Porsche Is Celebrating 50 Years of the 917 with This Gorgeous Concept Car, Because Why Not
Fifty years ago this month, Porsche unleashed the 917 onto the world. Armed with an invincible flat-12, the car would come to signify the automaker’s dominance of endurance racing — it went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 (and again in ‘72), sweeping the podium. Now, to celebrate its half-centenary, Porsche has gotten up to some stuff.
First, the automaker has spent the year restoring 917-001, the first-ever 917, with a team including some of its original engineers and technicians. A mix of modern tech, the original drawings, and (where possible) the original parts was used to restore the 001 to its former glory.
The resurrected car will be presented at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, as part of a special exhibition alongside other iconic autos from the automaker’s factory over the years. One of the cars is the beauty pictured above — a concept car produced by a small number of designers and engineers within the company as a homage to the 917’s first Le Mans victory. Like the winning car, it features a red paint job with white stripes, which complement its bodacious curves perfectly.
The full-scale concept is meant to give us an idea of what a present-day 917 might look like. There are no plans to for a production model… yet. I mean, this is Porsche we’re talking about. They can do anything they damn well please.
50 Years of Porsche 917 – Colours of Speed will run from May 14 until September 15, 2019.
