906 manual

A GTL Workshop production

Power&Glory brochures are created by the GTLWorkshop mod team | [email protected] | www.gtlw.co.uk

POWER & GLORYMarch 2009

The Porsche 906, was Porsche’s

response to the success of the light,

agile Ferrari V6 Dino.

The Porsche 906

THE VARIATIONS

THE PORSCHE 906 & 906/E

The Porsche 906 was designed as a street-legal tubular space framed fiberglass racecar. Also called the Carrera 6, it was Porsche’s response to the success of the light, agile Ferrari V6 Dino winning over the heavier, steel framed Porsche 904s.

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THE LONGTAIL

For the 1966 Le Mans, Porsche created the 906 Langheck (Longtail). The idea was to further improve the aerodynamics of the car to enable even higher top speeds down the 3.6mi Mulsanne straight.

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THE 906/8 WITH A FLAT 8The 906/8 was an attempt by Porsche to gather some outright wins over the V8/V12 Ferraris, especially at tracks like Targa Floria and the Nurburgring.

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“The base 906 in P&G is a dream to drive. You will not forget the engine is behind you, but the effect is far less than

the 911 or even 914.”

Issue No. One www.gtlw.co.ukW R I T T E N B Y :

PHIL ELMORE

Y o u c a n g e t i n c o n t a c t w i t h P h i l a t

p e l m o r e ( a t ) v e r i z o n . n e t

CREATION RESEARCHEDITING G T L W O R K S H O P

The classic Porsche 906 also known as Carrera 6

Light, agile reliable. A perfect Porsche. Aircooled tradition

http://www.gtlw.co.uk




POWER & GLORY ! PAGE2


THE PORSCHE 906 & 906/E

The Porsche 906 was designed as a street-legal tubular space framed fiberglass racecar. Also called the Carrera 6, it was Porsche’s response to the success of the light, agile Ferrari V6 Dino winning over the heavier, steel framed Porsche 904s. Because of the construction methodology, the 906 was approximately 250lbs (113kg) lighter than the 904. Another innovation for the 906 was the wind tunnel testing Porsche used to refine the shape of the car, creating a very slippery shape that allowed very high top speeds for a 2-liter car. Even the engine in the rear was covered in Plexiglas to cheat the wind. The engine of the 906 was very similar in overall design to the air-cooled 911 flat-6, but was substantially lighter due to extensive use of magnesium and aluminum alloys. Sixty-five Porsche 906 were built in 1966, and the sale of 50 to privateers allowed the homologation to Gr 4. The carbureted 2-liter engines produced 220 HP and 155 ft-lbs torque. On the track, the 906 was equally matched with the Dino, but the reliability and sheer number of 906 often resulted in victory for Porsche.

After the construction of the initial fifty 906 for homologation, Porsche began producing a series of variants to improve performance. The 906E model was raced only by Porsche, and used a Bosch fuel-injected 2-liter engine for better throttle control, and because the Bosch was a bit easier to tune and maintain. Power is virtually unchanged at 225 HP and 155ft-lbs torque.

The 906/8 was another engine variant covered in greater detail in its own section. Porsche also experimented with a number of aerodynamic variants for the 906. The 906 Langheck was the most obvious aero variant, and is covered in detail in its own section. Less obvious were the nose variations, which included short and long noses, with and without dive planes. These nose variations can be seen in conjunction with all the different 906 engine variants. A quick look at the car in the vehicle selection showroom will show you the exact configuration of the car you have selected.

“On the track, the 906 was

equally matched with the Dino,

but the reliability and sheer

number of 906 often resulted in

victory for Porsche.”

1967 906E and a 906: note the revised nose and lack of dive planes on the front of this particular 906E Details, details...

mailto:[email protected]




POWER & GLORY! PAGE3


My primary test track for the 906s is Watkins Glen. A great track, and the uneven pavement and camber changes test both the driver and the car’s suspension. My initial impression of the 906 was good, but way too much understeer. The default P&G setup is accurate to the Porsche factory setup, and I think Porsche didn’t want those “gentleman drivers” buying the privateer cars to immediately spin and wreck the cars! The good news is the 906 offers a ton of setup options to tune the cars handling to the drivers preference. A couple of wrench turns later and I found the base 906 a dream to drive, with very high cornering speeds and near neutral behavior. The base 906 in P&G is a dream to drive. Most drivers will probably find the front and rear camber needs adjustment, but with this small change the car exhibits very high cornering speeds and near neutral behavior. You will not forget the engine is behind you in a 906, but the effect is far less than the 911 or even 914. To my mind this is actually an advantage as the 906 responds nicely with lift-throttle oversteer, allowing mid-corner corrections. The 906 is also easy on the tires, at least relative to some of the tire-shredding big-block cars. The adjustability of the 906’s gearbox does allow you to tune the gears for the track, which is necessary given you must keep the revs high to maximize what little power you have. The 906’s brakes are about average for a 1966 car. I did experience some overheating in the 906 when the ambient temperature the Glen at 95F (35C). This forced me to shift at ~8000rpm, which cost me a little laptime. The 906 is a low HP momentum car

relative to its competitors in P&G like the Corvette L88, GT40, and Cobra 427. Laptime is gained by eliminating any unnecessary steering/tire scrub and executing a precise l i n e . A g a i n s t monster-motor cars, you will have to drive very creatively to not get bottled up in the corners.

DETAILS, DETAILS...

You do need to pay attention to car details (especially the nose of the 906) in the selection of your car because the aero configuration does make a difference. This is true for all the P&G cars, as the showroom will tell you this car has brake cooling, this car has a longer nose, and this car has a different HP curve. As an example, in the course of testing the 906s I really dialed in the setup to maximize speed on one key high-speed corner. A few days later I was practicing again with my setup, but now I was getting a hint of apex understeer that was costing me ~0.3sec/lap. I spent a fair amount of time pondering what I needed to adjust, when I remembered I’d changed cars because I liked the “red” one more than the “white” one. I looked back at the showroom and saw the white car had dive planes and the red one did not! This is not to say either car is superior, but to point out the different 906 varients can drive differently and require slightly different setups.

“The 906 is a low HP momentum car relative to its competitors in P&G like the Corvette L88,

GT40, and Cobra 427.”

“Laptime is gained by

eliminating any unnecessary steering/tire

scrub and executing a

precise line.”

Driving the 906. Light, agile, reliable.

The “office” is minimalist, the focus is on driving.







906LH (LANGHECK / LONGTAIL)

For the 1966 Le Mans, Porsche created the 906 Langheck (Longtail). The idea was to further improve the aerodynamics of the car to enable even higher top speeds down the 3.6mi Mulsanne straight. In addition to the obviously long tail and a Bosch fuel-injected 2-liter engine, the nose of the car was lengthened and an under shield was fitted. The initial practice sessions showed the car was very unstable due to rear-end lift, and after some experimentation Porsche found the addition of two small spoilers on the tai l produced satisfactory balance. A side benefit of this aero tuning on the Longtail was the improvement of fuel mileage at Le Mans, by ~12% over the standard 906, regardless the fact that the engine had slightly worse fuel consumption.

DRIVING THE LONGTAIL

While the top speed is definitely improved over the 906, the Longtail makes this car more than a handful. The rear tries to come around, well, nearly everywhere. On low-speed corners you could feel the weight of the tail, while on high-speed corners the Longtail was getting aero-lift. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a good setup for the Longtail, and I never found a perfect one. Raising the front height a bit, using less negative camber at the front, using more front rebound damping, lowering the rear rebound damping and setting the braking bias towards the front was helpful and I could stabilize the rear (eventually), but the cost was the graceful cornering of the 906. I was always aware of how long and heavy the tail was.

One thing that Aristotelis reminded me was the Le Mans layout in 1966 had fewer corners than the VLM Le Mans layout I was using. The track in 1966 was basically straight from the Maison Blanche past start-finish to the Dunlop Curve. The Ford Chicane was added to the track in 1968, and the Porsche Curves were added in 71-72. With a straighter track, aero efficiency becomes critical. Porsche went with the Longtail in 1966 to decrease laptime over the 906, and because the 906/8’s flat-8 was not considered reliable enough for the 24. For my money, I’d take a 906E and sacrifice a few MPH of top speed for the better handling and less chance of a spin. Those 1966 Le Mans Porsche factory drivers must have been a gutsy bunch!

The 1966 LeMans works cars. 906LH (LangHeck/LongTail)

A LONG TAIL VARIATION FOR THE 1966 “CHICANELESS” LE MANS

The long tail gives around 10km/h more top speed... ...while the rear wings limit aero lift







The 906/8 was an attempt by Porsche to gather some outright wins over the V8/V12 Ferraris, especially at tracks like Targa Florio and the Nurburgring. The 906/8 used a lightweight flat-8 2.2-liter Grand Prix engine producing 250 HP and 182ft-lbs torque. Porsche considered racing the 906/8 in 1966, but decided the engine’s reliability was insufficient. Unfortunately the four 906/8 built did not have the success Porsche expected. For example, while the 906/8 of Jochen Rindt and Nino Vaccarella qualified 3rd for the 1966 1000km Nurburgring race, the car raced no higher than 8th and retired just past the ¾ mark with no brakes.

The 906/8 has better power than the other 906 cars, but it’s certainly not a muscle car. At the Glen, the 906/8 was a better match

for the GT40s than the 906. While Porsche did not race the 906/8 at Le Mans due to reliability concerns, I did not have any engine trouble with the car. Of course, I did not run one for 24 hours!

DRIVING THE 906/8 PROTOTYPE

In my testing, the 906/8 has significantly better power than the other 906 cars. It’s not a muscle car, and it certainly does not sound like a muscle car. The flat-8 shrieks to its 9000rpm redline, reminding you that it’s F1 derived and not some overweight American lump! In fact, the low weight of the engine meant handling of the car is hardly affected. In many respects, the 906/8 was the pinnacle of the 906 series. If for no other reason, you need to drive it to hear the ripping flat-8. At the Glen, the 906/8 is a better match for the

GT40s than the 906, able to explode off the corners and hold on (mostly) on the straights. Just like in the 906, you must keep the revs high in the 906/8.

Although the 906/8 was very successful, for Porsche it was only a test prototype. A way to understand the potential of the team. As a matter of fact, in the following years, Porsche would make a big impact in closed wheels racing, releasing highly successful cars like the 910, 907, 908 and finally the absolute sportscar legend, the mighty 917.

Car Trap Speed mph/kph906 164/264906E 166/267906LH 170/274906/8 174/280

More muscle. The 906/8 (8 cylinder over 2 liter engine)

A TIMID ATTACK TO THE OVER 2 LITER PROTOTYPE CLASS

The 906/8 prototype had big potential... ...but the engine was difficult to tune.





POWER & GLORY

The Porsche 906 or Carrera 6, the last street-

legal racing car from Porsche.

Accurately recreated from the GTL Workshop

in the Power&Glory v2.0 mod.

March 2009

W R I T T E N B Y :PHIL ELMOREY o u c a n g e t i n c o n t a c t w i t h P h i l a t p e l m o r e ( a t ) v e r i z o n . n e tM a n u a l c r e a t e d b y G T L W O R K S H O P

Issue No. One

The Porsche 906

You won’t fine such painstaking attention to detail, in any other mod.

Check our website and official forums over at http://srmz.net/index.php?showforum=141 for more driving tips, setups and time attack competitions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche

http://srmz.net/index.php?showforum=141

http://srmz.net/index.php?showforum=141

906 manual

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