Porsche
904 Carrera GTS

Why it matters

The 904 was the first Porsche with a fibreglass-reinforced plastic body and one of the most celebrated GT homologation cars of the 1960s. Designed by F. A. Porsche, it was built as a 106-car four-cylinder series, with six- and eight-cylinder works versions for racing.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 904 Carrera GTS in museums)
  Photo: Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland · CC BY 2.0
• Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 904 Carrera GTS in museums)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 904 Carrera GTS in museums)
  Photo: Nick.Pr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 904 Carrera GTS in museums)
  Photo: Nick.Pr · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Porsche developed the 904's plastic body together with aircraft maker Heinkel Flugzeugbau, achieving a frontal area of just 1.4 m². The production cars used the four-cam Carrera four-cylinder, in Type 587/3 form with about 180 hp from 1,966 cc, driving through a five-speed gearbox with ZF limited-slip differential. The works also ran 210 hp six-cylinder cars and three eight-cylinder cars; Edgar Barth and Umberto Maglioli won the prototype class of the 1964 Targa Florio in an eight-cylinder 904.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The 904 has a boxed steel ladder frame on a 90.5 in wheelbase and a glass-fibre body whose panels were made by Heinkel and glued to the frame. Most cars use the four-cam four-cylinder (Type 547 or 587/3); a few late cars received the 2.0-litre six-cylinder from the 906. RM Sotheby's names four "second-series" cars that have a reinforced chassis, a centre-filling fuel tank, short doors with pull-up plastic side windows, upgraded brakes and a reshaped tail with a slight Kamm ducktail. Factory-built cars are documented by the Kardex, chassis numbers run in the 904-0xx range, and replacement engines are common, so engine numbers need checking against the Kardex.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Porsche 904 Carrera GTS - Porsche Newsroom Level A

   • 106 units with four-cylinder engines

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Pebble Beach 2011, Lot 34) Level C Gooding & Company

   • Correct-Type 587/3 Four-Cam Engine
   • DOHC Type 587/3 four-cam flat-4
   • 1,966 cc
   • Twin Weber 46 IDM
   • Approximately 180 HP at 7,000 RPM
   • 180 HP at 7,000 RPM
   • 5-speed manual with ZF limited-slip differential
   • 5-speed manual
   • Independent wishbones on all four wheels, coil-over shock absorbers
   • Independent wishbones on all four wheels
   • ATE-Dunlop disc brakes, all four wheels

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1965 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, chassis 904-107 (lot r188) Level C RM Sotheby's

   • boxed steel ladder tubing frame
   • panels, produced by Heinkel, were glued and bonded to the steel frame
   • Wheelbase: 90.5 in.

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Porsche Museum press kit) Level A Porsche Newsroom

   • first Porsche with a fibreglass-reinforced plastic body

   Accessed 2026-11-12