Porsche 917
Encyclopedia
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in 1970
1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1970. It was the eighth round of the World Sportscar Championship...
and 1971
1971 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 39th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1971. It was the ninth round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Pre-race:...
. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12
Flat-12
A flat-12 is an internal combustion engine in a flat configuration, having 12 cylinders.The flat-12 is wider than a V12...
engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0-62 mph (99.8 km/h) time of 2.3 seconds, 0–124 mph (199.6 km/h) in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over 240 mi/h.
There are 6 variants of the 917. The original version had a long tail (917LH), but had considerable handling problems at high speed. The Gulf team had then experimented with a shorter tail, and solved the handling problems at the expense of some top speed. Porsche adopted these changes into the 917K. These versions produced around 620 bhp. There is also the "Pink Pig" version, modified 917K with the 908 rear spoilers and the Turbo'ed spyder 917/10 /20 /30's. In the 1973 Can-Am series, the turbocharged version Porsche 917/30 developed over 1100 bhp, and as much as 1580 bhp in qualifying tune.
The 917 is one of the most iconic sports racing cars of all time, largely for its high speeds and high power outputs, and was made into a movie star by Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
in his 1971 film Le Mans
Le Mans (film)
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin. Starring Steve McQueen, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race....
.
2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the 917, and Porsche held a special birthday celebration at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
(3–5 July).
The birth of the 917
In an effort to reduce the speeds generated at Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
and other fast circuits of the day by the unlimited capacity Group 6 prototypes
Group 6 (racing)
Group 6 was the official designation applied by the FIA to two motor racing classifications, the Prototype-Sports Car category from 1966 to 1971 and the Two-Seater Racing Cars class from 1976 to 1982.-Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars :...
(such as the 7 litre Ford GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
Mk.IV and 4 litre V12 Ferrari P
Ferrari P
The Ferrari P series were prototype sports cars in the 1960s and early 1970s.Although Enzo Ferrari resisted the move even with Cooper dominating F1, Ferrari began producing mid-engined racing cars in 1960 with the Ferrari Dino-V6-engine Formula Two 156, which would be turned into the Formula...
) the Commission Sportive Internationale (then the independent competition arm of the FIA) announced that the International Championship of Makes would be run for 3 litre Group 6 prototypes for four years from 1968 through 1971. This capacity reduction would also serve to entice manufacturers who were already building 3 litre Formula One engines into endurance racing.
Well aware that few manufacturers were ready to take up the challenge immediately, the CSI also allowed the participation of 5 litre Group 4 Sports Cars
Group 4 (racing)
The Group 4 racing class referred to regulations for cars in sportscar racing, GT racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. The Group 4 class was replaced by Group B for the 1983 season.-Production requirements:...
, of which a minimum of 50 units had to be manufactured. This targeted existing cars like the aging Ford GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
Mk.I and the newer Lola T70
Lola T70
The Lola T70 was built for sports car racing, popular in the mid to late 1960s. Developed by Lola Cars in 1965 in Great Britain, the T70 was made for endurance racing...
coupe.
In April 1968, facing few entrants in races, the CSI announced that the minimal production figure to compete in the Sport category of the International Championship of Makes (later the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
) would be reduced from 50 to 25, starting in 1969 through the planned end of the rules in 1971. With Ferrari absent in 1968, mainly Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
and Ford P68 were entered there, with the Ford being a total failure. As a result, old 2.2 litre Porsche 907
Porsche 907
The Porsche 907 was a sportscar racing prototype built by Porsche in 1967 and 1968.- 1967 :The 907 was introduced at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans...
often won that category, with John Wyer's 4.7 litre Ford GT40 Mk.I taking wins at faster tracks.
Starting in July 1968, Porsche made a surprising and very expensive effort to take advantage of this rule. As they were rebuilding race cars with new chassis every race or two anyway, selling the used cars to customers, they decided to conceive, design and build 25 versions of a whole new car with 4.5 litre for the Sport category with one underlying goal: to win its first overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
on May 14, 1970. In only ten months the Porsche 917 was developed, based on the Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
.
When Porsche was first visited by the CSI inspectors only three cars were completed, while 18 were being assembled and seven additional sets of parts were present. Porsche argued that if they assembled the cars they would then have to take them apart again to prepare the cars for racing. The inspectors refused the homologation and asked to see 25 assembled and working cars.
On March 12, 1969, a 917 was displayed at the Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
Motor Show, painted white with a green nose and a black #917. Brief literature on the car detailed a cash price of DM 140,000, approximately £16,000 at period exchange rates - or the price of about ten Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
s. This price did not cover the costs of development.
On April 20 Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Karl Piëch is an Austrian business magnate, engineer and executive who is currently the chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group....
displayed 25 917s parked in front of the Porsche factory to the CSI inspectors. Piëch even offered the opportunity to drive any of the cars, which was declined.
Construction
The car was built around a very light spaceframe chassis (42 kg (92.6 lb)) which was permanently pressurised with gas to detect cracks in the welded structure. Power came from a new 4.5 litre air cooled engine designed by Hans Mezger. The 'Type 912' engine featured a 180° flat-12Flat-12
A flat-12 is an internal combustion engine in a flat configuration, having 12 cylinders.The flat-12 is wider than a V12...
cylinder layout, twin overhead camshafts driven from centrally mounted gears and twin spark plugs fed from two distributors. The large horizontally mounted cooling fan was also driven from centrally mounted gears. The longitudinally mounted gearbox was designed to take a set of four or five gears.
To keep the car compact despite the large engine, the driving position was so far forward that the feet of the driver were beyond the front wheel axle.
The car had remarkable technology: Porsche’s first 12-cylinder engine, and many components made of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and exotic alloys that had been developed for lightweight "Bergspider" hill climb racers. Other methods of weight reduction were rather simple, such as making the gear shift knob out of Balsa
Balsa
Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree , is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to tall. It is the source of balsa wood, a very lightweight material with many uses...
wood, some methods were not simple, such as using the tubular frame itself, as oil piping to the front oil cooler.
1969
In testing, it soon appeared that the Porsche 917 did not work well on the race track. Brian RedmanBrian Redman
Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England....
recalls that "it was incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed." Many thought that the 4.5 litre engine was too much for the frame. The suspension and the stability of the frame were suspected, but modifications did not improve the problem. It was finally determined that the "long tail" body was generating significant lift on the straights, as the 917 was 30 kilometre per hour faster than anything previously built for Le Mans. As with former underpowered Porsches, the 917 aerodynamics had been optimized for low drag in order to do well on the fast straights of Le Mans, Spa, Monza and elsewhere. The significance of downforce for racing was not yet fully realized even though Can-Am and F1 cars were using wings by that time.
Before its competition debut on 11 May 1969 in the 1000km Spa
1000km Spa
The 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.- History :The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races followed. As on the Nürburgring, both a 24-hour race for touring cars and GTs is held, and an...
, the weather conditions prevented further improvements in tests. Jo Siffert
Jo Siffert
Joseph Siffert was a Swiss racing driver.Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and close friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner...
/Redman managed to clock an unofficial lap time of 3:41.9 which would have beaten the pole of 3:42.5 set by a Lola, but they chose to use the 908LH long tail with which they won the race and set the fastest lap at 3:37.1. Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart....
/Udo Schütz
Udo Schütz
Udo Schütz is a German entrepreneur, who was competing successfully with racing cars in the 1960s, and with yachts in the 1990s.His career began in the early 1960s...
actually started the race from 8th, but their already ailing engine failed after one lap.
Three weeks later for the 1000km Nürburgring
1000km Nürburgring
The ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring is an endurance race for sports cars held on the Nürburgring in Germany and organized by the ADAC since 1953.- History :...
, all works drivers preferred the 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
over the 917 which was, despite some modifications, not suited for the twisty track. As it was necessary to promote the car in order to sell the surplus ones, Porsche asked BMW for the services of their factory drivers Hubert Hahne
Hubert Hahne
-Career:He participated in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, two of those at the wheel of Formula Two cars, and one non-Championship Formula One race.Hahne was successful in touring car racing, e.g. the European Touring Car Championship...
and Dieter Quester
Dieter Quester
Dieter Quester is an active touring car racing driver from Austria. Dieter has participated in 53 24-Hour Races. He competed in a single Formula One race in which he finished ninth....
. They practised, but Munich declined permission to have them race, so Englishman David Piper
David Piper
-References:...
and Australian Frank Gardner
Frank Gardner (driver)
Frank Gardner OAM was a racing driver from Australia. He was best known as a Touring car racing and Sports car racing driver. He also participated in nine World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 July 1964. He scored no championship points...
were hired on short terms. They drove the 917 to an eighth place finish behind a Ford and an Alfa, while the factory's armada of six 908/02 spyders scored a 1-2-3-4-5 win after the only serious competition, a sole Ferrari 312P
Ferrari 312P
The Ferrari 312P was a Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car made by Ferrari, which was raced in 1969 and 1970. It was part of the Ferrari P series of Prototype-Sports Cars.-History:...
, failed.
At the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 37th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1969. It was the eighth round of the 1969 International Championship for Makes....
, the 917s were quickest in practice. Soon after the start the poor handling of the 917 and the inexperience of one of the drivers resulted in drama: British gentleman-driver John Woolfe
John Woolfe
John Woolfe was a British racing driver from England, who specialised in sports car racing. He was killed as a result of crashing on the first lap of the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans race, an event which caused the traditional "Le Mans start" to be abolished the following year.-Career:Woolfe was born...
crashed his Porsche 917 at Maison Blanche on lap 1, dying as a result. Woolfe was the first privateer to race a 917. The works 917s led the race for hours, but did not make it through the night. At the end, Hans Herrmann's 908 remained as the only Porsche that could challenge for the win, but Jacky Ickx's more powerful Ford won once again, by a mere 120 metres (393.7 ft).
During June 1969, Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer...
had sold half of his stock to FIAT
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, and used some of that money to build 25 cars powered by a 5 litre V12 in order to compete with the Porsche 917: the Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512 S was the designation of 25 five litre sports cars built until January 1970, related to the Ferrari P sports prototypes. The V12-powered cars were entered in the 1970 International Championship for Makes by the factory Scuderia Ferrari and private teams...
would be introduced for the 1970 season.
At that time, the 917 already had several races under its belt, yet no success. The first win came in the last race of the championship season, the 500 km Zeltweg. Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens succeeded in the privately entered Porsche 917 of German Freiherr von Wendt. At that time, the factory had started to focus on development, leaving the time-consuming trips to races to customer teams.
1970
Disappointed by the poor results of the 917 in 1969, and facing new competition, Porsche concluded an agreement with John WyerJohn Wyer
John Wyer was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the lightblue and orange livery of his longtime sponsorship partner Gulf Oil.As team manager and team owner, Wyer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans several times...
and his JWA Gulf Team, which became the official Porsche team, and also the official development partner. During tests at Zeltweg
Zeltweg
Zeltweg is a town in Styria, Austria. It is located in the Aichfeld basin of the Mur River in Upper Styria. Larger municipalities in the vicinity are Judenburg, Knittelfeld and Fohnsdorf.-History:...
, where the car had won its only race at that time, Wyer's engineer John Horsmann had the idea to increase downforce at the expense of drag. A new wedge-shaped tail was molded with aluminium sheets taped together. This new short tail gave the 917 much needed stability. The plastic engine intake cover had already been removed. The new version was called 917K (Kurzheck).
In addition to the 917, the lightweight and compact Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
/3 were developed for the slow and twisty tracks of Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
and Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
, providing wins while the factory-backed 917 remained in the garages. The 908/3 was built to the FIA's 3 litre Group 6 Prototype
Group 6 (racing)
Group 6 was the official designation applied by the FIA to two motor racing classifications, the Prototype-Sports Car category from 1966 to 1971 and the Two-Seater Racing Cars class from 1976 to 1982.-Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars :...
regulations whereas the 917 was now officially a Group 5 Sports Car
Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defined a Special Touring Car category and from 1970 to 1971 the classification was applied to limited production Sports Cars restricted to 5...
following another FIA review of its racing classes, applicable from 1970.
Wyer was surprised to discover that another team was carefully preparing for the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1970. It was the eighth round of the World Sportscar Championship...
with close support from Porsche. As in 1969, the Porsche Salzburg
Porsche Salzburg
Porsche Salzburg was an entrant in the 1969 World Sportscar Championship season and 1970 World Sportscar Championship season, representing Porsche in motorsport....
team was a de facto second works team under control of members of the Porsche family. The Martini Racing
Martini Racing
Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams raced when sponsored by the Martini & Rossi distillery that produces Martini vermouth. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1968...
team also gained some support from Porsche AG; obviously Porsche made efforts to win the race by supporting more than one team.
Also, a new low drag version of the 917 was developed for Le Mans with support from the external consultant Robert Choulet
Robert Choulet
Robert Choulet is a French aerodynamics engineer influential in race car dynamics.-Career:A disciple of aerodynamics pioneer Charles Deutsch, Choulet worked for Deutsch's Societe d'Etudes et de Realisations Automobiles ....
. The 917LH (Langheck) featured a spectacular new "Long Tail" body including partially covered rear wheel arches which had very low drag, yet better stability than the 1969 version. A few 4.9 litre engines, introduced at 1000km Monza
1000km Monza
The 1000 Kilometres of Monza is an endurance race mainly for sports cars held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.The "Coppa Inter-Europa" was first held in 1949, on the circuit. The race expanded to 1000 kilometres in 1954, and moved to the 10-kilometre circuit in 1956. The event was...
, were available for some cars, but these proved to put too much strain on the gearboxes.
The favorite team to win, Gulf-backed John Wyer Automotive, lined up three 917Ks, two with the 4.9 litre engine and one with the 4.5 litre unit.
Porsche Salzburg
Porsche Salzburg was an entrant in the 1969 World Sportscar Championship season and 1970 World Sportscar Championship season, representing Porsche in motorsport....
. Driven by Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens, the pole sitter's 4.9 litre engine failed after 225 laps. Both drivers had also been entered on the team's other car, a red and white 917 K with the standard 4.5 litre engine, qualified by Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953...
and Richard Attwood
Richard Attwood
Richard James David "Dickie" Attwood is a British former motor racing driver. During his career he raced for the BRM, Lotus and Cooper Formula One teams. In his whole F1 career he achieved one podium and scored a total of 11 championship points...
on rather low 15th spot, but they did not drive after their own car failed.
The other LH was entered by Martini Racing, qualified by Willy Kauhsen and Gérard Larrousse
Gérard Larrousse
Gérard Larrousse is a former sports car racing, rallying and Formula One driver from France.He participated in two Grands Prix, debuting on 12 May 1974, scoring no championship points. He drove Brabham BT42s for Scuderia Finotto....
on 12th position. The spectacular livery of this car was an elaborate whirls and swoops of light green on a dark blue background. The car with the regular engine gained the nickname of the Hippie Car or the Psychedelic Porsche from the team and media.
Early in the race, most of the works Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512 S was the designation of 25 five litre sports cars built until January 1970, related to the Ferrari P sports prototypes. The V12-powered cars were entered in the 1970 International Championship for Makes by the factory Scuderia Ferrari and private teams...
entrants eliminated each other in a shunt. The two Porsche factory teams, Gulf-Wyer and Porsche Salzburg, continued to battle each other, but all Wyer cars were out after 12 hours. At the end it was the red and white #23 917K of Porsche Salzburg, with the standard 4.5 litre engine, carefully driven by Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
's own Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953...
and Englishman Richard Attwood
Richard Attwood
Richard James David "Dickie" Attwood is a British former motor racing driver. During his career he raced for the BRM, Lotus and Cooper Formula One teams. In his whole F1 career he achieved one podium and scored a total of 11 championship points...
through the pouring rain, that finally scored the first overall win at Le Mans, in a wet race that saw only 7 ranked finishers. Martini's blue 917LH with a green "psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
Hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
" design came in 2nd. Both cars were later paraded across Stuttgart. To complete Porsche's triumph, a 908 came third, a 914 sixth, and a 911S seventh, beaten only by two Ferrari 512.
Towards the end of the 1970 season, Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
entered some races with a new version of the 512, the 512M (Modificata). The 512M had a new bodywork built on the same aerodynamic doctrine as the Porsche 917K. At the end of 1970 the 512M was faster than the 917s.
During the 1970 season the FIA announced that Group 5 Sports Cars would be limited to a 3 litre engine capacity maximum for the newly renamed World Championship of Makes in 1972, so the big 917s and 512s would have to retire from the championship at the end 1971. Surprisingly, Ferrari decided to give up any official effort with the 512 in order to prepare for the 1972 season. A new prototype, the 312 PB
Ferrari P
The Ferrari P series were prototype sports cars in the 1960s and early 1970s.Although Enzo Ferrari resisted the move even with Cooper dominating F1, Ferrari began producing mid-engined racing cars in 1960 with the Ferrari Dino-V6-engine Formula Two 156, which would be turned into the Formula...
, was presented and entered by the factory in several races. But many 512s were still raced by private teams, most of them converted to M specification.
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
with the 917.
1971
The domination of Gulf-Wyer and Martini Porsches in 1971 was overwhelming. The only potential challenger to the 917 appeared early in the season: Roger PenskeRoger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
had bought a used 512S chassis that was totally dismantled and rebuilt beyond M specification. The car was specially tuned for long races, receiving many unique features among which were a large rear wing and an aviation-inspired quick refueling system. The engine was tuned by Can-Am V8 specialist Traco and able to deliver more than 600 hp (450 kW). Penske's initiative was not backed by Ferrari works. This 512M, painted in a blue and yellow livery, was sponsored by Sunoco
Sunoco
Sunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
and the Philadelphia Ferrari dealer Kirk F. White. Driven by Penske's lead driver Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...
, it made the pole position for the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
and finished second despite an accident that required almost an hour in the pits. For the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
the "Sunoco" made the pole but finished the race at the sixth position after making contact with Pedro Rodríguez
Pedro Rodriguez (racing driver)
Pedro Rodríguez was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.-Career:...
's 917. Despite being fastest on track on a few occasions, the 512M was not a serious contender.
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
and Watkins Glen, forced Porsche to pursue their efforts in research and development: tails of the 917K and the 908/3 were modified with vertical fins, and the 917 LH aerodynamics received further improvements. New chassis made of magnesium were developed, even though this material could burn vigorously in the instance of a fire.
A heavily modified car, the 917/20, was built as test-bed for future Can-Am parts and aerodynamic "low-drag" concepts. The 917/20 which had won the test race at Le Mans was painted in pink for the 24 hours race, with names of cuts of meat written in German across it in a similar fashion to a butcher's carcass diagram, earning it the nickname "Der Truffeljäger von Zuffenhausen" (The Truffelhunter of Zuffenhausen) or just plain "Pink Pig".
While testing the 917K for Le Mans, Porsche engineer Norbert Singer
Norbert Singer
Norbert Singer is a German automotive engineer. He has played a key role in every one of Porsche’s 16 overall race victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Singer was born in Eger , part of Nazi Germany's Sudetenland in 1939....
asked driver Derek Bell
Derek Bell
Derek Bell may refer to:* Derek Bell , Northern Irish musician and composer, long with The Chieftains* Derek Bell , British racing car driver* Derek Bell , American baseball player...
what revs he was pulling the engine on the Mulsanne Straight. He told him 8100 rpm, and Singer said that was good, because the engine would blow up at 8200 rpm. Bell recorded the fastest speed ever on the Mulsanne Straight: 246 mph (394 km/h). And at Le Mans, once again it was not the new machinery that won. The white #22 Martini-entered 917K (chassis number 053) of Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko
Dr. Helmut Marko is a former racing driver from Austria.A friend of Jochen Rindt, he entered racing, and eventually participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 15 August 1971...
and Gijs van Lennep
Gijs van Lennep
Jonkheer Gijsbert van Lennep is a Dutch esquire and former racing driver who gave a good account for himself in his eight Formula One drives.- Career :...
, equipped with a magnesium frame, set an overall distance record that stood until the 2010
2010 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, also known as the Grand Prix of Endurance. The race took place on 12–13 June 2010 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . Fifty-six cars participated in the...
win by the Audi R15 TDI
Audi R15 TDI
The Audi R15 TDI, commonly abbreviated to the R15, is a Le Mans Prototype racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG. It is the successor to the Audi R10 TDI. Like its predecessor, the R15 TDI uses a turbocharged diesel engine, although the R15's V10 engine is physically...
of Romain Dumas
Romain Dumas
Romain Dumas is a French racing driver.Dumas started karting in 1992, in 1996 he competed in the French Formula Renault Championship. In 1998, he joined the French Formula 3 Championship....
, Mike Rockenfeller
Mike Rockenfeller
Mike Rockenfeller , nicknamed "Rocky", is a German race car driver, currently an Audi factory driver competing in the Le Mans Series and DTM.-Career:...
and Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard is a sports car racer. He is currently a Porsche factory driver, but has been seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010...
when they set a distance record of 5335.313 km (3,315.2 mi) at an average speed of 220.2 km/h (137.6 mph).
This porsche still holds the fastest lap at the Le Mans racing circuit to this day
1972-1973 Can-Am
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
, Porsche decided against developing a new high power engine that could keep up with the F1 designs of the competition's - at least in naturally aspirated form. In 1976 they would return to sport-prototype racing with the turbocharged Porsche 936
Porsche 936
The Porsche 936 was a racing car introduced in 1976 by Porsche as a delayed successor to the Porsche 908, a three litre sportscar prototype which was retired by the factory after 1971...
racecars after the engines were tested in Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
versions.
After their successes with the 917 mainly in Europe, Porsche instead decided to focus on the North American markets and the Can-Am Challenge. For that series, larger and more powerful engines were needed. A 16-cylinder with about 750 hp was tested, but a turbocharged 12-cylinder had initially the same power, with more to come was used. The 917 chassis also had to be lengthened to accept the longer 16 cylinder engine, and drivers complained that this longer chassis did not handle as well.
The turbocharged 850 hp 917/10 entered by Penske Racing
Penske Racing
Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
won the 1972 series with George Follmer
George Follmer
George Follmer is a retired American race car driver, and one of the most successful road racers of the 1970s. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona....
, after a testing accident sidelined primary driver Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...
. This broke the five-year stranglehold McLaren had on the series. The further evolution of the 917, the 917/30 with revised aerodynamics, a longer wheelbase and an even stronger 5.4 litre engine with up to 1580 hp won the 1973 edition winning all races but one with Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...
driving. Most of the opposition was made of private 917/10 as McLaren, unable to compete against the 917 turbos, had already left the series to concentrate on the Indy 500 and F1.
The 917's domination, the oil crisis, and fiery tragedies like Roger Williamson
Roger Williamson
Roger Williamson was a British racing driver who died during the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands.-Biography:...
's in Zandvoort pushed the SCCA to introduce a 3 miles per US gallon maximum fuel consumption rule for 1974. Due to this change, the Penske 917/30 competed in only one race in 1974, and some customers retrofitted their 917/10 with naturally aspirated engines.
The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.374 litre 12 cylinder (90.0 x 70.4 mm) twin-turbocharged engine could produce 1580 bhp in qualifying tune, with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, 39 psi (2.7 bar), though it usually raced with around 1100 bhp at 7,800 rpm to preserve the engine. Weighing 1800 lb (816.5 kg), giving it a power to weight of 1967.36 bhp/tonne in qualifying tune and 1369.68 bhp/tonne in race tune. The 917/30 dominated the Can-Am series during the 1973 season. The 917/30 could go from 0-62 mph (99.8 km/h) in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph (160.9 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, 0-200 mph (321.9 km/h) in 10.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of more than 260 mi/h. The high-level of performance and attendant fuel consumption of the engines, and ever increasing risk, has led to the 917/30 sometimes being cited as the car that killed Can-Am racing.
1981
In 1981, it appeared that new Le Mans regulations would allow a 917 to race again.The Kremer Racing team entered a homebuilt updated 917, the 917 K-81.
The car raced at Le Mans qualifying in the top 10 but retired after seven hours after a collision with a back marker led to a loss of oil and withdrawal.
The final chapter though was to be at Brands Hatch where the car ran in the 6 hours at the end of the season. The car was competitive and ran at or near the front, including a spell in the lead until a suspension failure led to retirement.
Other uses
On 9 August 1975, Porsche and Penske would give the Can-Am car its final send off in style, when they took their 917/30 to TalladegaTalladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
to break the FIA speed record on a closed circuit. With Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...
driving, the average speed reached was 221.16 mi/h. As well as being the last official outing for the 917, it was the last major accomplishment for Donohue before his fatal accident in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix
Austrian Grand Prix
The Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race.The first event, in 1964, was held at a race track on the Zeltweg Airfield. The race was a success, but the track was deemed too dangerous; it was narrow and very bumpy, and spectators complained of poor viewing areas...
a week later. The record would stand until 1980.
Several 917 coupés as well as 917/10s (powered by turbos or NA engines) were run in Europe's Interserie
Interserie
Interserie is the name of a European-based motorsport series started in 1970 that allows for a wide variety of racing cars from various eras and series to compete with less limited rules than in other series....
until the mid-1970s.
Many 917 leftover parts, especially chassis, suspension and brake components, would be used to build the Porsche 936
Porsche 936
The Porsche 936 was a racing car introduced in 1976 by Porsche as a delayed successor to the Porsche 908, a three litre sportscar prototype which was retired by the factory after 1971...
in 1976.
Despite the car's impracticality, at least two 917s were road-registered:
Count Rossi of the Martini company, bought chassis 030 from Porsche. He raced it once under the Martini Racing Team Flag at the Zeltweg 1000km World Championship race on 27th June 1971. After the race, it was returned to the factory, where it was modified with basic road equipment (exterior mirrors, turn signals, exhaust system and comfort modifications) and painted silver. None of the European authorities would certify the car for road use and Rossi obtained the Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
plate 61-27737 to circumvent the problems.
The second, for Joachim Grossmann, was painted white and given the German registration CW
Calw (district)
Calw is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Karlsruhe, Enz, the district-free city Pforzheim, Böblingen, Freudenstadt and Rastatt.- History :...
-K 917. The Danish car magazine Bilen in a 1977 article details how Grossmann bought the frame and other components of the original Chassis 021 which had crashed badly at Le Mans in 1970 for 20,000 DM, rebuilt it and then modified it (examples: turn signals, hand brake, Safety glass windows and some modifications to the exhaust system) to satisfy German safety inspectors leading to the registration. Grossmann's car is not officially Chassis 021 because other parts from the 1970 wreck at Le Mans were mated to spare frame components and retained the Chassis 021 designation.
Recently, high end replicas that use the flat-6
Flat-6
A flat-6 or horizontally opposed-6 is a flat engine with six cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of three cylinders on each side of a central crankcase...
from the 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
have become available. One is built in Australia by Kraftwerkz, another in the US by Race-Car Replicas.
In addition, a grass roots "replica," the Laser 917, . which is essentially a rebodied VW Beetle, was featured in the film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a 1977 film, the third of a series of films by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.-Plot:...
.
The Gulf Oil liveried 917 Kurzhecks are also prominently featured in the Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
film Le Mans
Le Mans (film)
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin. Starring Steve McQueen, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race....
competing against Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
's 512 Coda Lunga.
In 1970, Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
released a Porsche 917 with some different designs.
Further reading
- 1972 – The Making of a Winner: The Porsche 917 by Larry Pihera (ISBN 0-397-00807-4)
- 1976 – The Fabulous Porsche 917 (1st edition) by P Hinsdale (ISBN 0-87799-052-2)
- 1986 – PORSCHE 917 SUPER PROFILE by J Allen (ISBN 0-85429-605-0)
- 1987 – PORSCHE 917 THE ULTIMATE WEAPON by I Bamsey (ISBN 0-85429-605-0)
- 1987 – Porsche 917, Kimberleys Sportscar Guide by Michael Cotton (ISBN 0-946132-91-7)
- 1999 – Porsche 917, the Winning Formula by Peter Morgan (ISBN 1-85960-633-4)
- 2000 – Porsche 917, Unique Motor Books (ISBN 1-84155-297-6)