In September 1938, at the instigation of the Nazi Party, three Typ 64 bodies were ordered from the Reutter workshop for propaganda purposes for the Berlin-Rome race scheduled for September 1939. The Porsche 60K10 weighed 545 kg, 200 kg less than the KdF “donor.” Despite its modest power, its low weight and aerodynamic design, including faired wheels, allowed it to achieve a top speed of 150 km/h. Test results were excellent, and the Typ 64 (60K10) was ready for the race. Registration for participants began in the spring of 1939, but after September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, racing was put on hold for a long time. Chassis History: Car #1 (38/41) — completed August 19, 1939. Silver. Repainted black between 1939 and 1940. Owned by Porsche. In May 1945, American troops discovered this example in a hangar at a former flight school in Zell am See, Austria, and cut off its roof. During operation, the engine was broken and the car was abandoned. Some parts survive. License plates: IIIA-0703
But the Porsche father and son couldn’t afford to stop halfway. That same year, 1938, they decided to press ahead despite all the obstacles they faced. Since VW components were unavailable, they assembled a small team of engineers to work on a completely unique sports car, designed entirely in-house, designated the Type 114. Karl Fröhlich was responsible for the project’s implementation. However, the Type 114 was never built. The design documentation needed to build a working model was never completed. It’s worth noting that, under the direction of Joseph Mickl, three scale models were built from wood for blowing in a tunnel, each with different details (Type 114, 114K1, 114K2). Interestingly, the K1 variant was intended to be a three-seater, with a 2+1 layout.
In the spring of 1938, Porsche approached Labor Front officials seeking permission to purchase KdF Wagen Type 60 parts in the quantities needed for their sports cars. This request was also rejected, but for a different reason: under the laws of the time, VW, as a state-owned company, was not allowed to sell its products to a private company like Porsche. This circumstance delayed work on developing Porsche sports cars based on VW parts. Diagram comparing the Type 114 (top) and Type 64 (bottom).
The Porsche family managed to recoup some of the money spent on the project by selling a proprietary gearbox, originally designed for the Type 114, to VW. What, then, would Porsche’s first independent project have been? An aluminum body, trailing-arm front suspension, a swing axle at the rear, a limited-slip differential, and drum brakes on all wheels. The wheelbase was to be 2750 mm, with a track width of 1350 mm front and rear. The projected top speed was 180 km/h. The Type 114 engine was mounted in front of the rear axle, in the chassis. It was a 10-cylinder, overhead-valve, liquid-cooled engine with a displacement of 1.5 liters (1493 cc, 58 x 56.5 mm). A supercharger was planned. A 72-degree V-angle was chosen to reduce vibration. An aluminum cylinder head was planned for the engine. Ten cylinders were rare at the time. In the late 1930s, only Ford and Lancia had similar developments. Engineers saw the V10 as a logical compromise between the V12 and V8. Porsche chose the V10 configuration for two projects it was working on in 1938: the Typ 100 Prototype 2 tank for the Wehrmacht, powered by two 15-liter air-cooled V10 engines, and the Typ 114, a sports coupe.
Design work on the Typ 64 began at the Porsche bureau in 1937. The Typ 64 was based entirely on components from the KdF Wagen Typ 60, and was therefore designated the Porsche Typ 60K10: the “60” refers to the Porsche Typ 60 modification, the “K” stands for “Karosserie,” and the “10” refers to the body version. The aerodynamic aluminum body was designed by Erwin Komenda. Karl Fröhlich was responsible for the component layout. In late 1937 and early 1938, Dr. Porsche approached Nazi bigwigs Ley and Lafferentz for project funding. However, their response was not encouraging: the production and sale of inexpensive sports cars was not on the party’s immediate agenda. Despite the refusal of financial support, Dr. Porsche did not give up and began considering how to launch production himself. He decided to launch a full-cycle production with family funding. The risk was minimal, as Porsche was at the time leading the “people’s car” project, which was generating good profits. Thus, assembly work began on the family’s own premises in Zuffenhausen. The idea of becoming an independent manufacturer had already crossed Dr. Porsche’s mind as early as 1922. At that time, he left Austro-Daimler to accept an invitation from Mercedes. He had plans to create something similar to the Bugatti, but needed money. He planned to earn it by working for Mercedes. Finally, he had enough money to begin full-time production. Technically, the Porsche Type 64 (60K10) copied the KdF Wagen. Its air-cooled, four-cylinder, flat-twin VW engine, with a larger displacement of 1.1 liters, two carburetors, and a higher compression ratio, produced approximately 45-50 hp. Like the KdF, the engine was located behind the rear axle. Since the Typ 64 was originally intended for racing and rallying, Fröhlich designed the car to accommodate two spare tires in the front trunk, which meant the standard fuel tank had to be moved further back to the passenger side. The fuel tank now protruded into the passenger area. Therefore, the seat was moved to the center of the car, 30 cm further than the driver’s seat, in a staggered configuration. Looking at the roof structure from the outside, you can see that the dome-shaped cabin was low and narrow, creating an awkward interior. The gearbox was located at the rear, in the base, connected to the engine. The Porsche 60K10 weighed 545 kg, 200 kg less than the “donor” KdF. The front suspension was a torsion bar, while the rear was a swing axle with coil springs and an anti-roll bar. The shock absorbers and drum brakes were also borrowed from the KdF Wagen.
