The 917 Becomes Porsche's 24 Hour Race Horse

The FIA's World Championship of Makes racing category requires that all race cars run for either 12 or 24 hours, or for 1,000 kilometers. The race class also has restrictions of either 3 or 5 liter engines in prototype and sports cars, respectively, with the production limit on 3 liter prototypes being unlimited while the latter are required to fulfill a quota of at least 25 cars per manufacturer.


During that part of the 1960s when Ford and Broadley were trying to perfect the GT40, Porsche development director, Ferdinand Piech was looking to drive a sports car in the Championship of Makes circuit, instead of the cheaper prototypes. Looking to build a Porsche sports car that could satisfy the 5 liter displacement requirement, the development of the very first 917 would commence in total secrecy.

Design of the 917 began in May of 1968. Much to the surprise of Enzo Ferrari once he found out about the project, the 4494cc 12-cylinder was air cooled in Porsche/VW fashion. Porsche's drivetrain in the 917 turned out to be perfect for the application, though other design quirks would earn the car a poor reputation with some of Stuttgart's test drivers.


Within the automaker's walls, test drivers Jo Siffert, Udo Shuetz, Gerhard Mitter, Kurt Ahrens, Hans Herrman and Willi Kauhsen referred to the 917 as dangerous. They cited that the car lacked direction, not responding well to steering. The car also acquired the nickname "boil" around workers, because its stuffy cab was said to reach interior temperatures in excess of 70 degrees celsius.


The 917 was known to be especially touchy at high speeds, as when driving on such straightaways as Mulsanne that allowed for top end romps. It took the efforts of drivers Attwood and Elford to obtain a 21 hour lead in the 12-cylinder Porsche during the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans. They had been driving a long version of the 917, while the car's notorious handling issues were only noticed on the shorter unit.

Several changes and tweaks over the years to the differing racing categories by the FIA warped the Porsche 917's track success just as much as it had to Eric Broadley's T70, as sanction rules would not allow Porsche's trademark race car to participate in the 5 liter sports car class after the 1971 season.


In the same way that Ford's GT40 and the Lola T70 were platforms for track testing, the 917 became Porsche's endurance track piece that they needed to perfect. Only 46 cars of the actual 917 series were ever produced.