The Porsche 917 gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 liters, the long-tailed version was capable of a 0-62mph time of less than 2.5 seconds and a top speed of over 248 mph (394 km/h). Dr. Ing. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A flat-12 is an internal combustion engine in flat configuration, having 12 cylinders. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...

Porsche 917 Kurzheck 4.5L, winner 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the 1973 CanAm series, the turbocharged version Porsche 917/30 developed over 1100 bhp. Image File history File linksMetadata Porsche_917C.jpg Beschreibung: Porsche 917 Kurzheck Coupé (917 K), 1970, Chassis-Nr. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Porsche_917C.jpg Beschreibung: Porsche 917 Kurzheck Coupé (917 K), 1970, Chassis-Nr. ... The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14, 1970. ... Cover of Car and Driver magazine, showing transparent diagram of CanAm racer The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or CanAm, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974. ... SHP redirects here. ...

The 917 is one of the most iconographic sports racing cars of all time and was even made into a movie star by Steve McQueen in his film Le Mans. Steve McQueen in The Great Escape Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American movie actor. ... A film poster for the release of Le Mans Le Mans (1971; director: Lee Katzin) is a movie about the 24 hours of Le Mans auto race starring Steve McQueen. ...

History

In April 1968, the FIA's CSI announced that the minimal production figure to compete in the Sport category of the World Sportscar Championship was reduced from 50 to 25 for 1969, mainly to allow the homologation of the Lola T70, as there were too few entries in the 3 litres Prototype category which was introduced to use existing Formula 1 engines. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... The World Sportscar Championship was a series run by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom. ... The Lola T70 was bulit for sports car racing, popular in the mid to late 1960s. ...

Starting in July 1968, Porsche made a surprising and very expensive effort to take advantage of this rule. They decided to conceive, design and build 25 versions of a whole new car for the Sport category with one underlying goal: to win its first overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In only ten months the Porsche 917 was developed based upon the Porsche 908, with remarkable technology: Porsche’s first 12-cylinder engine, and many components made of titanium, magnesium and exotic alloys that had been developed for lightweight hillclimb racers. Other ways of weight reduction were rather simple, like a gear lever knob made of Balsa wood. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced from 1967 in the Porsche 906/Porsche 907/Porsche 910 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech. ... Binomial name Ochroma lagopus Sw. ...

On March 12, 1969, the first 917 was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show, painted white, with a green nose and black #917. Brief literature on the car detailed a cash price of DM 140,000 or approx. £16,000 - or the value of about 10 Porsche 911. March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German: //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland, situated where Lake Geneva (French Lac Léman) flows into the Rhône River. ... The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ...

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 April 20 Ferdinand Piëch displayed 25 917s parked in front of the Porsche factory to the CSI inspectors. Piëch even offered the opportunity to drive one of the cars, which was declined. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... Ferdinand Piëch (born April 17, 1937 in Vienna) is an automobile engineer and manager. ...

1969

In testing, it soon appeared that the Porsche 917 did not work well on the racing track. Brian Redman recalls that "it was incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed." Many thought that the 4,5 liter engine was too much for the frame. The suspension and the stability of the frame was suspected, but modifications did not improve the problem. As the 917 was 30km/h faster than anything previously built for Le Mans, it was finally found out that the long tail body was generating significant lift on the straights. The 917 aerodynamics had been developed for low drag rather than downforce, which was necessary for all former underpowered Porsches in order to do well on the fast straights of Le Mans, Spa, Monza and elsewhere. Brian Redman (born March 9, 1937 in Colne, Lancashire, United Kingdom) was a Formula One driver from England. ...

At its competition debut at the 1000km Nürburgring, all works drivers preferred the 908 over the 'unsafe' 917. As it was necessary to promote the car in order to sell the surplus ones, Englishman David Piper and Australian Frank Gardner were hired. They drove the 917 to a seventh place finish, with the 908 armada scoring a 1-2-3-4-5 win. The ADAC 1000km Nürburgring is a Endurance racing and Sports car racing events on the Nürburgring in Germany, organized by ADAC since 1953. ... The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced from 1967 in the Porsche 906/Porsche 907/Porsche 910 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech. ... David Piper was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... This article is about the racing driver. ...

At Le Mans, the 917s were quickest in practice and lead 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 Ickx' Ford won once again, by a mere 120 meter.

During June 1969, Enzo Ferrari sold half of his stock to FIAT, and used some of that money to build 25 cars powered by a 5 liter V12 in order to compete with the Porsche 917: the Ferrari 512 was introduced for the 1970 season. The 917 already had several races under his belts, but only one win so far, at Zeltweg. Enzo Anselmo Ferrari (February 18, 1898 - August 14, 1988) was the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer. ... FIAT Group, or Fiat S.p. ... History of the Ferrari 512s In 1969 Enzo Ferrari, who had quit endurance racing, came back with a 3-litre prototype, the 3. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

1970

Disappointed by the poor results of the 917 in 1969 and facing a new competition, Porsche concluded an agreement with John Wyer and the Gulf Team, which became the official Porsche team, and also the official development partner. During tests in Zeltweg, were the car had won earlier, Wyer's engineer John Horsmann had the idea to increase downforce to the expense of drag. A new wedge-shaped tail was molded with aluminum sheets taped together. This new short tail gave the 917 the much needed stability. The plastic engine intake cover had already been removed. The new version was called 917 K (Kurzheck). John Wyer, born Dec. ... Zeltweg is a town in Styria and located about in the middle of Austria. ...

Also, a new low drag version of the 917 was developed for Le Mans with support from the external consultant Robert Choulet. The 917 LH (Langheck) featured a spectacular new "Long Tail" body including partially cover rear wheel arches which had very low drag, yet better stability than the 1969 version. Also, a few 4.9 liter engines were available in some cars, but these proved to put too much strain on the gearboxes.

Early in the race, the factory Ferrari eliminated themselves in and after a collision. The two factory teams of Porsche, Gulf-Wyer and Porsche Salzburg, continued to battle each other. At the end, it was the red and white #23 917K of Porsche Salzburg, with the standard 4.5 liter engine, safely driven by Stuttgart's own Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood 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 Hippie" design came in 2nd. Stuttgart, a city located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of approximately 590,000 as of September 2005 in the city and around 3 million in the metropolitan area. ... Hans Herrmann was a Formula One driver from Germany. ... Richard Attwood was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for mind, ψυχη (psyche), and manifest, δηλειν (delein). ... A singer dresses in a stereotypical hippie outfit. ...

At the end of the 1970 season, Ferrari had entered in some races a new version of the 512, the 512 M (Modificata). The 512 M had a new bodywork built on the same aerodynamics doctrine as the Porsche 917K. At the end of 1970 the 512 M was faster than the 917s, at least on some tracks. The current Ferrari logo Ferrari is an Italian automotive manufacturer in the Formula One World Championship, also involved in high-end and high-performance race cars, supercars, and sports cars. ...

During the 1970 season the FIA decided to ban the loop hole Sport category for 1972, so the big 917s and 512s would have to retire at the end of the 1971 season. For 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, was presented and entered by the factory in several races. But many 512s were still raced by private teams and most of them converted to M specification. The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Ferrari P series were prototype sports cars in the 1960s and early 1970s. ...

Being cheaper than the 917 K, the 512 M appeared as a bargain for customers at the end of 1970 - a constellation that was hardly imaginable only two years ago. Porsche, an underdog for 20 years, had turned itself into the new superpower of sports car racing with the 917. In addition, the lightweight and compact Porsche 908/3 were available for the slow and twisty tracks of Nürburgring and Targa Florio. GTP sports cars racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1991 Sportscar racing is a form of circuit racing, with cars that have two seats and enclosed wheel wells. ... The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced from 1967 in the Porsche 906/Porsche 907/Porsche 910 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech. ... The Nürburgring (alternative spelling: Nuerburgring), known as simply the Ring by enthusiasts, is the name of a famous motorsport race track in Germany. ... The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held near Palermo, Sicily. ...

1971

Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig", in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen Museum

A new challenger to the 917 appeared early in the season: Roger Penske had bought a used 512 M chassis that was totally dismantled and rebuilt. The car was specially tuned for long races receiving many unique features, among them were a large rear wing and an aviation-inspired quick refueling system. The engine was tuned by CanAm V8 specialist Traco and probably able to deliver more than 600 hp (450 kW). As of today it's impossible to know to what extent Penske's initiative was backed by Ferrari works. This 512 M, painted in a blue and yellow livery, was sponsored by Sunoco and the Californian Ferrari dealer Kirk F. White. This car driven by Penske's lead driver Mark Donohue made the pole position for the 24 hours of Daytona and finished second despite an accident. For the 12 Hours of Sebring the "Sunoco" made the pole but finished the race at the sixth position after making contact with Pedro Rodriguez's 917. Despite this misfortune the car had proved to be a serious opponent for the 917. Not only was this car the fastest on track in Daytona and Sebring, but it was also the car that had the shortest refueling time. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x672, 107 KB)Porsche 917/20 Pink Pig. Taken by me. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x672, 107 KB)Porsche 917/20 Pink Pig. Taken by me. ... Penske PC23 car Roger Penske (born February 20, 1937 in Shaker Heights, Ohio) is the owner of a very successful automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. ... Cover of Car and Driver magazine, showing transparent diagram of CanAm racer The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or CanAm, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974. ... Sunoco NYSE: SUN is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. ... Mark Neary Donohue (born in Summit, New Jersey, March 18, 1937 - died in Graz, August 19, 1975) was an American racing driver. ... The Rolex 24 at Daytona is an sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race held at Sebring Raceway, a former Air Force base in Sebring, Florida. ... Pedro Rodriguez may refer to various people: Pedro Rodriguez (soldier), Puerto Rican Korean War hero who won two Silver Star Medals. ...

The presence of the 512 M "Sunoco", as well as the Alfa Romeo 33/3 which won Brands Hatch and the Targa Florio, forced Porsche to pursue the efforts of research and development: The 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 would burn like fireworks in the case of a fire. The name Alfa Romeo 33 was used for different automobiles produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo. ... Brands Hatch is a British motor racing circuit. ... The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held near Palermo, Sicily. ...

An heavily modified car, the 917/20, was built as test-bed for future CanAm 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 pieces of meat written across it, earning it the nickname "Pink Pig".

Yet, at Le Mans, once again it was not the new machinery that won. The white #22 Martini-entered 917K of Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep, equipped with a magnesium frame, set an overall distance record that still stands. Dr. Helmut Marko (born April 27, 1943) was a Formula One driver from Austria. ... Gijs Van Lennep, born March 16, 1942, was a Dutch journeyman racecar driver who gave a good account for himself in his four F1 drives. ...

1972, 1973 and after

Porsche 917/30, in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen Museum

As the new rules for the 3-liter prototypes were not favourable to their existing low-weight, low-power Porsche 908, Porsche decided against developing a new high power engine that could keep up with the F1 designs of the competitions - at least in naturally aspirated form. Years later they would return with the turbocharged Porsche 936 sportscars after the engines were tested in Porsche 911 versions. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x680, 92 KB)Porsche 917/30 in the Porsche Museum Zuffenhausen. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x680, 92 KB)Porsche 917/30 in the Porsche Museum Zuffenhausen. ... The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced from 1967 in the Porsche 906/Porsche 907/Porsche 910 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech. ... The Porsche 936 was introduced in 1976 by Porsche as a successor to the Porsche 908 to compete in the FIA Group 6 sports car world championship, which it won (as did the Porsche 935 in its championship) . The open top, two seater spyder was powered by a 2140cc 540... The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ...

After their successes with the 917 mainly in Europe, Porsche instead decided to focus on the North American markets and the CanAm challenge. For that series, larger and more powerful engines were needed. A 16-cylinder with about 750hp was tested, but a turbocharged 12-cylinder had initially the same power, with more to come. Cover of Car and Driver magazine, showing transparent diagram of CanAm racer The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or CanAm, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974. ...

The turbocharged 850hp 917/10 entered by Penske racing won the 1972 series with George Follmer. The new evolution of the 917, the 917/30 with an even stronger 5.4 liter engine with up to 1300 horsepower won the 1973 edition winning all races but one. Most of the opposition was made of private 917/10 as McLaren had already concentrated on F1. The 917's domination, the oil crisis and fiery tragedies like Roger Williamson's in Zandvoort pushed the SCCA to introduce a 3 miles per US gallon maximum fuel consumption rule for 1973. Due to this, the factory 917/30 competed in only one race in 1974, and some customers retro-fitted their 917/10 with naturally aspirated engines. Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the Indy Racing League, ALMS, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, Formula One and CART. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is headed by Roger Penske. ... George Follmer was a Formula One driver from the United States. ... Roger Williamson (February 2, 1948 – July 29, 1973) was a talented racing driver from England who was killed during the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. ...

The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.4 liter 12 cylinder could produce 1500 bhp with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, a simpy astonishing 39 p.s.i, though it usually raced with around 1100bhp to preserve the engine. The 917/30 dominated in the CanAm series during the early seventies. The 917/30 could go from 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 in 3.9 seconds and 0-200 in 10.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 245 mph+. In 9th August 1975, Porsche and Penske would give the Can-Am car its final send off in style when they took their 917/30 to Talladega to break the FIA speed record on a closed circuit with Donohue driving, the speed reached was 245 mph. As well as being the last official outing for the 917, it became the last drive for Donohue at any motorsport events before his fatal accident in the Austrian Grand Prix a week later. The record would stand for the next twenty two years. Cover of Car and Driver magazine, showing transparent diagram of CanAm racer The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or CanAm, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974. ... Talladega is a city located in Talladega County, Alabama. ... The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... The Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race. ...

Also, several 917 coupés as well as 917/10 (powered by turbos or NA engines), were run in Europe's Interserie until the mid-1970s. Cover of Car and Driver magazine, showing transparent diagram of a Ford G7A CanAm racer The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or CanAm, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974. ...

Many of the 917 leftover parts, especially chassis parts, would be used to build the Porsche 936 in 1976. The Porsche 936 was introduced in 1976 by Porsche as a successor to the Porsche 908 to compete in the FIA Group 6 sports car world championship, which it won (as did the Porsche 935 in its championship) . The open top, two seater spyder was powered by a 2140cc 540...

In 1981, German team Kremer would give the 917 its final fare-well, with a coupé especially built for the Group 6 category and mechanicals sourced from the factory. It was competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before retiring with mechanicals troubles. Gidon Kremer Józef Kremer (1806-1875), Polish philosopher Kremer prize Warren Kremer Kremer prizes, named after. ... The group 6 in the periodic table consists of the elements chromium (24) molybdenum (42) tungsten (74) seaborgium (106) Group 6 is the new IUPAC name for this group, the old style name was group VIA in the old European system or group VIB in the old US system. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Books about the 917

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Porsche 917

• 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)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...