Porsche has been strangely quiet for the past couple of years, chugging along and building new variations of its 911 sports car and its myriad SUVs, but not offering anything beyond that, like new special models or limited editions. The last major special car we got was the Porsche Mission X concept in 2023, and that hasn’t been greenlit for production (yet). But times are about to change with something major, by the looks of things, as the German automaker has just teased a new model based on its iconic 917 race car from the 1970s.
As seen in the video at the end of this article, Porsche once built a roadgoing version of its 917, and now, it seems we’re about to get something just as wild before the second half of this year.
Porsche
Porsche is a German sports car manufacturer and part of the broader Volkswagen Group since August 2012. Founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the brand is most famous for the 911 line of sports cars, which first launched in September 1963. But it was the Porsche 356 that came first, and subsequently, Porsche has expanded its model lineup to include a variety of sports cars, supercars, SUVs, sedans, and even EVs. Porsche has a rich history in motorsport, with 19 outright Le Mans victories to its name, among various other titles.
- Founded
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1948
- Founder
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Ferdinand Porsche
- Headquarters
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Stuttgart, Germany
- Owned By
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Volkswagen
- Current CEO
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Oliver Blume
An Important Racer
The Porsche 917, loosely based on the Porsche 908 racer before it, was introduced to motorsport as a homologation model, where 25 copies were required to be assembled if the car was to be allowed to race. Porsche wanted to win the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in France, so in July 1968, it started a program to build itself a new racecar to do so. The 917 would go on to win Le Mans for Porsche in 1970 and 1971, so it’s pretty important to the automaker.
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Porsche has unleashed a variety of performance cars on the motoring world, though many never managed to break into the public domain.
What Can We Expect From A New Porsche 917?
It’s unclear exactly what to expect with a modern interpretation of the 917, however. There were at least 11 versions of the original car for various motorsport applications and races, with a long-tail, lightweight model winning the Le Mans race. If we had to guess, this is the one Porsche will probably celebrate, but the 917 has a storied career in Can-Am racing, as well. That sort of tribute car might come with a shorter tail and a different powerplant approach than a Le Mans tribute would.
The 917 was said to be priced around the value of 10 new 911 sports cars, and that wouldn’t even be enough for Porsche to cover the development costs, still.
The original engine was developed by Mezger as a flat-12, and was so large for the otherwise compact race car that the driver’s feet were pushed up past the front axle.
Related
Stunning Porsche 917 Replica Is Actually An $82,000 Slot Car Track
Beneath the glorious bodywork lives a handmade recreation of the track from Steve McQueen’s classic film, Le Mans.
We’ll see if that sort of seating position can stick around for the modern interpretation, but we like the sound of a car that’s mostly a racing engine with a seat and some wheels. Fortunately, we don’t have to speculate for long, as all will be revealed in June.
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