Porsche’s initial production run of 25 917s was unable to meet demand. In total, more than 50 chassis were manufactured. Porsche, which had been the underdog in sports car racing for 20 years, had emerged as the new front-runner with the 917.
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Validation of Homologation
25 fully assembled 917s were on display in front of the Porsche factory for inspection three weeks later, on April 20, 1969.
Unbeknownst to the FIA, several of these “secretary-built” automobiles could be started and put in first gear but could only travel a short distance.
The 917s were positioned so that most of them could be moved ahead but weren’t really driven out.
The majority of the cars were then taken apart and professionally reassembled as and when needed in the future.
Understanding the data; the Porsche 917 movie cars.
Porsche made 59 917s in all. It came in a broad range of sizes and shapes throughout the model’s lifetime. With or without turbochargers, a roof, a long or short tail, and turbochargers or no turbochargers. The 917’s career is so varied that it even competed under the Kremer name ten years after its prime. The provenance of each 917 exemplar can be difficult to trace down because of the huge variety of 917s that have been constructed and repaired after crashes and development. One such instance is Mark Finburgh’s 917, which is described below.
Finburgh’s 917 is, in a Ship of Theseus-like manner, either chassis /013 or chassis /034. The vehicle (formerly chassis /013) was utilized in the 1970 filming of Steve McQueen’s Le Mans, but David Piper crashed it. David Piper suffered a leg injury in the collision, and a spare chassis with the serial number /034 was required to completely rebuild the vehicle.
Englishman Mark Finburgh, who talks about the car in the movie, bought the repaired car in 1973. The vehicle has been raced frequently in recent years since being rescued from beneath the snow behind the Porsche facility. The vehicle still sports its original Wyer-Gulf Oil livery and has participated in every Goodwood Festival of Speed since it began. Shortly after its 1970 rebuild, /034 achieved a number of noteworthy victories, including the 24 Hours of Daytona victory and the victories in the 1971 1000km races at Monza and the Osterreichring.
Prices
Between 1969 and 1971, Porsche produced 59 917s, of which 36 were K-spec variants. Although the 917K’s price is not yet known, the original 917 was first offered for 140,000 German Marks, which is equivalent to the cost of 10 Porsche 911s. Even though it was one of the priciest race vehicles, the cost of development was not covered by the price.
Since not all 917Ks were produced, they are now highly sought-after collectibles. Nevertheless, as the majority of authentic 917Ks are either in private collections or museums and don’t trade hands very frequently, purchasing one is essentially impossible. Examples that win races are predicted to sell for more than $10 million.
The Porsche 917K McQueen used in the movie might fetch $20 million at auction.
A 1969 Porsche racing car that will be sold at auction could fetch a record price thanks to its outrageous rarity, Hollywood filmography, and significant historical significance.
The Santa Monica-based auction firm Gooding & Co. said on Monday that a 1969 Porsche 917K would be featured in its yearly Pebble Beach auction. Only 25 of these racers were made, and this particular one was prominently displayed in Steve McQueen’s 1971 movie “LeMans.”
Although Gooding declined to reveal the anticipated sale price, less expensive 917s with pedigree far inferior to that of this particular model have privately sold for between $10 million and $15 million. When the last hammer falls in August, chassis 917-024 may surpass the $20 million mark, making it the most expensive Porsche ever to be sold at auction.
In a statement, David Gooding, president and creator of Gooding & Co. said, “The 917-024 is one of the most significant and recognizable racing vehicles ever to come to public auction, and we’re happy to exhibit the legendary Gulf 917 Porsche.”
The 917 was a brand-new Porsche project that was created in 1969 for a variety of competitions with the goal of winning the most prestigious of them all, the 24 Hours of LeMans. The automobiles were constructed on a revolutionary aluminum tubular chassis that was compressed with gas to see if it ever fractured.
Midway through the 1969 season, Porsche switched the 917s’ flat 12-cylinder, 4.5-liter engine for a more potent 5.0-liter unit. The bigger engine in the Gooding 917 today generates about 560 horsepower and sends it through a five-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.
The first of its sort to compete in a race in 1969, this particular 917 variation was constructed in 25 copies. It was a test and development car after its original competition. The 24 Hours of LeMans were eventually won by 917s in 1970 and 1971.
Jo Siffert, a Swiss Porsche racer, later purchased the vehicle and lent it to Steve McQueen for the filming of “LeMans,” which many people believe to be the best racing movie ever filmed.
The cult classic movie is famous for having been shot on site at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1970 utilizing cameras fitted to several Porsche 917s that were actually taking part in the event.
According to David Brynan, a specialist at Gooding & Co., the automobile was owned by Siffert’s estate after his death in 1971 until 1978, when it was sold to a French collector and kept outside of Paris until 2001.
The car was later discovered and purchased by the current owner, who completely restored it to bring it to its present race-ready condition. On August 16 and 17, Gooding & Co. will offer it along with a plethora of other high-end vehicles.
Brynan remarked, “It’s not just another car; it’s actually a pop cultural icon. “We believe it is a vehicle that can appeal to collectors who are into art or cinema history in addition to car enthusiasts. We’re interested to watch how things progress with that and see who eventually ends up with this Porsche because it has such a wide audience.”
The Five Most Iconic Liveries for the Porsche 917 Have These Stories Behind Them
This year marked the Porsche 917’s 50th birthday, and as the brand’s first popular and possibly most iconic Le Mans racecar, its birthday was not overlooked. The liveries the 917 wore, the colorful color schemes, and the enormous sponsor stickers, however, are what most people remember about the car in addition to its track record (excuse the pun). These features somehow added character to a vehicle with such flare. Porsche is also aware of those.
The most recognized liveries that adorned the 917 were highlighted in Porsche’s most recent edition of its Top 5 series on YouTube. Few vehicles rock these color schemes as well as the 917 does, despite the fact that the most of them have been worn by more than simply Porsche’s first overall Le Mans victor.
There are how many Porsche 918s?
Of course, the hype was fully justified. The sleek two-door, which was painstakingly engineered, has a 4.6-liter V-8 that produces 887 horsepower and 944 ft lbs of torque. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a jaw-dropping 2.5 seconds and achieve blazing speeds of up to 214 mph.
Only 918 Spyders, as the name suggests, were produced in 2015. Only 230 of those are thought to have had the Weissach package. Porsche collectors prize this particular black beauty in particular because it is one of these uncommon models.
The Weissach configuration, so named after the brand’s motorsport hub in Germany, decreased the Spyder’s combat weight by about 100 pounds in order to enhance its aerodynamics. Utilizing exposed carbon-fiber highlights, magnesium alloy center-lock wheels, ceramic wheel bearings, titanium chassis bolts, and lightweight Alcantara inside trim, the weight was reduced.
2015 saw the delivery of the 13th Spyder off the production line to its one and only owner. It has a little over 12,400 kilometers on it and has gotten routine maintenance from Porsche to maintain it in good shape.
This is, quite simply, the ultimate Porsche, according to the auction house, who describes it as “an intoxicating combination of technology, legacy, and mind-bending performance.”
You’ll pay for all of that. At the June 23–30 RM Sotheby’s Open Roads auction, the four-wheeler is anticipated to sell for between $1.14 million (EUR950,000) and $1.38 million (EUR1,150,000). Better organize your bids.
What materials make up a Porsche 917 chassis?
To meet the minimal weight requirement of 800 kg, the prototype 908 sports car receives a powerful lightweight construction that serves as the design basis for the new Porsche 917. As a result, the 917 boasts a 45-kilogram lightweight chassis made of aluminum tube. Even with the noticeably longer 12-cylinder engine, the 908 wheelbase is preserved at 2,300 mm by moving the cockpit and driver’s seat further forward. In the front and roof parts, as well as along the door and window frames, the 917’s outer skin, like that of the 908, is made of fiberglass laminate and is solidly bonded to the aluminum frame.
Hans Mezger’s layout for the 917 was designed from the beginning to be a basic version with an optional long-tail section to be mounted separately; the rear extension (long-tail), which is included in the homologation specifications and used for the high-speed stretches at Le Mans, can be easily detached for use on other tracks, converting the 917 into a short-tail version.
What was the Porsche 917’s horsepower?
This model, the 917’s final official incarnation, may be the most potent sports racing vehicle ever made. The vehicle had a completely redesigned body and a 5.4-liter dual turbocharged engine with 1100–1800 horsepower depending on the tuning level.
whose Porsche 917K is it?
Surprise! $24 Million Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917K from “Le Mans” is the newest star of the Brumos Collection. Introducing a collection in Jacksonville, Florida, featuring a showpiece vehicle from the 1971 film
A Porsche 917 is priced at how much?
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The highlight of this August’s RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, California, will be a legendary 1970 Porsche 917K, which is expected to fetch between US$16 million and US$18.5 million.
The vehicle, which has the chassis number 917 031/026, was created as one of the three cars that the JW Automotive Engineering/Gulf Racing team entered in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans competition. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, an endurance event for sports cars, has been going on every year since 1923 close to the French town of Le Mans.
In contrast to its sibling cars’ orange centerline stripes, this car’s entire roof was painted orange all the way to the beltline. British racing drivers are carrying race number 22.
made it about 49 circuits before the race’s 50th lap collision forced the car to stop.
According to RM Sotheby’s, the factory repaired the chassis after Le Mans and then restored it into a Porsche 917 Spyder with lightweight open bodywork for use in the 1972 and 1973 European InterSeries Championship.
The Porsche was purchased in 1974 by a well-known French race car driver and heir to the Moet et Chandon wine company. He retained it until 1988, when he sold it to an American collector.
According to RM Sotheby’s, the car’s present owner, whose name was not made public, paid roughly $4 million for it in 2010 and has subsequently restored it to its iconic and original Gulf-liveried Le Mans coupe specifications.
In a statement, RM Sotheby’s worldwide head of auctions said. It will always be a movie star in its own right since it represents the very best of motorsport history and tradition from a time of iconic cars and drivers.
A Porsche 917 weighed how much?
917 Development for Porsche The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, also known as the FIA, established a new class of competition for sports vehicles having engines no larger than 5 liters and weighing at least 1,760 pounds in 1968.