including the chassis, bodywork, engine, transmission, suspension, steering, braking, and electrical equipment – conform to period specification.

With known provenance from new, a distinguished and well-documented competition history, and an exceptionally rare degree of mechanical completeness, chassis 718-066 stands among the most significant examples of Porsche’s four-cylinder Spyder lineage. Restored with appropriate restraint to period-correct specification and retaining its original engine, it represents a remarkably complete and authentic RS61, vividly illustrating Porsche’s early, balance-driven approach to international sports-car competition.