Build for street racing, the Porsche 906, or Carrera 6, was introduced in 1966. Supposedly 50 (some would argue and say 65) were produced, making this car ultra rare. Even rarer than the Enicar Sherpa Graph MkIV that was worn by Swiss rally driver Siegfried Zwimpfer who raced an Enicar branded Carrera 6 in 1967 and 1968.
Quick confession: my current car is a Nissan. It’s the size of a handbag and the fierce red paint can cause headaches. My dream car is a Mercedes W123, created in large numbers between November 1975 to January 1986, in either the sedan, station wagon or coupé version. I know that these brick like Benzes are nowhere near compatible to any Porsche, but I’m a sucker for class that’s reasonably priced. I do however have a modest connection with the Porsche brand, as I used to work on advertising campaigns for the Porsche 911 when I started my career in advertising in the late 1990s. Did I ever drive one? Nope. I was in the passenger seat only once, when my former Creative Director decided to show off, driving almost 100 km/h through the center of Den Bosch. This was the era when smoking behind your desk was fully accepted and radar control was something of a novelty.
Back on topic. Professional rally driver Siegfried ‘Sigi’ Zwimpfer was a hill climb specialist who also drove in Ferrari’s and Corvette’s. According to a promotional card I found, he would only rely on top notch technology, hence his preference for Porsche and the Enicar Sherpa Graph.
It is interesting to see that Enicar kept plugging the Sherpa Graph model through professional rally drivers like Mister Zwimpfer, although he was no Stirling Moss or Jim Clark, both Enicar ambassadors and extremely successful in the higher rated world of Formula One. Another remarkable fact is that Sigi appeared to be related to German sports car driver Gerhard Mitter, who was also sponsored by Enicar. In a very insightful article written by Nico Henke, Mitter is seen wearing an Enicar Sherpa Graph MkIV, the exact same model Zwimpfer was promoting in the late 1960s!
Maybe Sigi wasn’t the most successful driver that ever lived, but it is still remarkable that Enicar sponsored a racing car that is nowadays considered one of the most expensive sports classics out there. Even more striking is the huge photo of a Sherpa Star model that was put on the back of the car in stead of a pic of an Enicar chronograph! In April 2021, a 1966 Porsche Carrera 6 was sold in auction for nearly $ 2 million. These kind of prices are still lightyears away from the current market value of Enicar Sherpa Graph MkIV models (or any other Enicar watch), although prices have been climbing steadily. If you happen to own one, take good care of it, as it’s a great piece with some interesting racing heritage.
