Photo: Porsche
Half a century ago, during the 1969 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche unveiled the 917, a race car that would soon grow to become the carmaker's “most famous racing car of all time.” 50 years after that moment, the original model is making a comeback, this time as a museum piece.
Soon after its presentation in Geneva, the 917 went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans two consecutive years, in 1970 and 1971. As with any high-performance machines, it too suffered modifications compared to the show car to be able to cope with the demands of racing.
Now, with the anniversary in mind, the Porsche Museum decided to bring the model back to “its original condition.”
Restoring it to the state, as intended by the car’s designer Hans Mezger, meant working on everything from the flat-twelve engine to the white bodywork with a green section shown in Geneva all those years ago.
As per the carmaker, the body parts for the front and rear sections are new and have been 3D-printed with the help of historical design drawings and photographs. The same happened to the rear section of the aluminum space frame.
Even if some parts had to be rebuilt, Porsche says it tried its best to preserve and reuse as many of the car’s original materials as possible.
“The restoration was particularly guided by testing which was able to determine which of the body materials were original and could be reused, using material analysis and comparison with historical design drawings and photographs,” Porsche says.
The German carmaker revealed this week its engineers have been at it for more than a year, but soon their work will be completed.
This May, as celebrations will begin at the Porsche Museum with the display called Colors of Speed - 50 Years of the 917, ten 917 models will be shown, including the original. Alongside them, a 917 concept study created as a nod the first Le Mans victory of 1970.
Now, with the anniversary in mind, the Porsche Museum decided to bring the model back to “its original condition.”
Restoring it to the state, as intended by the car’s designer Hans Mezger, meant working on everything from the flat-twelve engine to the white bodywork with a green section shown in Geneva all those years ago.
As per the carmaker, the body parts for the front and rear sections are new and have been 3D-printed with the help of historical design drawings and photographs. The same happened to the rear section of the aluminum space frame.
Even if some parts had to be rebuilt, Porsche says it tried its best to preserve and reuse as many of the car’s original materials as possible.
“The restoration was particularly guided by testing which was able to determine which of the body materials were original and could be reused, using material analysis and comparison with historical design drawings and photographs,” Porsche says.
The German carmaker revealed this week its engineers have been at it for more than a year, but soon their work will be completed.
This May, as celebrations will begin at the Porsche Museum with the display called Colors of Speed - 50 Years of the 917, ten 917 models will be shown, including the original. Alongside them, a 917 concept study created as a nod the first Le Mans victory of 1970.
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