1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder

A Competitive Beast

CarshowClassic.com tells the story. 

Many would think that sports car manufacturers would immediately jump into the race track to gain a stellar reputation. However, this isn’t always the case. The 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder was one of the first updates of the very first model that began the Porsche’s race track dominance.

The 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder was an update of an earlier model that proved to be known as the “Giant-Killer.” In any case, the Porsche 718 W-RS did for the company what the C-Type did for Jaguar: introduced the company to the world of competition racing. In fact, the history-of both cars is quite similar. 

Like the C-Type, the Porsche 718 W-RS was created from a commercial car model. For the C-Type, it was the XK 120; for the Porsche 718 W-RS, it was the Porsche 550 Spyder, a sports car that was called the Giant Killer because of its-power. And while the 550 also gained some successes in the racing world, it was the Porsche 718 W-RS that did the company proud by winning so many races and competitions in just four years. Indeed,-this Porsche is among the most competitive among the creations of this automobile-superpower. 

The Porsche 718 W-RS is mid-engine race car, like the successful Dino line of Ferrari (the Dino, however, was around a decade-younger than the Porsche 718 W-RS). What made the Porsche 718 W-RS an impressive car is its numerous wins in several racing prix, such as the 12 Hours of Sebring in-1060 and the wins it got at Targa Florio in 1960. The year later proved to be more fruitful for the-company as it won Le Mans. It wasn’t very lucky in the Formula One, however, as the Dino-dominated the competition.

For those not in the know, the 12 Hours of Sebring is an endurance race that began-in 1950 and still exists today. Obviously, the race runs for 12 hours, making it a great preparation-of racers who were planning to join 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Meanwhile, Targa Florio began in 1906,-although it was discontinued during the late 1970s. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, meanwhile, was then the-toughest competition for racers, since it was a race that lasted for 24 hours (which means only the-toughest cars and racers can prove to be victorious here).

Although the 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder is not exactly well known among casual car fans, enthusiasts would recognize this as one-of the major breakthroughs of Porsche, although not in the commercial sense. In terms of commercial-recognition, Porsche 911 remains to be the company’s prized jewel. After all, it is deemed-(and rightfully so) by many as the most successful competitive car model in the history of-automobile production. That it has been in production since 1963, a few years after the 718 was-develop, helps.  In fact, there lies the value of the 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder, the most notable of the 718 updates. Simply put: without the 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder, it isn’t far fetched to say that the 911 may not exist at all. 

The 1962 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder is now displayed at the Porsche Museum—a proof that this model is indeed very-important in the history of this car manufacturer.