Continuing their celebration for Porsche's 70th anniversary, here's another legend you might be interested in; the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.
While I'm in the middle of doing some sighting laps with this car, let's talk more about this legendary, giant-slaying Porsche. Ever since Porsche withdrew from Formula 1 in 1962, their transition to sports car racing has been a challenge, given that the 718 was a bit of a prime, so they created the 904 with help from Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche.
Built on a steel ladder chassis and fiberglass bodywork, it weighs less than a ton and for added rigidity, the chassis and the bodywork are bonded. Power comes from a Type 587 2.0L boxer-4 engine, which is an evolution of the Type 547 found in most VW and Porsche vehicles, producing almost 200HP of power and it's capable of reaching 0-100kph in less than six seconds. For suspension, the 904 opted for coil springs and uneven-length A-arms up front to make handling better on the corners.
Porsche built 106 road-going variants due to homologation regulations and sold out quickly. Since its racing inception in 1964, the 904 won the Targa Florio and class wins at Spa, Sebring, Nurburgring, Le Mans, Watkins Glen, Zandvoort, Canada, and the Paris 1000km, raking SCCA's C-Production and E-Sports racing titles. When it went rallying, the 904 won the Tulip, Munich-Vienna-Budapest, Geneva, and the Alpine Rally. The following year, the 904 had no shortage of wins in numerous racing events.
Looking back at its impressive racing career, it's perhaps no wonder that the 904 is a legendary Porsche that showcases its fighting force to be reckoned with. Hey, that's the German way, you know. Trying to show the world who's in charge of racing and Porsche doesn't give a darn thing or two about dominating different races and that same thing carried on to its successors. Showing the world how Porsche is capable of, the 904 Carrera GTS is a giant-slaying menace that deserves the fear and admiration classic car enthusiasts deserve and since I'm in Monza, I'm taking this car for a spin, just to see if the 904 lives up to its legendary reputation.
I may be showing off near the end of the drive but I think it's great to say that I am honored to get to know more about the 904 Carrera GTS my point of view judging from its impressive racing career in its heydays and because this is Porsche's 70th birthday after all, this one is definitely part of Stuttgart's greatest hits.
Speaking of which, there's another oldie car from the Top Gear Car Pack I would like to show you.
When you say Giulietta, sorry to disappoint because as producers being fanatics for all things baby boomers, they brought in the original Giulietta, in Sprint Veloce form. And while doing some sighting laps at Mugello, let me talk to you about this machine. Unveiled at the 1954 Turin Motor Show, the Giulietta was known to be Alfa Romeo's foray into the 1.3L class cars and the first variant of the Giuletta range is the 2+2 Sprint coupe, later joined by the four-door Berlina sedan and an open top version, among many others, with a coachbuilt estate variant in the mix.
The Giulietta was styled by Bertone's Franco Scaglione and built at the Grugliasco factory near Turin. It was powered by a 1.3L all-alloy engine designed by one-time Ferrari engineer Giuseppe Busso. Due to its immediate success, Alfa Romeo ramped up the Giulietta's production numbers to keep up with the overwhelming demand and they introduced the Veloce variant in 1956.
The Veloce is a lightweight variant that drops 70kg of weight from the normal Giulietta Sprint, resulting in 830kg of weight, courtesy of its aluminum materials and removal of rear seats. From 1954 to 1965, Alfa made 3,058 units of the Sprint Veloce and in today's times, it has become a collectible for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts.
As the saying goes you can't be a true petrolhead without driving an Alfa Romeo, this original Giuletta is all about taking yourself back to its golden years because in its good old days, Alfa Romeo has brought us some of the most fantastic cars that possess such value and performance that makes driving through the Amalfi very charming and stylish. Today's Alfa Romeo can be somewhat of a brash if you know what I mean but they're doing the best they can to shake off their stodgy image by offering exciting models such as today's Giulia and the 4C, among many others.
You know what? Maybe today's Alfa Romeo needs to do some inspiration from the past and this is where the original Giulietta Sprint Veloce comes into play so it's time to show them what an Alfa Romeo can do.
Now this is what I called driving without explanations and this is what an Alfa Romeo of its golden years can do.
I have to say, I have to give credit to the producers for finding such junkyard beauties to feature in the game, judging by the fact that the Forza producers are all about going backward rather than forwards in search of cars to feature. Fresh off from the junkyard, they have been faithfully recreated into the machines we are now and whether you love them or hate them, the Forza series is all about being your ultimate racing game, much like when you called DWWW 774 "your ultimate AM radio."
Memories, memories, memories. With legends like these possessing such memories, they are always here to stay for many generations to come. Enjoy these oldies while you can, drivers.
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