Captain Slow drives the 917
 

Caught the latest Grand Tour. Great little bit on the 917. Well done. Almost think they let the newer car by at the end for "reasons."

I'd like to see the video. James is a cool guy.

You get a glimpse of it here.

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Even if the new P-car beat the 917, it was amazingly close considering the new car has 50 more years of technology in it. It was a nice segment, but I really liked the moon landing segment. James almost cried with joy while driving Neil Armstrong's 'vette.

Gotta see that.

Clarkson and Hammond have focused on an entertainment segment I don't really belong in.

May on the other hand is still worth watching.

The 917 segment was excellent as always. I love all the old automotive history segements they’ve been doing lately. Most excellent stuff!

The 917 segment was fantastic. The 'films' that "Captain Slowly" does on his own (that's what the people from the Porsche museum called him) are just really, really good, and this was maybe the best one.

(Plus, it was nice to hear someone say "Piëch", I've never really known how to pronounce that one....)

Agree. May has always come across as the more intelligent presenter. Most of his solo documentaries and series are worth watching.

I would argue they can all do a good bit.... look at Jeremy’s segment on the 037 or Richards on Jim Clark. When they get serious they are all pretty damn good.

Totally agree.

+1

Good stuff. Attwood is a beast. Still gettin' it done @ 78!

FYI: The series is also available in 4K/HDR. You may have to search for it, but it's there.
If you have a capable TV, it's definitely worthwhile to find/favorite the 4K version.

Excellent segment in a pretty good episode. I could watch all three just do motorsports documentaries because they are always top notch.

Anyone interested in seeing one close up, with a bunch of other vintage Porsches, Carlsen Porsche in Redwood City, CA is having a grand reopening thing this weekend and has a bunch on display for a couple weeks. I "think" the 917 is Bruce Canapa's but could be wrong, some of the others had info sheets. Definitely a lot of eye candy.

so which car really is faster with similar tires?

No doubt that with sticky rubber, the 917 would have run rings around the 911. Not sure the frame and suspension pickups would hold up to those forces though.

It wasn’t just a 911. It was a GT-2RS.

It was amazing to see Atwater, 78 years old smiling, driving a 917. The inside moves he made on the GT2.... Jeremy commenting on the 911 and the Porsche family names that never changes made me chuckle.

Posted Jun 6, 2020! :)

(Caution... This car is RHD and that may distress some of our American friends ;))

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Wonderfully done!

Each of those 3 guys is so different yet capable of getting along. It's remarkable.

He looks like The Hulk inside that cabin.

I am always impressed when I see a 917 beside a normal road car I like that a 914 or 911 looks huge sitting next to it.

I sat in a 962 once - it was pretty cramped inside. If you're over six feet not many of those cars are very comfortable.

I had that set as my wallpaper for a long time. Amazing photo, especially when you think about how small a 914 is.

Certainly cramped... But the statistics on the 917 are amazing!

- More than 240 MPH! :eek:

I knew a bunch about the 917's but still a great story. Thanks.

Fantastic video. I watched the full version so I'd get to see the "race."

Of course, the race was complete bunk. THe modern car has <100hp more than the old one and is more than twice the weight. Of course, at $14 million, the 917 was probably being driven at somewhere between 5 and 7 tenths. It wasn't really a race and yes, no doubt Porsche choreographed the finish, but I don't care one bit. I'll probably watch it a couple more times.

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Agree on the finish - total rubbish. The 917 should have won had it been driven hard...