917
October 5th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Eoin acquired a collection of original exciting Porsche racing posters from the ’70s, which prompted recollections of various Porsche stories.
I worked with John Wyer’s Gulf-sponsored team in the late 1960s when it was winning Le Mans with the GT40s, and beating Porsche on such a regular basis in endurance races that the Porsche management decided to hand its works team over to the quintessential British team. My brief was to handle press and PR for the American Gulf Oil Corporation, and it meant working closely with Wyer, very much of the old school in racing, rather like Ken Tyrrell in Formula 1. Both men liked to start with a large gin and tonic before 
they ordered dinner wherever we were in the world. Fate would have it that when Gulf withdrew at the end of the 1973 season, Ken Tyrrell arranged for me to sign on with his French Elf oil company sponsor for a decade or so.
I well recall the closing laps of Le Mans in 1969, running up and down the ladder in the Gulf motor home behind the pits to see whether Hermann was ahead in the Porsche, or Ickx in ‘our’ GT40. The Gulf GT40 won, and it was probably that straw which broke the back of the Porsche determination to succeed at the top, as opposed to years of class wins.
Porsche 911
During those Porsche years I decided to buy a 911, but the problem was which one in the range would serve me best. I was convinced that I needed a Targa-top convertible, but Rico Steinemann, Porsche team manager of the day, told me as delicately as he could that perhaps I should do as the works drivers did, and go for the coupe, which was a more comfortable unit for day-long drives at speed across Europe. With that decision made for me, it was now a choice of model and I let my wallet do the talking.
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August 17th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Bonhams auctions opened the Monterey car week in the States with a new world record for any Porsche sold at auction. The 1972-73 Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder Le Mans Coupe achieved a staggering $3,965,000 USD at the recent auction. This Porsche 917 had a long racing history with the ex-Jurgen Neuhaus/Jurgen Barth 1972-73 European Interserie and David Hobbs/Mike Hailwood Gulf-JW Automotive teams.
Many other strong prices were attained for some of the rarest and freshest vehicles around, which included (prices shown in U.S dollars):
The exceedingly rare 1930 Mercedes-Benz 7.1 Litre SS Tourer that made $2,537,000 after spirited bidding.
The ex-works, Gerhard Mitter/Lucien Bianchi Nurburgring 1000 kms-leading 1967 Porsche 910 Endurance Racing Works Coupe that sold for $797,000.
The ex- J. Herbert Carpenter, Western Reserve Historical Society, Joe Tracy 1908 Thomas Flyer 4-60 Tourer that went for $733,000.
The ex-Ernst Loof racing team, Sandizell-owned 1937 BMW 328 Roadster that was bought for $667,000.
“We are very honored to have been selected to offer these incredible motorcars at auction,” says Mark Osborne, head of Bonhams’ Motoring Department. “We are very pleased with the results and the satisfaction of having met or exceeded the expectations of our discerning and growing clientele.”
June 25th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Porsche are bringing an army of rare and wonderful race cars to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed that is taking place in the UK from 2 to 4 July. The German automaker is supporting the festival’s theme of Viva Veloce by bringing some of its victorious sports cars from the Targa Florio road race in Sicily, as well as the Porsche 917 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1970 win at Le Mans.
Another historic highlight will be the rare Porsche 804 Grand Prix car from 1962 to be showcased as part of commemorations of 60 years of the F1 World Championship.
If you prefer more modern metal Porsche will also be bringing it’s latest models including the new Cayenne the GT3 RS and the Stuttgart’s most powerful and fastest-ever production car, the 620-horsepower 911 GT2 RS that is ready to compete in the famous “Sunday Times Supercar Run”.
Check out the images of these immaculate Porsche historic race cars in the gallery below.
July 3rd, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
The Porsche 917 is one of the most reckless automotive creations ever conceived by man, offering a level of performance that remains impressive to this day. The 917 will be playing a central role in Porsche’s activities at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over in the UK this weekend.
Different variations of the 917 were produced, and in its wildest form the car’s turbocharged flat-12-cylinder engine generated up to 1,580hp (1,180kW) – enough to take it from 0 -100kph in 2.7 seconds and on to a mad top speed of more than 240mph (390km/h).
The cars will be on display at the festival and also some of the drivers that took them to victory, including Richard Attwood, former F1 driver and 1970 Le Mans winner for Porsche, driving a 917; sports car racing legend Brian Redman will be behind the wheel of the 917/30 CanAm racer; David Piper, who bought a 917 new from the factory in 1969, will be driving his own car; and Jackie Oliver, who won Le Mans in 1969, will be reunited with a special Gulf-liveried 917.
Perhaps the most distinctive designed 917 on display at Goodwood this year will be a 917/20 Coupe affectionately known as the ‘Pink Pig’. It features a pink paint job with the German names for various cuts of meat and their outlines all across the bodywork, and was designed largely as an aerodynamic exercise to reduce drag, explaining its strange design.
The 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed starts today in West Sussex, England and runs throughout the weekend.
April 1st, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Time piece maker Tag Heuer has created a clever new promotional video using clips of Steve McQueen’s famous car movie, Le Mans. The premise is a duel between the racing driver/hard man McQueen in his Gulf-liveried Porsche 917 and current F1 golden-boy Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes.
There’s some well-worked scenes with both drivers interacting as well as some cool racing action. The clip is worth a watch (pun intended) and if you’re willing to enter the competition to pick a “winner” you could win a number of prizes, including a shiny Tag Heuer time piece, one of Hamilton’s helmets or an F1 driving experience.
Check out the clip below or click here to go to the Tag Heuer website.
