Porsche 917 L - 1970

The long-tail Porsche 917, designated 917 L or LH (Langheck in German), was introduced before the famous and victorious short-tail version, the “917 K.” In early spring 1969, when the 12-cylinder 917, still very similar to the 908 from which it was derived, started racing on the circuits with little success at first, the company's technical managers were already thinking about a variant designed primarily for the Le Mans circuit, where the long straights, more than the curves, tend to favor top speed over aerodynamic downforce. This variant made its debut in the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the “K” was to be developed a little later.

The “long” version had a rather disappointing start: two cars at the start, two withdrawals due to mechanical breakdowns, even though the last breakdown occurred only two hours before the finish line when car No. 12, driven by Vic Elford and Richard Attwood, who were comfortably in the lead, had to withdraw due to a broken gearbox housing. Technical problems remained the weakness of Porsche's new model, in addition to its lack of stability, which led to the creation of the “K” model, characterized by its truncated rear end. The long configuration nevertheless proved effective in terms of performance, and the following year it was once again prepared for Le Mans. During the April test sessions, the only car entered clocked only the fifteenth fastest time. At the 24 Hours in June, the two 917 Ls were entrusted to Porsche satellite teams, as Porsche did not participate as an official team. The first raced under the Martini Racing colors, with a spectacular green and purple livery, driven by Gérard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen. The second, powered by the new 4.9-liter, 600 hp engine instead of the 4.5-liter, 520 hp first version, was entrusted to Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens Jr. of the Austrian Salzburg team.

[IN 1970, TWO PORSCHE 917s AT THE START OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS]

The latter is actually the clear favourite because, with its powerful engine and special bodywork, it can reach speeds of over 385 km/h, nearly 50 km/h faster than the previous model and the best “short” cars. It was demonstrated in qualifying, where it took pole position ahead of the Ferrari 512S with a time of just under 3 minutes 20 seconds. Yet in the race, the engine let Elford and Ahrens down as they were running second behind Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood, who were driving the No. 23 Salzburg 917K, the eventual winner. The Martini Racing “psychedelic” 917 L was in a better position, having qualified only twelfth, it recovered position by position and took advantage of the other 917L’s withdrawal to move into second place, where it attempted a daring attack. But it was unsuccessful in closing the gap to the leader with less than five laps remaining and had to settle for what would prove to be the best result for a long 917. In 1971, despite its engine being pushed to the limit, the “L” only performed well during practice and qualifying, where it took the top three places before suffering as many retirements in the race.

Second place at Le Mans was the best result achieved by the 917 L. But the sporting careers of the two drivers who came close to victory brought them many other successes, both at the wheel of Porsches and other cars. Frenchman Gérard Larrousse already had a second place at Le Mans (along with a class victory) with a Porsche 908. This was the prelude to two overall victories, which he achieved in 1973 and 1974 with Matra Simca, partnered by Henri Pescarolo. While at Porsche, Larrousse achieved two more major successes in 1971: one at the 12 Hours of Sebring with a 917 K and the other at the 1000 km of Nürburgring with a 908/3, each time paired with English driver Vic Elford. As for German driver Willi Kauhsen, his string of successes started in 1967 when he became the European Touring Car Champion with the Abarth 1000TC. He then raced for Porsche, winning the Marathon de la Route and the 1968 24 Hours of Spa driving both 911s. He then formed his own team in 1972.