Porsche 718/2: how a sports car became a Formula One contender
Porsche has republished a history feature on the 718/2, the single-seater that grew out of the 1957 718 RSK sports car and went on to race in Formula One in 1961. The article on Porsche Newsroom carries text first published in Motorsport Magazine by Andrew Frankel, with images credited to Jonathan Bushell and Porsche AG.
From sports car to single-seater
The 718/2 traces back to the 1957 Porsche 718 RSK. After Le Mans in 1958, Porsche converted one RSK to a central driving position and entered it in a Formula 2 race at Reims with Jean Behra at the wheel. According to the Newsroom account, the car took pole position by more than a second and won the event.
Porsche developed the single-seater further for Formula 2 competition. The Newsroom piece describes it as a design that was never intended for Formula One, which makes its later results all the more unusual.
Formula One adopts Formula 2 rules
The FIA announced that Formula One would run to the then-current Formula 2 regulations from 1961 onwards. That change put the 718/2, already a successful Formula 2 car, onto the top level of the sport.
In 1961 the Porsche 718 finished second in three races. Those results helped Porsche to third place in the Constructors’ Championship, behind Ferrari and Lotus. Dan Gurney drove the car that season and finished third in the Drivers’ Championship, level on points with Stirling Moss.
The 787 and the 804
Porsche had also developed a successor derived from the 718/2, the 787, with a longer wheelbase and new front suspension. It produced lacklustre performances at Monaco and Zandvoort, and Porsche returned the older 718/2 to racing in 1961.
Porsche later built the 804 as the 718’s successor in factory Formula One competition. The Newsroom feature says the 804 took Porsche’s first, and to date only, Formula One win as a constructor, with Gurney driving at Rouen.
718/2 technical specification
These figures are as listed by Porsche Newsroom.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre air-cooled flat-four (quad-cam) |
| Chassis | Steel spaceframe |
| Power | 165 PS |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual |
| Front suspension | Independent, transverse torsion bar springs |
| Rear suspension | Independent, coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers, Watt’s linkage |
| Weight | 456 kg |
What the car is like to drive
The feature includes the Motorsport Magazine writer’s impressions of running a 718/2 on part of Porsche’s Weissach test track. He describes the air-cooled flat-four as highly strung, lively above 6,000 rpm and flying by 8,000 rpm. He praises the six-speed gearbox and says the drum brakes feel powerful and progressive.
A heritage story, not a Canadian one
This is a racing-history feature. Porsche’s page does not mention Canada, Canadian pricing or availability, and nothing in it affects Canadian buyers or owners.
Image: Porsche AG. Source: Porsche Newsroom, published November 13, 2026.
