The final evolution of the 917 was created after Ferdinand Piëch had left the Porsche company in 1972. Two complete 917/30 Can-Am cars with 2500 mm (98.4") wheelbase were made for Roger Penske Enterprises racing team. They were chassis 917/30-002 and 003. The 001 car was not a real 917/30 and was raced in Europe at the Interserie. The Can-Am 917/30 had a 5.4-litre flat 12-cylinder twin-turbo engine which produced so much power that nobody really knew how much.
Porsche Race Cars
Master racer Vern Schuppan, the Australian racing legend, forged a stellar reputation by winning the 1983 Le Mans driving a...
D.E. ( Driver Education) It’s a gateway drug. You are happily driving your Miata, Mustang, or Cayman on the street;...
The pinnacle for hillclimb racing was the mid-1960s and perhaps the most extreme machine of the era was the Porsche 909 Bergspyder. It took weight saving to the extreme. The 909 Bergspyder did not win a major event. It ended up being an awesome laboratory of ideas (not all worked). The 909 Bergspyder was based on the 910, but Piëch had tasked his team of engineers, including the legendary Peter Falk, to remove weight on every component.
The premise was disarmingly simple: a race bringing together the best drivers in motorsport, all competing in identical cars, in...
Kremer Porsche 935 K3 – chassis #930 890 0021 The Porsche 935 was the Stuttgart manufacturer’s answer to the FIA’s...
The K in 907K stands for short-tail ("Kurz" in German). Porsche brought four new 907s with short-tail bodies to the rugged Sebring circuit in March 1968. Seven laps in, one 907 was out, and a second suffered engine troubles after 46 circuits. Not to worry, as the other two dominated the race. Porsche 907 024 with drivers Hans Herrmann (Germany) and Jo Siffert (Switzerland) went from the pole position to a dominating victory at an average speed of 102.512 mph, 10 laps ahead of its sister 907.
Simeone Foundation Museum – 1970 Porsche 917-043 While diplomats and cartographers may technically show the roads around Le Mans as...
In 1959 Porsche unveiled the prototype of a narrow, open-wheeled car called the Porsche 718/2 that married the 718's mechanicals with a more traditional single-seat Formula body. For 1960 the production 718/2, starting with chassis number 718201, received revised bodywork, a 6-speed transaxle, and a wheelbase extended by 100 mm. A total of five cars were built. Some of these four-cylinder cars were later raced in F1 under the 1962 1½ litre formula.
The 1972 917/10 was similar in its design to the 908/03, but, of course, had the 12-cylinder engine instead of the 3-litre flat-8. The 917/10-72 was first seen at the Interserie Nürburgring race on April 3. It was the chassis 004 car of Leo Kinnunen and Keimola Racing Team AAW. Kinnunen scored 4th in the first race, but would win the championship by the end of the season. The second Interserie race was at Monza on May 1st and that race was won by chassis 917/10-002 and Willy Kauhsen.
In 1967 Porsche prepared a small number of 934 Porsches with 935 Group 5 parts for the Trans-Am and IMSA GTO series. In the end, the 934/5 dominated the Trans-Am series by taking to top five positions in the championship. Ludwig Heimrath became the 1977 Trans-Am champion in his 934/5 by protesting Peter Gregg's highly modified car. Together they humbled the Corvette C3s and the Group 44 Jaguar XJS.
#21 Martini Porsche 917 LH (chassis #042) was driven by Gerard Larrousse and Vic Elford in the 1971 Le Mans...
Broad Arrow Auctions, a Hagerty company, is thrilled to announce an exclusive Porsche-only auction in partnership with the first-ever Air|Water...
The third-generation 919 Hybrid (2016 MY) is powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder, two-litre petrol engine delivering almost 500 hp that drives the rear axle. The V4 engine, which is fully load-bearing, is turbocharged and features 4-valves per cylinder, DOHC, a Garrett turbocharger, direct fuel injection and an aluminium cylinder crankcase. In addition, the electric motor delivering more than 400 hp to the front axle. The latter is fed by two energy recovery systems.
1991 Koenig-Specials C62 One of the more notorious tuners is Koenig Specials. As the focus of the company has been...
Autosport 1000 km, Silverstone, 14 September 2008: In the fifth and final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season,...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 20/21 June 1964: Porsche 904/8 of Edgar Barth/Herbert Linge before the start of the race The...
Although Porsche concentrated primarily on development of its twelve cylinder 917 from the middle of 1969, the eight cylinder 908 was also developed further. This 908 received a completely new tubular frame based on that of the 909 Bergspyder and its three liter engine was moved forward by mounting the gearbox ahead of the differential to achieve more equal weight distribution.
1973 Vasek Polak Porsche 917/10-018 Cam-Am Spyder driven by Jody Scheckter Jody Scheckter was born in East London on the...
For the 1978 Le Mans, Porsche created two new 936/78. The first one was built using chassis 936-001, which had already served for the 936/76 and 936/77. The second car was built on a new chassis and numbered 936-003. Because of the new water-cooled 24-valve engine, the 936/78 came with huge NACA ducts on the sides for the radiators and a new rear end with hanging spoiler.
The Group 6 Porsche 936 was the successor to the 908/03 and the turbocharged 917. While the 917 had a 5.4-litre flat-12 biturbo engine, the 936 got a 2.1-litre flat-6 single turbo engine. The reason for the 2.1-litre displacement was to fit inside the 3-litre class (turbocharged cars had a coefficient of 1.4). Despite the small capacity, the engine developed more than five hundred horsepower. Imagine such power in a ~700 kg/1540 lb car!
The #92 Porsche 911 RSR of Makowiecki/Bamber/Bergmeister negotiates the Ford Chicane during the 2016 Le Mans 24H From the very...
The 15th Targa California rally recently concluded with most drivers logging 1,000+ miles over the roads “less traveled” of California’s...
There are 934s, and there are 934s… The Porsche 934 has long lived in the shadow of its more powerful...
Group shot of (from L-R): Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car; 959 road car; 961 race car (1986) The Porsche 961...
From the creators of Luftgekühlt comes the largest single-brand automotive experience to hit Southern California. It embarks on a fresh...
This is the Peter Gregg car (chassis #930 770 0952) as shown at the Porsche Rennsport 2015. In early 1977,...
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (2016) The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the racing version of the 911 GT3. In 2016,...
1961 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder ‘Grossmutter’ (chassis #047) photographed at the Porsche Museum, May 2019 The word unique is a...
On 3 January 2019 the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport was unveiled in two variants, Competition and Trackday, with first customer cars delivered to customer teams ahead of the 2019 Roar Before the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway. The race car is powered by a 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine producing 425 PS (419 bhp; 313 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 425 N⋅m (313 lb⋅ft) at 6,600 rpm connected to a 6-speed PDK gearbox. The kerb weight is 1,320 kg (2,910 lb). Both variants feature a welded-in roll cage, a six-point harness and race bucket seat, a selection of body parts made of natural-fibre composite materials and race suspension from the 911 GT3 Cup.
The Porsche 961 was the racing version of the 959 supercar. While the 959 rallye car was also internally called 961,...
The year 1974 will be remembered for many different reasons, depending on where you were living in the world at...
The 1977 #40 Martini Porsche 935/2.0 Baby (chassis #935 2 001) photographed at the Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany in May...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 14-15 June 1975: Porsche 9083 in the paddock ahead of the race (copyright Yves Ronga) When...
Introduced in 1969, the three-litre 908/2 is an evolution of the Porsche 908K Coupe. As the rule book for the season no longer required a minimum windscreen height nor the requirement to run a spare wheel, Porsche opted for a much lighter Spyder body; which looked like a chopped version of the short-tail Coupe used in 1968. The Spyder body was perfectly suited for high downforce races like the Nürburgring 1000 km and the Targa Florio. It was also about 100 kg lighter than the Coupe.
For the 1960 season the FIA made changes to the regulation regarding the windscreen and cockpit size. These rules changes together with a larger (1.6-litre) Type 547/3 engine, developing 160 horsepower (120 kW) and a new double wishbone rear suspension brought about the RS 60 model. The RS 60 brought Porsche victory at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring with a car driven by Hans Herrmann and Olivier Gendebien. 1960 also saw Porsche win the Targa Florio with Hans Herrmann being joined on the winner podium by Jo Bonnier and Graham Hill. z
The 906 LH was capable of achieving 174 mph/280 km/h with its 2-litre engine (906 K: 165 mph/265 km/h). At high speed the long tail started to create lift (opposite to downforce), which made the car go fast on the straight, but was dangerous to drive. At Le Mans, the 906 LHs with their experimental bodies competed in the 2-litre prototype class.
In 1983 Porsche produced a stunning one-of road car for TAG owner Mansour Ojjeh. Based on a 934 chassis, it was designed to mimic the potent 935 racecars and subsequently became the one of the first slantnoses. Both the front and rear sections were made similar to the potent 935 race car which dominated the Group 5 Championship. This silhouette series allowed radical modifications which contributed to the repositioned nose, ultra-wdie flares and extended rear bodywork.
Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport (Type 991, Gen. 2) The new Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport celebrated its world premiere...
The Porsche 804 was produced by Porsche to compete in Formula One (F1). It raced for a single season in 1962 in the 1½ litre formula. For 1962 Porsche developed an 8-cylinder engine for F1. It was air-cooled and had twin overhead camshafts, four Webber carburetors, and two valves per cylinder. Porsche stayed with carburetors and steel rims while other manufacturers had moved to lightweight wheels and fuel-injection.
The 959 took both first and second place in the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally. For 1986, the Dakar Porsches finally got all the upgrades from the 959 project, including the active four-wheel drive system offering four driving modes adjusted by the computers. This gave Porsche a 1-2 finish, with supporting 959 Dakar engineer Unger Kussmaul crossing the line at sixth. Once the champagne had dried up, Porsche deemed its Dakar program accomplished.
Donington Park Circuit, 11 April 2017: Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z9S799918) is off-loaded It was a clear day in...
Every year on a late winter weekend, the Porsche world turns its focus to Southern California. Crowds converge in Los...
In the current era of Grand Prix and sports car racing, there is virtually no such thing as a new...
A spider body was fitted, and its inaugural appearance was at the Swiss Ollon-Villars hillclimb where it was met with disappointing results that were clearly to-do with poor testing and rushed development. The Ferrari's easily dominated the event and sent Porsche and their ''Ollon Villars Spyder' back to the drawing-board.
With the car retiring after the 2017 LMP WEC season, the Porsche team decided to throw it a truly memorable send-off. Freed from any restrictions brought upon by strict regulations in the class it competed in, Porsche threw out the rulebook and established a new benchmark. Amongst the notable parting gifts was a significant horsepower bump, increasing the turbo V4 to 720 horsepower from 500 horsepower. Additionally, the electric motor received a 10% boost, now generating 440 horsepower. In total this gave the 919 a remarkable 1160 horsepower.
After a promising season in 1996, Porsche updated their GT1 contender to Evolution specification. This included redesign bodywork, a new...
The Porsche 908/3 is undeniably a unique car. Specifically crafted by Porsche for competition on only two circuits during the...
Porsche 935 JLP-4 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2014 JLP-4 was the final race car in the line of...
Daytona 24 Hours, 31 January/1 February 1981: Bob Garretson, Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman driving the #9 Porsche 935 (chassis #009...
In 1965, the 904’s second and final production year, some examples received a version of the 911’s 2.0-liter flat-six. This version was dubbed the 904/6 and was focused on the factory works effort by Porsche. Six of these cars were so equipped and used a chassis number of 906-0xx. Porsche built a total of six similar 904/6 Works team cars with the following chassis number assignments: 906-001, 002, 005, 006, 011, and 012.
Words and photos by Dom Miliano Deeply devout people of all stripes live their lives hoping to, someday, visit the...
Watch this thrilling onboard video featuring a Porsche 962 in action during a Group C race at Spa Francorchamps. This...
Porsche 935 chassis no. 009 00030, the Old Warhorse speeds up the hill at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed...
With the aerodynamic instability of the 917 in the 1969, two separate configurations were used in 1970. These were the short-tail Kurzheck version and the less common Langheck or long-tail. Most of the 917's accolades were achieved by the 917 Kurzheck, leaving the Langheck a less popular, but ultimately just as potent contender.
Porsche 935-78 Moby Dick (chassis 935/78.006 ), photographed at the Porsche Warehouse in May 2017 Group 5 rules offered manufacturers...
Porsche 550 (1953-1956) Introduction Porsche needed a race car to compete in the roadster class, and that’s just what the...
According to Porsche, it retained the monocoque from 2016, but 60 to 70% of the 2017 car was new, with the largest alterations being to its aerodynamic demands. This included a major redesign of the front of the 919 Hybrid with wider arches for the front wheels to make it less aerodynamically sensitive from small bits of discarded rubber from the track surface. Porsche remained in the 8 MJ (2.2 kWh) MGU category for the 2017 season. The engine was modified to be lighter and more compact, and Porsche stated that it was its most-efficient ever.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even just the name evokes memories of classic races, unbelievable tragedy, and some of...
1997 Porsche 911 GT1-109 photographed in June 2016 Porsche 993 GT1 chassis #109 was one of just nine customer racing...
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a video worth? Enjoy this throwback to 2023’s premier celebration...
The 935/78 was the ultimate expression of the 911 factory race car before Porsche officially withdrew from motor sport. Raced...
Corsica Rally, 1967: Vic Elford and David Stone driving a Porsche 911 2.0 R Not a company to stand still...
The first turbo-Porsche, Can-Am winner 1972, Interserie winner 1972, 1973. The first ever publically seen turbocharged Porsche was the 917/10 Turbo with chassis number 917/10-011. It was entered for the June 11, 1972 Can-Am Mosport race. Mark Donohue was fastest in the qualification with it, but scored second in the 80 laps race after the 8.1-litre McLaren. The Porsche Turbo era had begun. Eight 917/10 were racing in 1972 in Can-Am and in Interserie.
The FIA’s new three-liter prototype (Group 6) and five-liter sports car (Group 4) regulations adopted for 1968 presented the opportunity for Porsche to update its 907, which had won races but lost the championship. In came a 2997 cc flat-eight engined 908. Despite its aero appearance, it was no easy car to drive fast, weaving as speeds approached 200 mph. Despite winning the 1000km Nürburgring, the 908 was anything but convincing in 1968.
The racing sportscar is prepared by Porsche following the Le Mans GT2 regulations for the over 1,150 kg weight classification. It features a 3.6-litre engine with two turbo-chargers (KKK 24 with 33.8 mm restrictors), which delivers around 450 hp at 5,750 rpm. Even this racing vehicle, with its suspension featuring a McPherson front axle and Porsche multi-link rear axle with LSA system, closely resembles its production relative. Utilizing a steel 993 Twin Turbo chassis with modifications for racing, scored numerous victories in a wide variety of racing venues.
The 2015 season Porsche released a new version of their 919 LMP1 prototype which was reshaped and significantly upgraded to the Premiere class which uses an 8 megajoule hybrid electric system. It follows the 2014 car which had competitive but lackluster year against Audi and Toyota. Combined with a 2 litre, twin turbo V4 gasoline engine is the 8 megajoule lithium-ion battery which powers the front electric engine for a total power output nearing 900 to 1000 bhp.
A Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupé in 1963 outside the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The early version had a slatted air...
Spark Racing Technology is responsible for a big part of the Porsche 99X Electric. This is the racing car Porsche fielded in Formula E 2019 season. Maximum performance in qualifying mode? 335 horsepower and 174 mph. Zero to 100 kilometers per hour is doable in 2.8 seconds, and the minimum weight including the driver is rated at 900 kilograms of which the battery is responsible for 385 kilograms. In race and attack modes, the output is restricted to 272 and 320 PS, respectively. The useable battery capacity is 52 kWh while maximum recuperation is rated at 250 kW.
There are 935s, and then there are 935s… Although almost a hundred Porsche 935s were built between 1975 and 1984,...
Carrera Speedster In 1955, less than a year after the 356 Speedster model was introduced, Porsche built the first example...
In this episode, we get to see a Porsche 718 living strong even after all these years as the story behind...
The 934, introduced for the 1976 racing season, utilized the production 930 as its foundation. It incorporated a front spoiler...
In 1953 Porsche created a series of 550 prototypes and 550-03 became the most important car in Porsche history by winning the 1954 Carrera Panamerica with Hans Herrmann at the wheel. This singular victory lent the Carrera nameplate to future models and also marked the first international victory of a mid-engine car. Only 15 prototypes were made until regular production began in 1954 of the Porsche RS Spyder.
The Cisitalia Grand Prix is a single-seater car for the postwar 1.5-litre supercharged Grand Prix class, built by Italian sports car manufacturer Cisitalia and introduced in 1949. It was designed on behalf of Cisitalia by Porsche between 1946–47, and is therefore also known by its Porsche project number, Typ 360. An extremely advanced design, it proved too complex to build for the small Italian firm (and lead to the financial downfall of the company).
The Porsche 962 arrived on scene in 1984 as essentially a Porsche 956 for the IMSA/US market. IMSA mandated that the driver’s feet...
The 993 Carrera Cup 3.8 was developed from the 993 Carrera RS, as purpose-built competition car designed by Porsche for its single-model racing series taking place around the world. Replacing the 964 Carrera Cup, the 993 Carrera Cup had a claimed 315 bhp on tap, weighed only 1,100kg, and offered a top speed of around 270km/h (170mph). Approximately 216 samples were built. The Carrera Cup should not be confused witth the Carrera RSR, or the 993 Carrera RS Clubsport version.
Watch as Bruce Canepa gets behind the wheel of a 1969 Porsche 917K with chassis number 917-015 around the famous...
On the list of most intoxicating objects in the history of collecting, Porsche racing cars are certainly near the top....
By 1969, Porsche develops the 917 Spyder with a view to competing in the extremely popular North American racing series, the Canadian American Challenge Cup (Can-Am). Three units featuring 4.5-litre twelve-cylinder naturally aspirated engines are constructed in Zuffenhausen, and Jo Siffert takes one to the US to compete in the Can-Am races, ultimately placing fourth overall. The car becomes known as the 917 PA Spyder, with “PA” standing for “Porsche + Audi” as they are the two sales organisations in the US at the time.
Improving a Car That’s Already Excellent The Porsche 911 RSR is a car that has won more than 20 FIA World...
Porsche’s 956 Juggernaut It may have taken Porsche some time to introduce its first aluminum monocoque sports racing prototype, but...
The 917 Kurzheck Coupé (917K) first appeared in 1970 and contributed more to the Porsche 917 story than any other variant. It was a high-down force version that featured a cut-off tail for increased downforce. This reduced the cars top speed, as much as 30 mph. Le Mans winner 1970, Interserie winner 1970 and Manufacturers' World Championship for Porsche in 1970.
Race day dawned with a blanket of morning mist covering the area. It was a crisp morning as I departed...
This 2019 Porsche 935 is the 13th of 77 examples built as a track-only, non-homologated homage to the original 935...
The Porsche 962 arrived on scene in 1984 as essentially a Porsche 956 for the IMSA/US market. IMSA mandated that the...
The Porsche 904 debuted late in 1963, for the 1964 racing season. Porsche designed the 1965 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS variant to compete in the FIA-GT class at various international racing events and a street-legal version debuted in 1964 in order to comply with FIA’s Group 3 homologation regulations. When the 904 Carrera GTS debuted, it represented Porsche’s first foray into fiberglass bodywork and the last hurrah for its four-cam, four-cylinder engine.
In 1967, Porsche brought a new kind of car to Le Mans. The 907 had a small flat-six and incredibly low bodywork, was aerodynamically optimized. Ford won Le Mans, but the 907 proved its worth. At the end of March, 1968, Porsche had four type 907 chassis ready, and brought them to the 24 Hours of Daytona. Fully developed, the 907 now used a 2195 cc aircooled, magnesium alloy flat-eight with Bosch fuel injection, good for 278 bhp at 8700 rpm. The 907LH (lang heck, or long tail) was slippery, stonking fast and wicked hard to drive. And it won.
Although the longtail 917 was introduced first, it was meant only for the Le Mans. This meant, the short tail 917 K ("Kurz" in German for short) was raced first. The only engine available in 1969 was the 4.5-litre flat 12. The factory team enters one 917 K also for the Nürburgring 1000 km race, where it scores 8th. The factory team would not enter 917 K for racing anymore in the season, only private teams will.
The silhouette is familiar. With weaves of carbon fiber covering almost every external surface, the Porsche 935/19 cuts an unmistakable...
Like the 917 LH of 1969 and 1970, the 1971 version was also made for one race only - the 24 hours of Le Mans. The 917 LH-70 had already proved that the body was excellent for Le Mans, so the aerodynamical modifications for 1971 were mild. The front was modified and the rear wheels were covered. The 917 LH-70 that scored 2nd at the 1970 Le Mans 24H (chassis 917-043) was modified for the Le Mans 1971.
One of the most colorful episodes in the history of Porsche was their 13th Le Mans victory in 1994 with...
1979 Porsche 935 chassis #009 0004 – Willow Springs International Raceway © Robert Graham Junior The phone rang, it was...
Gruppe B Rally aspirations In the early 1980s, Porsche was keen to prove its technological superiority learned throughout the previous...
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, the Porsche 911 GT1-98 with chassis number 003, in action at the 2018...
2000MY Porsche 996 GT3 R (chassis #692090) © Coys This Porsche 996 GT3 R is being offered for sale by...
The Porsche 908/01 K Coupé was basically a 907 K with the new 3-litre flat-8. “K” in the designation stands for Kurz which is “short” in German, meaning the car had short-tail body compared to the 908 LH (“langheck”, long-tail). Although 907 and 908 were similar, there was a visual difference - the 907 had symmetrical front openings and the 908/01 K had asymmetrical. The 908/01 K debuted on May 19 at the Nürburgring 1000 km race and won it outright.
With the aerodynamic instability of the 917 in the 1969, two separate configurations were used in 1970. These were the...
The 1961 Porsche RS was one of the last Spyders made by Porsche that used the potent 4-cam engine. It was a successor to the 1960 RS60 which was a highly developed version of the original 550 RS Spyder. These diminutive racecars excelled on the tighter courses like the Targa Florio which was first won by Porsche in 1956. That victory marked the first time a sports car with a midship engine had won a major motor sports event.
Conseil de la Concurrence from Morocco recently published some documents that disclosed Porsche’s interest in acquiring a 50% stake in...