The highlights of 904-040 are largely associated with its first owner L\u00e9on Dernier, aka Eld\u00e9, of Belgium, who was a well-known sports car racer in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He first competed in the\u00a01953 Spa-Francorchamps.\u00a0The race was part of the newly created World Sportscar championship. But the\u00a0Peugeot 203 that he co-piloted with Claude Collard lost a wheel, and\u00a0the vehicle was disqualified by the use of unauthorised assistance.<\/p>\n
Two years later he took his standing in the top position at the\u00a024 Hours of Paris\u00a0in<\/p>\n
Montlh\u00e9ry, where he finished fifth overall with co-pilot\u00a0Charles de Cortanze. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1959, he placed 2nd overall, an achievement that he repeated in 1962. Both times, Jean Blaton was his teammate.<\/p>\n
During the 1960s he was on the Belgian racing teams Equipe Nationale Belge and the Ecurie Francorchamps, competing in the Belgian Touring Car Championship, the German Circuit Championship, and international sports car races. In the process, he largely campaigned Ferrari models, including 250 GT SWB, 250 LM, 250 GTO, 250 Testa Rossa, etc.<\/p>\n
Following his acquisition of 904-040 in 1964, Eld\u00e9 raced it in a series of hill climbs, finishing 1st overall at Laroche-Samre, 2nd overall both at Ste C\u00e9cil – Hauberment and Citadelle de Namur. During Eld\u00e9\u2018s ownership, 904-040 was entered in as many as eight races, next only to the 250 GT SWB he raced, but more than the other Ferrari models that he campaigned.<\/p>\n
Eld\u00e9\u2018s greatest successes were at 24-hour races. In 1964, he raced 904-040 with start number 43 to finish 8th in the GT2.0 class at 500 Km Spa on May 17, then placed 6th overall both at Zolder GP on July 19, and Rheinland Pfalz Preis Nurburgring on August 1. He appeared to participate in these races as a privateer with no known sponsor.<\/p>\n
After 904-040 clinched a 10th overall finish with a 2nd-place class win at 500 Km Spa 1965, it was sold to Verdoedt. Hoffman of Germany purchased the car from him and had it restored with a new body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Equipment features:<\/strong> When the Porsche 904 debuted at the Solitude Circuit, Germany in November 1963, a plan was also in place to build it for a minimum of 100 vehicles so as to meet the FIA\u2019s regulations for homologation of a racing as well as road-legal vehicle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":46553,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[648,290,62,75,605,609,615],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38561","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-available-models","7":"product_cat-all-products","8":"product_cat-models-118","9":"product_cat-cmc-porsche","10":"product_cat-limited-editions","11":"product_cat-racing-sports-cars","12":"product_cat-post-war-vehicles","14":"first","15":"instock","16":"taxable","17":"shipping-taxable","18":"purchasable","19":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nExhaust system: Sebring
\nColor: Silver\/Red<\/p>\n