PORSCHE 917 Can-AM 1972-1973

[Raven]

PORSCHE 917 Can-Am  1972–1973

 

Porsche 917/30 CAN-AM

Porsche 917/10 CAN-AM

Origins of the 917 Can am cars

As the new rules for the 3-litre prototypes were not favourable to their existing low-weight, low-power Porsche 908, Porsche decided against developing a new high power engine that could keep up with the F1-based engine designs of the competition — at least in naturally aspirated form. In 1976 they would return to sport-prototype racing with the turbocharged Porsche 936 race cars after the engines were tested in Porsche 911 versions.

After their successes with the 917 mainly in Europe, Porsche instead decided to focus on the North American markets and the Can-Am Challenge. For that series, larger and more powerful engines were needed. Although a 16-cylinder engine with about 750 hp (560 kW) was tested, a turbocharged 12-cylinder engine with comparable power output was ultimately used. The 917 chassis also had to be lengthened to accept the longer 16-cylinder engine, and drivers complained that this longer chassis did not handle as well.

The turbocharged 850 hp (630 kW) 917/10K entered by Penske Racing won the 1972 series with George Follmer, after a testing accident sidelined primary driver Mark Donohue. This broke the five-year stranglehold McLaren had on the series. The further evolution of the 917, the 917/30 with revised aerodynamics, a longer wheelbase and an even stronger 5.4-litre engine with up to 1,580 horsepower (1,180 kW) won the 1973 edition winning all races but two when Charlie Kemp won the Mosport race and George Follmer won Road Atlanta and Mark Donohue won the rest. Most of the opposition was made of private 917/10K as McLaren, unable to compete against the 917 turbos, had already left the series to concentrate on Formula 1 and the Indy 500

The 917's domination, the oil crisis, and fiery tragedies like Roger Williamson's in Zandvoort pushed the SCCA to introduce a 3 miles per U.S. gallon maximum fuel consumption rule for 1974. Due to this change, the Penske 917/30 competed in only one race in 1974, and some customers retrofitted their 917/10K with naturally aspirated engines.

The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.374-litre 12 cylinder (90.0 x 70.4 mm) twin-turbocharged engine could produce 1,580 bhp (1,180 kW) in qualifying tune with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, 39 psi (2.7 bar), though it usually raced with around 1,100 bhp (820 kW) at 7,800 rpm to preserve the engine. Weighing 1,800 lb (820 kg), giving it a power to weight of 1967.36 bhp/tonne in qualifying tune and 1369.68 bhp/tonne in race tune. The 917/30 dominated the Can-Am series during the 1973 season. The 917 was also the only championship winning car in Can Am not to be powered by Chevrolet engine.

 

 

A total of six 917/30 were built

 

Chassis: 917/30-001
Built for testing purposes, the first 917/30 was equipped with an adjustable chassis, which allowed for different wheelbases. It was completed late in 1972 and extensively tested before the two cars for Penske were produced. In 1973 it was raced three times in the European Interserie Championship with a victory at Hockhenheim in the hands of Vic Elford as the best result. Porsche retained the car and restored it to the original Martini colours. Chassis 917/30-001 has since been loaned to various exhibitions and museums, including the Sinsheim Museum where it is seen here.

 

 

Chassis: 917/30-002
Chassis 917/30-002 was one of two cars readied for Team Penske and Mark Donohue's 1973 Can-Am challenge. It was driven to the type's first Can-Am victory in the third round of the season at Watkins Glen. The car was subsequently heavily crashed and although it was completely rebuilt it served as a T-car for the remainder of the season. After the Can-Am program had ended chassis 002 was returned to Porsche and it has since been a proud part of its museum collection. In addition to being displayed prominently, it also regularly driven particularly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it is almost an annual entry.

 

Chassis: 917/30-003
One of two 917/30s used by Team Penske during the 1973 Can-Am Challenge, chassis 003 was the most successful. It was driven by Mark Donohue to victories at Mid-Ohio, Road America, Edmonton, Laguna Seca and Riverside. In 1974 Brian Redman also used the car, now heavily restricted, to finish second at Mid-Ohio. The 917/30 was dusted off for high speed trials at Talladega where Donohue set a closed circuit record of 211.160 mph on August 9th, 1975. A year later, it was sold to noted American collector Otis Chandler. In 1983, it passed into the spectacular collection of Jacques Setton, where it remained until the mid-2010s. It has since been acquired by an American collector and has been meticulously restored to full running order by Canepa Motorsports.

Chassis: 917/30-004
Under construction for the 1974 season, chassis 917/30-004 was redundant following Porsche and Penske's withdrawal from the Can-Am series. Once completed, it was sold in plain white livery to Australian Porsche importer Alan Hamilton. He displayed the car for many years in his showroom and also showed at various events like the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. It returned to Porsche ownership in 1991 when the company acquired Porsche Australia from Hamilton.

Returned to Weissach, chassis 004 was refinished in the iconic 1973 Can-Am series winning Sunoco livery. After an outing in the Old Timer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 1992, it was sold to an American enthusiast. Before shipment, the car was fitted with a rebuilt engine, using the last remaining 5.4 litre block. At 1.4 bar turbo pressure, the massive flat 12 produced a staggering 1,200 bhp during a dyno test. In 1998 it was driven to victory during the Monterey Historics by Porsche factory driver Olaf Lang.

Young Porsche collector Matt Drendel bought the car in 2001 and until his untimely passing in 2010, he showed it at various events. An absolute highlight was the first Rennsport Reunion where it was driven for several laps by Roger Penske after Porsche's own example had mechanical problems. Along with the rest of Drendel collection, the 917/30 was offered in Gooding's 2012 Amelia Island auction. It was acquired by fellow Porsche enthusiast, Jerry Seinfeld for a hefty $4.4 million including commission. Four years later, Seinfeld consigned it to Gooding again along with several other 'reserves' from his stable.

Chassis: 917/30-005
One of three 917/30 chassis laid down for the 1974 season, this example was never completed following the termination of the program. In 1979, it was spotted still as a bare chassis in Weissach by West Palm Beach Porsche and Audi dealer Gerry Sutterfield. It was agreed that Porsche would complete the car for Sutterfield for the highest sum of money ever paid for a 'new' Porsche at the time. Upon completion the potent machine was initially displayed in Sutterfield's showroom but soon after its capabilities on the track were tested as was documented in an issue of Motor Trend. In this article Sutterfield stated that it would be an insult to paint the car in Sunoco livery as it was never raced by Mark Donohue.

In 1981, the rare Porsche racer changed hands and by 1989 it joined the superb Hans Thulin collection, which also included a Ferrari 250 GTO, Maserati 450S and a Bugatti Type 41 Royale. Financial problems prompted him to sell the cars and the 917/30 ended up in Japan. In more recent years an Australian collector brought the car back to the limelight. During this period, the car was painted in the legendary Sunoco livery used by the Penske team.

 

Chassis: 917/30-006
With the 917/30 program coming to an abrupt end at the end of 1973, three of the six frames were never completed in period. Chassis 917/30-006 was one of these and in 1982 along with additional existing parts were acquired by legendary Porsche dealer Vasek Polak and he set about assembling sufficient parts to complete the car. He finally succeeded in 1995 and shortly after sold the car. Since then it has been regularly raced and is seen here at the 2009 Monterey Historic Races where Porsche was the featured marque

 

A total of four 917/10 were built for the Can Am series 

 

Chassis: 917/10-001
Chassis 917/10-001 was completed late in 1971 and served as the original Porsche test car. Fitted with a naturally aspirated engine, it was sold to Willi Kauhsen halfway through the 1972 season. He quickly upgraded the 917/10 with a turbocharged engine and subsequently raced it on both sides of the Atlantic in Bosch colours. Highlights of its career include three Interserie wins at Nürburgring in Kauhsen's hands. The car was used into the 1974 season when Emerson Fittipaldi placed it sixth at an Interserie race at the Nürburgring. Kauhsen held onto the car until very recently. The new owner, a German collector, can be seen here in action during the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed where 40 years of the Porsche 917 was celebrated.

	Chassis: 917/10-003 One of three Porsche 917/10Ks purchased by Roger Penske for his 1972 Can-Am effort, this car started the season as one of the spare chassis. It was pressed into service from the second round when an injured Mark Donohue was replaced by George Follmer after crashing the team's primary car in an accident. Follmer immediately scored a victory at Road Atlanta after starting second. He won four more races in this car that year as he became the first non-McLaren driver to win the Championship since John Surtees in 1966. At the end of the year, it was sold to Bobby Rinzler, who fielded it in the Interseries and Can-Am championships for the likes of George Follmer and Charlie Kemp but it did no better than a pair of seconds in Can-Am races with Follmer at the helm. It last raced in the fall of 1973 but was retained by Rinzler for many more years. It eventually joined the formidable collection of Bruce McCaw. In 2012, the 1972 Can-Am winning car sold at auction for $5.5 million. Today, it is part of a Chicago-based collection that consists mainly of McLarens.
		Chassis: 917/10-007 This is the Brumos Racing Porsche 917/10K, which was raced in the 1973 Can-Am by multiple Le Mans winner Hurley Haywood. Although the combination was no match for Donohue and the 917/30, Haywood finished a very respectable third in the championship behind Donohue and the 1972 champion Follmer. Today it is still owned by long time Porsche dealer and racer Brumos Porsche of Jacksonville, Florida. Beautifully restored, it is seen here in action during the 2009 Monterey Historic Automobile races where Porsche was the featured marque and the 40th anniversary of the 917 was celebrated.

Chassis: 917/10-017
The penultimate 917/10 produced, chassis 017 was sold to German privateer Georg Loos for the 1973 Interserie. Under the Gelo Racing Team banner, it was campaigned for several seasons for the likes of John Fitzpatrick, Bob Wollek and Tim Schenken. The latter proved particularly successful, scoring several victories in 1975. Unlike many of its sister cars, chassis 917/10-017 has survived almost completely unscathed. Still in in remarkably original condition, it is seen here at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as part of the first ever Porsche class.

 

 

[Raven]

1971 917 spyder 

917 Spyder was the topless version of the 917 K, created for the Can-Am racing. There were two 917 Spyders created by the factory, chassis 917-027 and -028. The 027 was a test car and the 028 was made for action. As it was created for Porsche+Audi (PA), the American brand that marketed Porsches and Audis in the USA, the car was called the 917 PA. Only chassis 028 was called the 917 PA. It was raced by Jo Siffert at five Can-Am races in 1969. His best result was third at the Bridgehampton race. For the final round of the 1969 Can-Am, the car received a new showel-like nose. In this configuration it was only raced once.

 

The Can-Am setup gave the 4.5-litre more power (approx. 428 kW compared to the 382 kW in the "European" 917 in 1969). 917 PA was the first 917 with open rear end, something that would be transferred to the 917 K for the next season.

In 1970, the 917-028 stayed in the garage and in 1971 it was raced again, now with the 5-litre engine. Three racing teams in Europe built their own 917 spyders for the 1971 Interserie. These cars were built from the previously crashed 917 coupé chassis. 917-026 was the first Spyder to enter racing in Europe, then 917-007 and then 01-021 (not a Porsche chassis number). The 01-021 was created using some parts of 917-021 and remains of chassis 917-015. 4.5-, 4.9- and 5.0-litre engines were used.

In the Can-Am, the 917-028 (originally the PA) received a new shorter nose and rear fins during the season. The rear fins had appeared in the beginning of 1971 on all factory team 908/03 and 917 K racing cars and some private teams also upgraded their cars with that new feature.

The 1971 Interserie was won by 917 Spyder driven by Leo Kinnunen of A.A.W. Racing Team (he would also win the series in 1972 and 1973).

 

For 1972 Intreserie one more 917 Spyder was created from chassis 917-031. It was the chassis of the 1970 Zeltweg 1000 km winning and the 1971 Le Mans 2nd place 917 K coupé. The 01-021 chassis car gets a 5.4-litre engine, the first of this size among the 917s. The 917-028 (originally the PA), gets a 4.5-litre turbo engine by the end of October for the last Can-Am race of the 1972 season.

For 1973, the 917-028 (ex PA), got a body of the 917/10. Different engines were used, both normally aspirated and turbocharged, the most extreme of them the 5.4F12 twin-turbo.

 

 

 

[Raven]

Fantastic read about the problems Mezger faced when they decided to Turbo charge the flat 12

https://www.quartoknows.com/blog/quartodrives/porsche-turbo-the-unfair-advantage

 

[LeeM]

 A bloke in NZ has just finished this replica go kart he's been building. Amazing detail

 

They also have a real 962, Leyton House F1 car etc etc

[Raven]

[Raven]

[Raven]

 

917 Can Am Spyder 

[Raven]

[Raven]

[Raven]

[Raven]

[Pork Chops]

Dude!

[Raven]

[Buchanan Automotive]

What incredible cars, Do yourself a favour if you haven't already and get a DVD called CAN-AM the speed Odyssey its fantastic

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1331328/

Regards

Sean

[Raven]

Another 917/30 , this was a non intercooled variant 

 

[Pork Chops]

Great thread!

4 hours ago, Raven said:

Another 917/30 , this was a non intercooled variant 

 

I wonder how they controlled IATs, and therefore boost and knock etc. it’s so sophisticated now but back then….

[DJM]

Love the headline numbers - 820kg, 39 psi, 1580hp……..holy hell, imagine the first time you held it flat and waited for the boost.  Hold on tight and get ready for swift gear changing ……!

my brother had a 917 matchbox car, I think the L&M one, always loved them.