The Porsche 917 is a racing deity. "Ferocious" is an understatement. It's a tiny little tube-framed, fiberglas-bodied, deathtrap with any where from 600 to 1400 horsepower, depending on the size of the driver's testicles. That's about enough horsepower to twist the car in half. Bullfighting is much safer.

Another observation I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around: A lowered 914 TOWERS over a 917. Think about that, and the 1400 horsepower.

I first saw a 917K in 1975 or 1976 sitting in Stoddard's showroom amongst a small display of other cars and it struck me then how incredibly small they are. Normal Porsches dwarfed it. To see one at a track by itself or even amongst other race cars you don't get that impression, or at least I didn't when I saw one in '98 at the Glen.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1148488434.jpg

Let's look at it this way... a sentence in the opening posting ( here) reads...

" Wow. I just can't believe they were driving cars with that much power, no driver aids & minimal understanding of the aerodynamic issues involved. Seems like the older drivers had a much tougher time of things generally."

- - now.....apply this statement to theSilver Arrows....a generic term for any of the Benz or Audi pe-war GP cars. Some had upwards of 646 hp...and the streamliners hit 270 mph......

Very appropriate statement that can be applied here, too !!!....

- Wil

And this I believe was on public highways (Autobahn).....Those guys were looney.

Per many of the above comments, I have seen a couple 917 Lemans cars at Daytona and Sebring HSR events. I have never seen the 917/30 on the track.

Don

Watched the 917s, McLarens and UOP Shadow cars at Donnybrooke (Brainerd International Raceway) in Minnesota in the 70s. Loads of fun.

If anyone is available for the Brian Redman Challenge at Road America in Wisconsin in July, I heartily recommend it. Every year then have the Can Am cars back, along with a collection of historic F1 cars and the occasional 962 or Ferrari 512.

Serious deja vu :)

Well it's nice to know they're still being driven around a bit. The power to weight ratios that they spoke of in the book & were mentioned above just blew me away - plus lap times sometimes faster than the equivalent f1 of the day. I hope to get a chance to see one some day although it will involve a bit of travel - not much chance of seeing one in oz (unless I'm mistaken).

I was talking to my friend Michael Chandler just the other day about the 917. He was an accomplished driver in the early 80's - ran three times at Indy (12th in his first Indy 500), a couple times at Le Mans (once in a 935), and he said the 917 was the car that most lifted his skirts (his expression). I can't remember where he ran it, as I recall it was on an oval banked track, and he said that he only had it about halfway up the boost. I think his dad Otis Chandler, who recently passed away, may have owned one at one time.

John Audette

Michael probably ran the turbo car at Ontario speedway. It was most likely at one of the POC/ PCA joint events held there. 19 (20?) turns using the infield course and part of the front straight banking

otis chandler owned both the steve mcqueen #20 Le Mans movie car AND the vaunted 917-30 Sunoco Penske Can am car. He used to support the POC with raffling off rides in the can am car once a year at Riverside raceway
AWESOME is an understatement!