We all know the Porsche 917 – apart from its illustrious competition history it’s been a regular visitor to Goodwood over the years. There’s one thing we don’t know, however: what would it look like if it were designed now? Porsche’s current designers obviously wondered the same thing, and so have created this, the 917 Concept Study.
The 917 Concept Study is Porsche's modern day interpretation of the 917
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The 917 Concept Study, displayed in the Porsche Museum, Zuffenhausen, as part of the 917’s 50th anniversary, takes familiar 917 proportions into a beautifully pure and simple shape for a notably gorgeous machine.
Of course it helps that it bears the number 23 and is painted in the same red and white livery as the 917 that our own Richard Attwood, with Hans Herrmann, stormed home to win the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours, Porsche’s greatest motorsport success up to that point.
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Alas the 917 concept won’t be taking to the track any time soon, not in anger at least – but it would be good to see it at FoS, wouldn’t it? What a fitting tribute it would be to the 50th anniversary of what Porsche describes as “the most famous racing car of all time”.
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At the Porsche Museum it will join 917 chassis number one after its year-long restoration to 1969 specification by museum mechanics, former technicians and engineers from Zuffenhausen and Weissach. 917-001 never raced, but as a presentation model it went through several different incarnations in period – including wearing the 917’s most iconic liveries – which made its restoration a challenge.
917s then and now will be joined in the special “Colours of Speed – 50 Years of the 917” exhibition by no fewer than nine more of the Hans Mezger-designed 12-cylinder monsters – boasting 7,795bhp between them!
The 917 50th anniversary exhibition in the Porsche Museum is open between 14th May and 15th September.
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