Porsche Takes to the Track

So many 908's, so little time. This car finds its way into our top 10 because of its early 3.0-liter, 8-cylinder engine - oh, and it's one of only five in existence. Driven by the legendary man who could win at any motorsport, Vic Elford, the car saw duty at the 1000 Kilometers of Monza and the Nurburgring before making a final fateful run at Spa in 1968.

Any real list of Porsche cars must contain at least one sporting the infamous Gulf livery. This gorgeous 917 is powered by a 4.5-liter flat-12, slinging out 580 horsepower. It's had a storied racing history that prompts debate over its chassis number, after the original 004 was rebuilt with the chassis and body of 017 following a massive crash in April of that year.

Built from a road-going example with one more seat and half the cylinders, the 718-2 made 190 horsepower from 1.5-liters of V8, and was able to achieve a slightly scary 155 mph top speed. This particular example gave Porsche the Formula 2 World Manufacturer's Championship title, and later qualified to run in Formula 1.

What list of Porsches could be complete without at least one 935? K3 denotes that this car was the third variation on the 935, and as you may have guessed, Manfred Kremer built this particular one. Its twin-turbocharged 3.2-liter mill barked out 800 horsepower and netted the car victories at Le Mans, 1000 km Nurburgring, Mosport, Sears Point, Portland, Road Atlanta and Daytona. Need we say more?

A 2.0-liter V8 producing 240 horsepower meets a car weighing just 1,411 pounds. That should be reason enough for the car's fame, but it is best known by the term of endearment given to it by Porsche: Globetrotter. The car dominated racetracks all over Europe before hopping a boat for Canada, California, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

But you can call it the 917 that won the most vaunted endurance victory of them all - Le Mans -- in the year of its birth. And just when you were starting to think that your flat-6 was big, we're going to go and spoil it by telling you Porsche ran a 4.5-liter flat-12 back in 1970. This one hammered out 580 horsepower, powering it down an untainted Mulsanne at hyper speed - the 917 was known to reach 240 mph.

In an effort to satisfy the end dream of Porsche lovers the world over, longtime Porsche enthusiast, Rob Dickinson has built "the ultimate 911." Scoff though you may initially, just try and find fault in this beautiful design. The chassis is from a 1988 911, but the body resembles a 1973 Carrera 2.8 RSR. The engine is 3.8 liters with a stratospheric redline of 8,000 rpm, cranking out 425 horsepower. But it's no trailer queen; it has iPod and Bluetooth compatibility and bi-Xenon headlights.

Porsche had a convenient way of getting around competition in the World Rally Championship in the early 1980s, and it was called the 959 Rally. In a calculated but daring move, Porsche took these cars to the most grueling race ever, the Paris-Dakar Rally, which lasted three weeks and was largely run over uninhabited desert. The car finished first in the event in 1986, piloted by legendary Belgian driver Jacky Ickx.

Known best for its innovative disc brakes and horizontally mounted cooling fan, the 8-cylinder 804 displaced just 1.5-liters and produced 180 horsepower. The car weighed less than 1,000 pounds, so it didn't need much power. This particular 804 carried American racing legend Dan Gurney to victory at the Grand Prix of France at Rouen. Gurney won again in Stuttgart before Porsche cancelled its F1 program at the end of 1962.

There isn't a car aficionado alive who can forget the blue- and-white Rothmans cars. With just 2.6 liters pounding out some 640 horsepower in a car weighing 1,800 pounds, these were the definition of a hairy ride in the 1980s. This particular car was the winner of no fewer than seven FIA world endurance championship races, along with seven fastest laps in a season of 11 races.