Celebrating an iconic legend

History notes, that the Porsche 917 became the most successful Porsche race car ever made, while fighting in the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race. This year, the car celebrates its 50 years anniversary. As a form of celebration, Porsche AG. do a special restoration to their legendary car called the Porsche 917 Concept.

Porsche 917 Concept was built as a part of the "Colors of Speed ​​- 50 years of the 917" exhibition. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2VYp7Za)

As a reminder, the Porsche 917 first debuted at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show and introduced as a racing car. In the late 60's, Porsche AG produced tens of units of Porsche 917 to compete in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race event. As a result, Porsche dominated in that era.

1969 Porsche 917 K Long Tail coupé / 917-001 Chassis known as one of the most successful Porsche race car ever made in the late 60s Le Mans 24 Hours. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2JHC7LZ)

Noted these racing cars won 19 gold medals in those most brutal racing event. And one of the rivals from Porsche 917 in its heyday was the Ford GT40 Mk.I which also had some success on the same race event.

Today, the German auto manufacturer has been restored a Porsche 917 with chassis number 001 for the concept, which visually has more fresh, modern looks and similar to the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar. And the livery used is a combination of red and white (or 'Salzburg design'), which reminds us of when these legendary car winning the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race in 1970-1971.

One of 1969 Porsche 917 K-Gulf is raced in the group 5 of 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WJqEiT)

In addition to remembering the glorious history of the German automotive manufacturer, it turns out the reappearance of the Porsche 917 Concept is an indication of the presence of the latest hypercar from Porsche. Yes, the Porsche 917 Concept is actually a car used by Porsche for study when they plan to return to the LMP1 class in Le Mans 24 Hours, which finally happened in 2014.

Porsche didn't say exactly when their 917 Concept was built, but we could say the car was the foundation for the birth of the 919 Hybrid. As quoted of Autocar, Chief Design Porsche, Michael Mauer said, "As a designer who believes that the next hypercar must lead to the future, I'm not so sure. There is always an option to see history, but sometimes you can also take the option to make some history."

This 1:1 model of Porsche 917 Concept was created in modelling clay for the return of Porsche to the LMP1 elite class of endurance racing, and the objective of further overall wins in Le Mans associated with this. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WHvJrS)

And according to Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, Porsche hasn't decided what type of powertrain to use on these concept car. A hybrid or electric car seems to be a possibility on the table now.

"If we want the next hypercar to use electricity, then we have to wait, because the battery performance is not in accordance with what we need to meet our performance targets. But it was not decided that the car would be fully electric. There are opportunities with hybrids too. We will make a decision when the time is right."

Steve McQueen, who played a racing driver called Michael Delaney in the 1971 film 'Le Mans,' poses with Porsche 917 in the pit lane. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2w4mZAh)

Not only exhibited through photos, the Porsche 917 Concept made in a 1:1 model and will also be exhibited to the public as part of the "Colors of Speed ​​- 50 years of the 917" exhibition at the Porsche Museum. The exhibition will take place on May 14, 2019 to September 15, 2019, featuring 14 Porsche models, including ten models from the Porsche 917.

One of the iconic performances of the Porsche 917 in the past was when it appeared as a star in the movie titled "Le Mans" which also starred by Hollywood legend Steve McQueen in 1971. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NEWSROOM PORSCHE | AUTOCAR]

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