Porsche's 917 hits the big five-oh

James Cleary

Deputy Editor

2 min read

It's one of the greatest racing cars of all time, and to celebrate its 50th birthday Porsche is staging a special exhibition '50 Years of the Porsche 917 – Colours of Speed' at its Stuttgart museum from May 14 – September 15, 2019.

Star of the show is chassis #917-001, the first 917 (nine-seventeen) which was developed to take on the 1969 World Championship of Makes, with a special focus on Le Mans.

It has been meticulously restored by a group of factory museum mechanics, former technicians and engineers from Zuffenhausen and Weissach, as well as experts from the Porsche AG archive and partner companies.

But it was 1970 and 1971 where the short-tail 4.5-litre, air-cooled 'flat' 12 machine (Porsche refers to it as a 180-degree V12) want back-to-back in taking the chequered flag at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the '71 driver pairing including one Helmut Marko of more recent Red Bull F1 fame.

Both those cars are part of the display, with a total of 10 examples joining period images and ephemera on the museum floor.

Other notable inclusions are a 917/30 Can-Am, arguably the ultimate expression of the series, boasting a turbocharged 5.4-litre version of the Mezger engine (named after the car's chassis and engine designer Hans Mezger) producing between 820-1180kW (1100-1580hp), and the low-drag 917/20 known as the 'Pink Pig' in response to its bright livery mimicking a butcher's meat cuts diagram.

A special-edition book 'Colours of Speed – 50 Jahre Porsche 917' has been published and a barbecue apron designed as a tribute to the Pink Pig is available from the museum shop.

What will you be selling to scratch up the cash for a ticket to Stuttgart? Tell us in the comments.

James Cleary

Deputy Editor

James Cleary is CarsGuide's Deputy Editor, with over four decades’ experience across automotive editorial, marketing, product planning and creative advertising. He has written for national and international titles including Wheels, Drive, Carsales, Motor and Top Gear Australia providing everything from new product assessment and feature writing to industry analysis, news content and expert advice. He’s spent time as an advanced driving instructor, and had the opportunity to experience rare and valuable classics here and overseas. James worked in the PR and advertising/sales promotion teams at Mercedes-Benz Australia and has managed the Marketing Communications and Product Planning functions for Peugeot Australia. He also directed advertising client service for Hyundai Motor Company Australia and Volvo Australia. James has a Bachelors Degree in Communications from Macquarie University and driving qualifications from multiple advanced schools, including Ian Luff Motivation. He has been a member of the CarsGuide team for 10 years and as Deputy Editor manages everything from sub-editing to back-end platforms while creating written and visual content. Expertise New product assessment Industry analysis News content Expert advice Feature writing Experience BMW Performance Driving School Lamborghini Winter Accademia Master Maserati Driving School Mercedes-AMG Snow Performance School Porsche Level 4 Master training Volkswagen Driving Experience program Education Bachelor of Arts (MassComm) | Macquarie University | 1981-1984 Featured publications Carsales Drive Motor Top Gear Wheels CarsGuide
About Author

Comments