24h Le Mans
Originally introduced at the Geneva show the fastest production car of its generation, offered to buyers for the modest sum of € 26,000, the Porsche 917 quickly became the darling of the circuits.
Originally introduced at the Geneva show the fastest production car of its generation, offered to buyers for the modest sum of 170,000 francs (€ 26,000), the Porsche 917 quickly became the darling of the circuits.
To cope with the new class regulations of the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale, ancestor of the current Federation Internationale Automobile) and to counteract direct competitors Ferrari, in March 1969 Porsche unveiled his new weapon, called 917. Barely out of the Stuttgart workshops, the first car officially participated in the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, driving with Jo Siffert, Udo Schütz and Gerhard Mitter.
Two months later, four Porsche 917 participated in testing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans but only three were entered. Based on the chassis of the old 908 L, the prototype was equipped with a 12-cylinder engine of 4.5 litres. Its performance was exceptional and Rolf Stommelen (No.14) set a new lap record 3:22.9 an average 238.97 km / h, and a recorded top speed of over 360 km/h on the mulsanne straight. Unfortunately none of the three Porsche chassis would reach the finish line.
With the experience of the previous year, in 1970, Porsche worked extensively on the chassis, that was unstable in the wet. The German marque lined up twenty-four Porsche 917 and seven at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After a rainy race and despite strong competition, the 917 No.23, in the hands of Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood won the race, with more than 4600 km covered, ahead of the other 917 of Gerard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen. That year Le Mans entered the Movies: Steve McQueen turned a page in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his film “Le Mans”. Before taking its final bow, the 917 won for the last time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1971. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep, the victorious crew of the No.22, also established a new distance record (5335 km) that stood until 2010. In 1972, the new regulations excluded the incredible 917 and it became an endurance classic.
In this video id the magical story of the car that marked the history of motor sport and endurance racing. Former Director of Porsche Competition, Peter Falk also mentions two other cars in Stuttgart victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: the 936 and 956. Commentary in German, subtitled in English.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of June.
