What is the Porsche 917? (2024)

The Porsche 917 – the greatest racing car of all time?

The stunning race car that helped Porsche win Le Mans and dominate endurance racing February 3, 2023

From securing Porsche its debut Le Mans win to speed records and North American victories, this is the story of the 917. One that conquered the world, made history and has been an inspiration for Porsche motorsport ever since – including today’s Porsche 963 race car

The rain fell hard across the legendary Le Sarthe circuit during the 1970 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the storm soaking the track and making driving conditions at this most arduous of events even more challenging. It was amid these dramatic conditions that a future motorsport legend well and truly arrived. There have been many great Porsche racing cars over the years, but none quite like the 917. With British driver Richard Attwood and German teammate, Hans Herrmann, at the wheel of a 917 K – a car that little more than a year previously was a mere sketch on a drawing board in Stuttgart – Porsche secured its first ever win at the greatest of all endurance races. It was a victory that would herald decades of dominance in the sport for Porsche.

The beginning of the Porsche 917 legend

In 1968, the governing body of motorsport, the FIA, raised the engine displacement limit from three to five litres for the World Sportscar Championship. It immediately limited the competitiveness of the then Porsche racing car of the time, the 908. However, Ferdinand Piëch, Head of Development for Porsche, saw it as an opportunity. His vision was to create the best racing car ever built, one that would sweep the opposition. And that it would eventually do – and in devastating fashion.

In an intensive period of design and build that began in the spring of 1968, the new car took just 10 months to be readied for its public reveal at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. With a chassis designed by Helmuth Bott and engine developed by Hans Mezger – who in the 1980s designed the Porsche-built TAG Turbo Formula 1 engine for the all-conquering McLaren MP4/2 – 25 cars were made for hom*ologation purposes. Eventually, some 65 examples of the Porsche 917 would go on to be built in total. The race car itself was developed in two versions – the 917 K (for Kurz = ‘short’ in German) and the 917 LH (Langheck = 'long tail'), although it would be the former that would predominate.

In its first season the 917 – which was powered by a 4.5-litre flat-12 that produced 588PS – struggled with handling, caused by aerodynamic lift at high speed. It won just one race, the Zeltweg 1000km at Austria’s Österreichring, driven by the Swiss Jo Siffert and German co-pilot, Kurt Ahrens Jr.

Porsche wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans… at last

But these early teething issues did not deter Porsche. For the following season, the downforce issues were fixed, chiefly by deploying a wedge-shaped tail made of aluminium. This would be the car that took the World Sportscar Championship by storm. After debuting at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 917 racing cars run by the JW Automotive and Porsche Salzburg teams would go on to win nine out of the 10 races in the 1970 season. While it gained an eye-opening 1-2 finish for the JW Automotive cars in that Daytona opener, the greatest victory of them all was that stunning debut Porsche Le Mans win, courtesy of the Porsche Salzburg team.

The #23 917 K of Attwood and Herrmann, dressed in the now unmistakeable red and white Salzburg livery, covered 343 laps (4,607.811km) in the pouring rain at Le Sarthe over the 24 hours. “Le Mans is a race where everything goes right, or it doesn’t. In those days, the 24 Hours was more like an endurance drive than a race,” remembers Richard Attwood, who drove not knowing that he had been diagnosed with mumps, which meant he could only drink milk during the race. “To win Le Mans with Porsche and Hans came fully unexpectedly… Hans and I were simply a dream team.”

By the end of the season, the 4.5-litre engine had been bored out to five litres, capable of hitting 62mph from a standing start in just 2.7 seconds, a figure that would keep even the fastest supercars of today on its toes. The era of Porsche dominance of the world’s racetracks had well and truly arrived.

917: a record-breaking Porsche at Le Mans

Over the ensuing three seasons, the 917 would go on to have an unprecedented run of victories in its many forms. These would include some of the most famous and recognisable Porsche race cars ever made. For the 1971 season, the Porsche Salzburg team was replaced by the Martini racing team as the second Porsche works team (although they had competed alongside the Salzburg outfit at Le Mans in 1970, finishing in second place with France’s Gérard Larrousse and Germany’s Willi Kauhsen driving a 917 LH). The car itself looked somewhat different too, having now ‘grown’ two vertical fins on the tail. The result was an even faster car. Seven races out of the 11-race series were won in 1971. And once again Le Mans was the scene of an outstanding triumph – perhaps the most stunning performance that the revered circuit has ever seen.

In its distinctive Martini Racing colours, the #22 car of Dutchman Gijs van Lennep and Austrian Helmut Marko smashed all records on their way to victory. The two drivers averaged 222km/h across the 24 hours of the race, covering a distance of 5,335km – over 700km more than the winning Porsche 917 K the year before. So incredible was this performance, it was a record that would not be beaten until 2010.

This was also a race that saw the appearance of further variants of the now all-conquering 917. One was the Martini International 917 LH, with its revised suspension set-up and new bodywork, such as partially enclosed wheel covers. It took pole position in qualifying, but in the race itself it failed to make it to the chequered flag. More famously, another of that year’s Le Mans 917 entrants has gone on to become of the most recognisable Porsche race car liveries of all time.

The Martini International ‘Pink Pig’ Porsche 917/20, which featured the names of cuts of meat all over its bodywork, was a unique 917 in many ways. This special one-off had a wider body than its earlier siblings and was designed by engineers with the aim to combine the stability of the 917 K with the low drag of the 917 L. While it would finish a creditable fifth at Le Mans, it would never race again in anger. That standout pink livery, however, is still adored by Porsche fans to this day.

The Can-Am 917/30 gets ready to conquer America

We’ll save the most powerful 917 to last. By 1973, the 917 was coming to the end of its glittering reign as the king of the racetrack. At the end of the 1972 season, such was the domination that the car had on the World Sportscar Championship that the FIA decided to react, banning its five-litre, 12-cylinder engine. But there was to be one more challenge that Porsche wanted to take on. Besides Formula 1 and the World Sportscar Championship, the Can-Am racing series of North America was one of the most keenly contested and well-supported racing car championships of the era.

By 1973, North America had grown to be the biggest market for Porsche sports cars. And now there was a perfect opportunity for Porsche to cement its growing reputation in Can-Am racing too. The 917 had already been competing in the series since 1970 – in 1972, it even won the overall title in the form of George Follmer’s Penske Racing 917/10. But Porsche wanted to go bigger and even better. It came in the shape of the 917/30, a car that combined brawn with beauty. It looked like no other 917 seen before.

The end of an era: the Porsche 917 is retired from racing

Much of the success of the 917/30 can be put down to the input of the man who drove it. American Mark Donohue was not just a talented racing driver but also, as an engineer, helped develop the 917/30 for the Can-Am series. The figures it produced are very bit as mind-blowing today as they were half a century earlier. Powered by a 5.4-litre V12 turbo-charged engine, it produced 1014PS and had a top speed of 385km/h. In contrast to racing at Le Mans, where aerodynamic drag had to be reduced to increase top speed on the long straights, downforce was on the menu for the Can-Am 917/30, helping it transfer all that power from the V12 onto the track surface in as efficient and secure as way as possible. And if that didn’t already intimidate the rest of the field, the muscly, open-top design of its body, in the famous blue and yellow Sunoco livery, also turned heads… very quickly.

Inevitably, the 917/30 ate up all the other cars in its path, with Mark Donohue winning six out of eight races in the 1973 Can-Am series on his way to the championship title (the other two races, coincidentally, were won by one of the car’s predecessors, the Porsche 917/10). Sadly, that’s where the road ended for 917 as a competitive entity, as the car’s commanding performance once again led to new regulations for the following Can-Am season. But what a way to sign off for what many believe is the world’s greatest ever racing car. It’s a legacy that continues today in the form of today’s Porsche 963 – a spiritual successor to the 917, and a race car that Porsche sees as its new motorsport hero.

FAQs

Why is the Porsche 917 so special? ›

The Porsche 917 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, once in 1970 and again in 1971. It rose to become a legend among legends and remains a firm favourite among motor racing enthusiasts. The race winner built by the German marque is a genuine icon that continues to shine 50 years on.

How many Porsche 917 exist? ›

With a chassis designed by Helmuth Bott and engine developed by Hans Mezger – who in the 1980s designed the Porsche-built TAG Turbo Formula 1 engine for the all-conquering McLaren MP4/2 – 25 cars were made for hom*ologation purposes. Eventually, some 65 examples of the Porsche 917 would go on to be built in total.

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Why was the legendary Porsche 917/20 Pink Pig painted full pink for the 1971 Le Mans race? ›

But the best part was the fanciful paintwork which let the 917/20 go down in Porsche history as the "Pink Pig", "Big Berta" or even "Truffle Hunter". Porsche designer Anatole Lapine decided in favour of the pink body colour and labelled each of the body parts according to the butcher-style cuts.

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How much is the Porsche 917k worth? ›

Sold for $14,080,000 against an estimate of $13 million to $16 million. The most highly anticipated lot in the Gooding & Company sale fulfilled expectations by setting a new record for any Porsche at auction. The acclaimed automobile—chassis No.

See Details ›

What is unique about Porsche? ›

Precision Engineering: Porsche's commitment to engineering perfection is evident in every aspect of their vehicles. Meticulous attention to detail, advanced materials, and precision engineering ensure that each Porsche is a testament to performance and craftsmanship.

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What is the most fancy Porsche? ›

The legendary 1970 Porsche 917K holds the public record, as the Gulf Racing livery #22 from Le Mans sold for an astronomical $14,080,000. Sporting yet another famous livery, the Rothman's 1982 Porsche 956 brought $10,120,000 for its 35-year lap record at the Nürburgring.

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What is the nickname of the Porsche 917? ›

However, despite not winning at Le Mans, it had captured everyone's attention. Such was the affection in which it was held that the 917/20 gained other nicknames apart from the Pink Pig – including 'Big Berta' and 'The truffle sniffer from Zuffenhausen'. German-speakers know it as 'Die Sau', which means 'The Sow'.

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Who owns a Porsche 917? ›

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has a vast collection of Porsches. Perhaps the most interesting car in his collection is 917 chassis 022—one of the cars Steve McQueen used in his movie Le Mans. Seinfeld bought the car in the early 2000s, but hasn't ever told the story of how he came to acquire it—until now.

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Did Steve McQueen drive a Porsche 917? ›

McQueen didn't actually race in the real Le Mans as he had hoped — the film company's insurers put paid to that idea — but he did drive the 917 on screen and in stunt sequences. Not this exact one, though — McQueen actually drives the No. 21 Porsche in the film, while the No.

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Why was the Porsche 917 banned? ›

1973 Porsche 917/30

Porsche turbocharged the flat-12 from its Le Mans-winning 917 to produce a ridiculous 1300 horsepower, embarrassing previously-dominant McLaren in the process. Can-Am's organizers imposed a fuel limit on turbocharged cars for the 1974 season, so Penske and Porsche pulled out.

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What is the top speed of the Porsche 917? ›

In the race the longtail 917 LH was capable of doing 240 mph/386 km/h on the main straight.

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Which Porsche 917 won Le Mans? ›

Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood took first place in the red and white Porsche Salzburg 917 short tail. Porsche achieved its goal – overall victory at Le Mans. Gerard Larousse and Willi Kauhsen completed the result by taking second place in a 917 long tail.

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Is A Porsche Street Legal? ›

Yes, you can. I would recommend finding roads that are pretty smooth. Porsche is actually pretty good at building extreme performance cars that can still be streetable, but it's not to everyone's taste to actually use them in this way.

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Is the Porsche 917 street legal? ›

It's a recreation of the post 1970 short tail 917. It's completely road legal which means unfortunately it's had to replace the 12cyl with a 6cyl made up of various Porsche engine parts. The entire car is carbon fibre and when unrestricted it has over 400hp.

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What Porsche is a million dollars? ›

Porsche's million-dollar race car

This is the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport.

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Did the Porsche 917 ever win Le Mans? ›

A total of 19 overall victories, countless class successes and incredible emotions have linked Porsche with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's largest and most traditional motorsport event, for more than six decades. On 14 June 1970, Porsche achieved its first overall victory there with the 580 hp 917 KH sports car.

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What is the most powerful Porsche ever? ›

Now there's a new king of acceleration and all-around performance in the Taycan lineup, the 2025 Taycan Turbo GT. The Turbo GT is the most powerful Taycan the company has ever built—and if you count the 10 seconds of overboost, it's also the most powerful Porsche ever.

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What makes driving a Porsche so special? ›

They are reliable and offer an unmatched driving experience. Known for smooth ride quality and incredible shock absorption capability, Porsche cars are completely worth buying. The interior is designed with plush leather seats and premium-looking metal surfaces for utmost comfort and sophistication.

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What is the Porsche 917? (2024)

FAQs

Why is the Porsche 917 so special? ›

What is the top speed of the Porsche 917? ›

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