The 037 chassis spent most of its existence at the back of the workshop of German chassis builder Baur who bought it in the seventies. Its story may have ended there had it not gone to an American collector who then entrusted it to Gunnar Racing, the famous Porsche restaurer located in Long Beach, California.

After a few outings at vintage car gatherings, the prized possession was acquired by Claudio Roddaro, a Porsche collector and gentleman-driver, who had the rare but not unheard of idea of having the car modified in Monaco so it could be driven on the open road. Fortunately, he was not the first to do this as two others had already been driven on the streets of the Principality: one only briefly and the other - belonging to Count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera (the Martini livery bringing back memories for Porsche fans) - for quite some time. It was not even the first time for the former owner of the spirits marque because he had already managed to modify a Porsche 917 in Alabama!

To achieve his goal, Claudio Roddaro had to prove his Porsche 917 was identical to the Italian aristocrat's car, an endeavor made easier by the fact 95% of the parts were original. Plus, given the 037 chassis had never taken part in a race, it had never been in an accident.

Two months of procedures and a mountain of paperwork later, Claudio Roddaro received the license plates for the magnifcent Porsche 917 with its silver livery striped in black, blue and red recalling the famous livery of the German manufacturer's former sponsor.

Despite its venerable age, the Porsche 917, with a 12-cylinder flat engine and 600 hp of incomparable sound, is not out of its league to rival today's supercars…

PHOTOS (Copyright - Porsche AG): The Porsche 917 recently modified to hit the open road in the south of France.