by Glen Smale Haynes Publishing
Porsche 917The Complete Photographic History
Publication: Out Now, Format: Hardback, RRP: £75.00, ISBN: 978 1 84425 4262
This remarkable new book brings to life the period of the Porsche 917, the charismatic and all-conquering sports racing car that became one of the most loved and, at the same time, most feared sports cars in the history of motor racing.
Published to mark the 917's 40th anniversary, this title celebrates this motor racing legend by presenting a superb compilation of more than 900 photographs, accompanied by detailed narrative.
A product of the ambitious and brilliant engineer Ferdinand Piëch, the Porsche917 dominated the world of sports car racing over a period of just four years but is still regarded as one of the most charismatic and all-conquering racing cars of all time.
It won the Internationa lChampionship for Manufacturers in 1970 and 1971, and then went on to further successes - in 917/10 and 917/30 guises - in American Can-Am and European Interserie racing.
Although the 917 romped away with 14 race wins in its first two seasons(1970 and 1971) in the World Championship for Manufacturers, this domination nearly didn't happen at all.
The 917 had one of the shortest gestation periods of any race car: just seven short, frantic months passed between the time of the project's approval and the unveiling of the first model at theGeneva Motor Show in March 1969.
This superfast development schedule almost proved to be the car's undoing,but against the odds the 917 recorded its first tentative victory at theÖsterreichring in August 1969. The 1971 season was the last year in whichthe 917 was eligible for the World Championship, but the 917/10 and 917/30 would claim many more victories in the European Interserie and Can-Am Championships in1972 and 1973.
Capable of producing up to 1500bhp, the 917/30 was untouchable and to this day remains the most powerful sports racing car ever to compete on a closed circuit.
Author Glen Smale is a lifelong motoring and motorsport enthusiast whose writing includes magazine features, books and automotive marketing. A graduate of Rhodes University in South Africa, he is the founder of Automotive Research, a specialist motoring and motorsport resource, serving the motor industry and related media.
He is the author of Porsche: The Carrera Dynasty and the award- winning Jaguar E-type: Portrait of a Design Icon, both published by Haynes.
