In 1967, Porsche brought a new kind of car to Le Mans. Unlike the big bruisers that had dominated the race in previous years—V12 Ferraris and Ford GT40s—the 907 had a small flat-six and incredibly low bodywork that a tall-engined car couldn't match. It was the latest evolution of a series of sports endurance racers from Porsche, and it was the future. Ford may have won overall, but Porsche won the Index of Performance, came in fifth overall and continued heavy development work on the type.

VIEW THESE: Photos: 24 Hours of Daytona

At the end of March, 1968, Porsche had four type 907 chassis ready, and brought them to the 24 Hours of Daytona. Fully developed, the 907 now used a 2195 cc aircooled, magnesium alloy flat-eight with Bosch fuel injection, good for 278 bhp at 8700 rpm. The 907LH (lang heck, or long tail) was slippery, stonking fast and wicked hard to drive.

Fortunately, the driver lineup for chassis 907-005 was up to the task, with Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, Rolf Stommelen, Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann. The race didn't look good at first, with privately entered GT40s (now with 4.9-liter engines to meet regulations) in the lead, but the Porsches eventually overtook them, end ended up finishing in a choreographed 1-2-3. In first place was the #54 car, chassis 907-005—this very car.

907-005 continued to race internationally through 1973, mostly with André Wicky and the Wicky Racing Team, having been converted to a more stable short-tail (907K) before sale. Races included a trip back to Daytona in 1969 (DNF) and 4th at Sebring that year; three times at Le Mans 24 hours; three times at the Nürburgring 1000 km; and five outings at the 1000 km at Monza.

VIEW THESE: Frenzied artist illustrates all 24 hours of racing at Daytona

After an obscure period in the late 1970s and 1980s, 907-005 was recently restored to Daytona specification, including a replacement transaxle and eight-cylinder engine. It's made the show circuit in recent years, including a Daytona anniversary in 2012, and as is common for such cars, now that it's been shown, it's for sale. Gooding has it consigned to their March 7 Amelia Island auction, with a $3.5 - $5 million estimate. I really have no idea if that's fair—I don't recall the last time one sold publicly, and the long-tails are even rarer than the short-tails. But for a Daytona winning car with Le Mans history, not to mention a huge part in Porsche motorsport history? You could do worse.

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