Porsche 917
By Peter Morgan
When racers and enthusiasts are asked to name the greatest racing car of all time, inevitably the Porsche 917 is somewhere at the top of the list. While many Porsche books have devoted chapters to the 917, few, if any, have really delved into the history surrounding the development of these awe-inspiring machines. That is, until Peter Morgan wrote Porsche 917: The Winning Formula.
According to Morgan, the story of the 917 begins as early as 1964 with the creation of the 904. He traces the development of Porsche’s sports racing cars as a way of examining the technology, people and corporate culture at Porsche that gave rise to the 917 program.
During the mid- to late-’60s, Porsche became increasingly obsessed with achieving an outright win at Le Mans. This obsession manifested itself in the form of some incredible racing machines, the 906, 908 and 910 just to name a few. As Morgan points out, each one of these cars laid the technological groundwork for Porsche’s ultimate challenger, the 917. But perhaps more interesting than the cars, is the cast of strong personalities at Porsche that brought these and the 917 to life. Butzi Porsche, Ferdinand Piech, Helmut Bott, and Peter Falk were all players instrumental in the creation of the 917, whose oftentimes fiery relationships make for fascinating reading.
From the car’s evolutionary beginnings, Morgan leads the reader through the 917’s frightening testing and early racing program, where many top-flight drivers refused to race the car due to its inherent high-speed instability and “quirky” handling properties. Once these problems were ironed out, however, the 917 went on to a long and illustrious string of FIA Manufacturer’s Championship wins, including the 24-Hours of Le Mans. But the story does not end there, Morgan also delves into the 917 Can-Am program starting with the 917PA and ending up in, arguably, the world’s fastest racecar: the 1000+ hp 917/30.
Whether you’re a Porsche aficionado or a fan of ’60s and ’70s sports car racing, Porsche 917: The Winning Formula is a book that you’ll find extremely fascinating.
