Though it’s the most successful constructor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 17 overall wins as of 2015, Porsche had to wait until 1970 to score its first outright success at the Circuit de la Sarthe. It did so with the 917, a revolutionary race car that set many new benchmarks in sports car racing.
The 917 saga began in 1968, when the FIA, having announced that the International Championship of Makes would be run for 3.0-liter Group 6 prototypes from 1968 through 1971, allowed the participation of 5.0-liter Group 4 cars. Known for racing cars with small-displacement engines in lower classes, Porsche made a surprising move and decided to design a brand-new racer with a 4.5-liter unit for the top category.
With genius Hans Mezger as chief engineer, Porsche developed the 917 in only ten months, displaying all 25 homologation cars required by the FIA in front of its factory in April 1969.
The 917 spawned many iterations that would go on and compete in various series around the world, including the World Sportscar Championship and the Can-Am. In this review, I will focus on the 917K, the car that brought Porsche its first outright win at Le Mans.
Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche 917K.
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