1960'S - 9. 1964 PORSCHE 904 — 5.3 SECONDS (TIE)

September 1964

What We Said: “Even with street mufflers and air cleaners, the 904 comes on like the loudest part of a war movie soundtrack. That old Porsche trait, spitting back through the carburetors, is still there, as was a certain amount of lusty backfiring. . . . The loudest noise at 60 mph is your heart pounding in anticipation, and normal conversation is utterly impossible at 100 mph. . . . For the first time since the original series of 50 Porsches were built in Austria, the engine is ahead of the axle in a Porsche production car. . . . This engine differs from previous Porsche two-liters in having wilder cams, bigger valves, and more fin area. . . . Oh sure, only 130 horsepower. It didn’t seem hardly enough to do any more than pool all our blood along our jellied spine, break our glasses across the bridge of our nose, and leave the impression of our belt buckle on our stomach.”