Goodwood Greats: Vic Elford's Porsche 911

Cast your mind back to the 73rd Members’ Meeting in March and the Porsche 911 race in particular. The race itself was superb, with BTCC hotshoe Andrew Jordan eventually winning ahead of Porsche specialist and former British GT champion Mark Sumpter.

The field was made up exclusively of early, short wheelbase 911s and several of the cars boasted rather special period provenance. None though had quite the history of the red car you see here, which was originally driven by the great Vic Elford. 

Elford had a special diverse talent which saw him secure rides in Formula One, Can Am, Trans Am, Targa Florio, Le Mans, British Saloon Cars… You name it, Elford was at some point probably asked to drive it.

But in 1966 it was Elford himself who approached Porsche Motor Sports Manager Huschke von Hanstein and asked if he could borrow a 911 with which to go rallying. Von Hanstein agreed to the request and was rewarded with not only the European Rally Championship in 1967, but the British two-litre Saloon Car title, too.

GVB 911D was apparently the showroom demonstrator of Porsche’s UK concessionaire, AFN and one of the first four 911s ever to turn a wheel in the country. It’s first time out in Elford’s hands was at the inaugural British rallycross event where, despite competition from the likes of the great Roger Clark in a Cortina Lotus (the Mk2 version being known as such, unlike its predecessor the Lotus Cortina), Elford prevailed and the 911s reputation as a quality rallying machine was born.

Small though the 911s rear seats were, they nevertheless qualified the car for British Saloon Car racing. So, after a brief fettle in Germany, GVB 911D returned to our sceptred isle and promptly won the two-litre category! Elford even campaigned the car in some European Touring Car races before it became sidelined after an engine bay fire in the Seventies. It was later restored and eventually returned to racing in the hands of current owner Rob Russell, who raced it at the Members’ Meeting.

Remarkable isn’t it that the whole, rich history of Porsche 911s racing and rallying in the UK can be traced directly back to Vic Elford and the diminutive, pretty little 911 you see here?