RE: Porsche 'new services for historic motorsport'

RE: Porsche 'new services for historic motorsport'

Monday 28th September 2015

Porsche 'new services for historic motorsport'

Have a 917 languishing in your shed? Porsche wants to make it worth more!



Granted, this is a pretty niche story and the not the most important news you will read this week. But it does feature a beautiful Porsche 917K and, well, we're hardly likely to ignore a story with one of those. Look at it!

Oh Lord
Oh Lord
This car is the work of Porsche's newly expanded - see, there was a news story - 'comprehensive service for historic motor racing' in Germany and in America. Basically, Porsche has finally begun to realise how values of its classic motorsport cars are skyrocketing and that a factory original spec contributes significantly to that. So the aim of this expansion is 'to restore vintage race cars as true to the original as possible as well as to repair and maintain them.' The hope being that if they're looked after, people will use them.

This 917K is the first product of the new venture, shown to the world during the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca. This car won the Spa 1,000km in 1971 and raced in America before being put into storage. In 2009 it gained the Gulf colours and the recommissioning began in 2012, using the archives at the Porsche Museum to ensure complete accuracy.

Pleasingly the aim for these new services appears to be getting the cars back on track rather than simply kept pristine for a collection. So old seatbelts are not fitted to ensure they remain legal for competition and a new Porsche Experience Centre in LA will look after cars between races if you wish. There's one at Weissach too for European customers

Alright, so this move from Porsche Motorsport won't benefit those with a Shed-spec 924 track car. And clearly it's a response to rapidly increasing values. But if Porsche-approved work, with the input from long established specialists too, gets a few more old racing cars on a circuit for us all to see then that has to be good news.

 









Author
Discussion

LotusOmega375D

Original Poster:

7,580 posts

152 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
Nice 917: just don't over-rev it!

stephen300o

15,464 posts

227 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
Good to see them get a little tlc, the ones I have seen have looked absolutely knackered death traps.

Turbobanana

6,160 posts

200 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
One of my favourite cars...

I would suggest pic of the week material but the HDR (or whatever filter has been applied) makes it look a bit fake.

xxxscimitarxxx

101 posts

186 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
And there was me thinking all these years....Who is going to do the plugs on my languishing 917?

rogerhudson

338 posts

157 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
It would be nice to discuss and come to a definitive understanding of WORTH, VALUE and COST.
A well made 550 spyder replica should be enough for anyone, though not with a speedster windscreen,

iloveboost

1,531 posts

161 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
LotusOmega375D said:
Nice 917: just don't over-rev it!
That was a horrible case. frown

Henri2

4 posts

127 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
I only gave this a 4 'cos, in general, it's not going to bother the poor end of the street and Porsche will make a lot of euros out of it.

Orange Rocket

45 posts

128 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all


And the search for POTW starts and ends right here...

sideways man

1,307 posts

136 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
Any suggestions for a 917 video. Preferably with good engine noise?

Housey

2,076 posts

226 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
For me and many others, the God car, the king of kings, the one. Even the immaculate ones are death traps, just sitting in one astonishes you with what the drivers of the day did with them. Exposed metal framework, sharp edges, scary st....but good god yes!

burningdinos

122 posts

120 months

Monday 28th September 2015
quotequote all
sideways man said:
Any suggestions for a 917 video. Preferably with good engine noise?
Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkP5Svl16Qg

Corporate video, but with some good 917 noises:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU_MZbgGpF4

With some other classic endurance racers for good measure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvNX9Z6zueM

(edited to add 3rd video. Turn up your speakers!)

Edited by burningdinos on Monday 28th September 21:42

aeropilot

34,299 posts

226 months

Tuesday 29th September 2015
quotequote all
sideways man said:
Any suggestions for a 917 video. Preferably with good engine noise?
This one......no music, no faff, just that glorious noise smile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkP5Svl16Qg

muppet42

326 posts

204 months

Tuesday 29th September 2015
quotequote all
Still have vivid memories as a kid of watching Steve McQueen driving them in the film and the howl of that engine. Gorgeous thing smile

v8250

2,724 posts

210 months

Tuesday 29th September 2015
quotequote all
Whenever someone mentions the 917 I always think of Vic Elford, Richard Attwood and Brian Redman. For those who listen to the Motorsport podcasts this comes highly recommended...Lord knows how he ever survived[!]

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/sports-cars...

wtdoom

3,742 posts

207 months

Wednesday 30th September 2015
quotequote all
917
The God machine

DonkeyApple

54,923 posts

168 months

Wednesday 30th September 2015
quotequote all
Never quite sure about these factory restored historics.

For most rare cars the expertise, skills and knowledge to do the work just isn't there or anywhere near the factory and they rarely hire the true specialist but rather the louder chap who wears enough jewelry to be a warning that he doesn't speak the truth.

Deansfield

223 posts

103 months

Friday 9th October 2015
quotequote all
wtdoom said:
917
The God machine
You are just so right, the best ever nothing to add