1970 Porsche 917K: At the end of the 60's, the F.I.A. modified the regulations allowing 5-litre powered prototypes in Group 5. Porsche, which had been competing with it´s 904, 907, 908 and 910 models, decided to design and build a new prototype that would make the most of the new regulations. It would be called the 917. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the long-tailed version was capable of a top speed of over 254 mph. Porsche hired John Wyer and his JWA Gulf Team, which became the official Porsche team, and also the official development partner. Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen drove this car to first place at Monza in 1970. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
1970 Porsche 917K: The Porsche Salzburg team was a de facto second works team under control of members of the Porsche family. In 1970 they won the LeMans 24 hours with the standard 4.5 litre engined car driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. This was Porsche's first victory at LeMans, a race they would come to dominate up until the late 80's. The 917 has often been acclaimed as the the greatest racing car of all time. Model by AUTOART 1/43 |
1970 Porsche 917K: The Martini Racing team also had Porsche support; obviously Porsche made efforts to win races by supporting more than one team. This car driven by Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens finished 16th at Kyalami at a non-championship event. The 917 in its first season in '69 proved to be a real handful, or as Brian Redman said "it was incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed." Increasing downforce at the expense of drag, a new short tail was molded which gave the 917 much needed stability. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43 |