Enzo's Porsche Paddock

The Slot.It 956 Group C Baby Cresci in Mint Sealed Slot.It Packaging

2011-01-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Slot.It Porsche 956 C "Baby Cresci"
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With the 935 and 936 Porsche dominated international sportscar and prototype racing in the second half of the 1970s. Racing in the Group 5 and Group 6 classes respectively, the two cars shared a Turbocharged six cylinder engine. Installed in the 936 for the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, the engine displaced 2.65 litres and was equipped with water-cooled heads and four valves per cylinder. Designated 935/76, this engine powered the 936 to a third victory at Le Mans.

At the end of the 1981 season drastic rule changes left Porsches prototype racer obsolete. A new system of Group A, B and C classes were setup for 1982. Group A and B cars required a limited production run to be eligible. Group C cars on the other hand were prototypes and restricted only by a number of set dimensions. Another important aspect of Group C racing was the fact that only a limited amount of fuel was available per car per race, effectively restricting the engines' performance.

In the original blister pack

Two weeks after the 1981 Le Mans victory, Porsche started work on a prototype racer to suit the Group C regulations. It was the first all new racer Porsche constructed in over a decade and was quite a departure from the 936, which shared many components with Porsche's prototypes of the late 1960s. The only proven part of the new '956' was the aluminium flat 6 engine, which had powered the 936.

For many years Porsche had relied on a triangular spaceframe structure for their products, but to keep up with the competition a completely new aluminium monocoque chassis was designed for the 956. The monocoque supported the front suspension and a rear subframe. The engine and rear suspension were mounted on the subframe. Suspension was by wishbones all-round with the rear coil-spring / shock absorber unit mounted on top of the gearbox to keep them out of the airflow.

Front End Detail

The regulations stated that the section of the bottom right behind the front suspension was completely flat, to prevent that the cars would have extreme ground effects bottoms. Porsche fitted the 956 with large Venturis, starting right behind the mandatory flat section, making it the first the ground-effects Porsche. Because of its width, a flat engine is not ideally suited for ground-effects, but this was somewhat fixed by tilting the engine upwards. Combining the ground-effects bottom with a simple but effective body, the 956 generated over 3 times more downforce than the 917.

To suit the fuel economy regulations best, the engine management of the already efficient flat 6 engine was revised with the help of Bosch. The mechanical Fuel Injection system was replaced by a digital unit, resulting in a similar output as the 936 engine, but with better fuel efficiency and more torque. Bolted onto the engine was a new five speed gearbox with a syncromesh on all gears. It replaced the sturdy four speed unit used on the 936, which was originally designed for the hugely powerful Can-Am cars.

Model

After nine months of hard work, the 956 made its debut, two races into the season. Its main competition consisted of underfinanced or badly supported cars from Lola and Ford. At its debut in the Silverstone Six Hours race, the 956 finished second overall behind an old Group 6 Lancia and first in the Group C class. A sign of things to come! In the following four years, the Porsche 956 dominated international sportscar racing and secured four consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victory.

The only factory team taking Porsche on was Lancia, but they never seemed to get the reliability right. In qualification sessions, the Lancias often proved their pace, but they rarely managed to finish a race. In the three years the Lancia works team took part in the championship, they managed to beat the 956 only once. Key to the success of the 956 was the large fleet of customer entered example, backing up the works entries. A total of 10 works and 17 customer cars were constructed.

Baby Crecsi = Topolino, aka Micky Mouse

Porsche had also set its sights on the IMSA GTP championship in the USA, which almost identical to the Group C championship. One big difference was the stricter pedal-box regulations in the USA, which stated that the pedal-box had to be mounted behind the front axle line for driver safety. The 956 did not comply with that, so Porsche started work on a revised model, the 962, specifically intended as a GTP contender. In 1984 the 962 made its debut and was as immediately dominant in GTP as the 956 was in Group C.

Anticipating a pedal-box rule change for Group C after the 1985 season, Porsche developed the 962C as the works Group C racer for 1985. At Le Mans the works 962Cs were beaten by customer 956s. At the end of the season the 956 was left obsolete after the FIA had copied the IMSA's stricter pedal-box regulations. Porsche continued their stronghold in the Group C championship and secured another two Le Mans victories in 1986 and 1987. Eventually they were beaten in 1988 by newer and more advanced Jaguars, prepared by TWR.

Tail End of the Group C Porsche 956

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Despite their age, the Porsches remained competitive throughout the Group C / GTP era. In slightly revised Dauer-Porsche form the 962 took another Le Mans win in 1994; a dozen years after it was first conceived. Needless to say the Porsche 956/962 has gone into history as one of the finest racing cars ever constructed.

The very first Porsche 956 made its racing debut at the Silverstone 6 Hour race in May of 1982 and was driven to class victory by Jackie Ickx and Derek Bell. During Le Mans, chassis 001 served as a T-car. Subsequently it was raced only once more, to victory at the Norisring by Jochen Mass. In the Summer of 1986, it was given to Ickx to thank him for many services for Porsches. After a lengthy stay in the United States, it recently ended up in the hands of a great Porsche and Group C racing enthusiast in Great Britain.Derek Bell is seen here back in one of 'his' old 956s during the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the 25th anniversary of Group C was celebrated. (Source: Golden Era, the History of Group C & IMSA GTP, Ian Briggs and John Starkey)

Scalextric's Gemini Shell Porsche "Made in Gt. Britain"

Main reason for the conception of the 962 was the stricter safety regulations of the IMSA series. The rules dictated that the pedal box had to be mounted behind the front axle line, to which the 956 did not comply. The 956 was a lot of things, but safe it sure wasn't, which is underlined by the fatal crash of one the day's biggest talents, Stefan Bellof. To make the 956 eligible for the IMSA's GTP series, the wheelbase was increased to make room for the pedal box. Further modifications included the addition of a steel rollcage.

Five IMSA 962s were constructed for the 1984 season. Work was under way on a larger engine, but in the meantime the 934 derived 2.8 litre engine was used. In its first season the Holbert and Bell driven 962 scored four IMSA victories, a sign of things to come. For 1985 a 3.2 litre was available and the 962's stronghold on the IMSA GTP series was complete. Up until 1993 the 962 was successful in the IMSA GTP series, the 962's roll of honour includes 5 victorious in the gruelling Daytona 24 Hours race.

"Magnetraction" - Scalextric's exterior adjustable magnet, adjacent to the can in-line motor.

For the 1985 WEC (World Endurance Championship) the works team fielded a new car, the 962C. It was similar to the IMSA 962, but it featured the twin Turbo charged engine found in the 956. In the hands of talented drivers like Bell, Ickx and Stuck, the 962C dominated that year's championship. At Le Mans the 962Cs showed blistering pace in qualifying, but in the race they were outrun by the Joest entered 956, which scored the 956's fourth consecutive victory.

Scalextric's Porsche Racing - "Made in Gt. Britain"

The 1986 season was a carbon copy of the 1985 one, with the Porsche field now mostly made up of 962s. The name of the championship changed to WSPC (World Sports Prototype Championship), but the winner was the same! This time the works team was more successful at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although two of the three entered cars retired, the works was able to score victory with the remaining 962C.

Scalextric's Porsche Shell M2000 - "Made in Gt. Britain"

In 1988 the Jaguar team had truely taken over from Porsche, with the Sauber Mercedes team close on their tale. The six Le Mans victories and the many other major victories of the 956/962 were a fitting finale to Porsche's 20 years stronghold of sportscar racing.

The 962 was victorious once more at Le Mans in 1994, with Porsche taking advantage of the large number of 962's produced, making it eligible for the new GT1 class.

Scalextric's Porsche Syntron-X - "Made in Great Britain"

Featured is a 962C, fitted with the 3 litre engine. It is pictured on the Spa Franchorchamps where it took part in the Group C revival race, which was part of the 2003 RMU Classic.

Article by Wouter Melissen

General specifications:

Country of origin - Germany

Scalextrics Porsche Texaco Havoline - "MADE IN GT. BRITAIN"

Chassis number 956/001 / 956/007 / 956/114

Numbers built - 27
Produced from - 1982 - 1985
Successor - Porsche 962C

Major wins

1982
24 Hours of Le Mans (Derek Bell / Jacky Ickx in 002)
1983
Nurburgring 1000 km (Jacky Ickx / Jochen Mass in 005)
1983
24 Hours of Le Mans (Al Holbert / Vern Schuppan / Hurley Haywood in 003)
1984
24 Hours of Le Mans (Henri Pescarolo / Klaus Ludwig in 117)
1984
Nurburgring 1000 km (Derek Bell / Stefan Bellof in 009)
1985
24 Hours of Le Mans (Paolo Barilla / Klaus Ludwig / John 'Winter' in 117)

Engine

Configuration

Type 935/76 B 6

Location

Mid, longitudinally mounted

Weight

168 kilo / 370.4 lbs

Construction

aluminium block and head

Displacement

2.65 liter / 161.7 cu in

Bore / Stroke

82.3 mm (3.2 in) / 66.0 mm (2.6 in)

Compression

8.0:1

Valvetrain

4 valves / cylinder, DOHC

Fuel feed

Bosch Fuel Injection

Aspiration

Twin KKK Turbos

Drivetrain

Chassis/body

aluminium monocoque, rear subframe

Front suspension

double wishbones, coil springs over Bilstein gas-pressurized dampers

Rear suspension

rocker arms, coil springs over dampers

This is the DRIFT car, notice the rotational guide and braids.

Steering

rack-and-pinion

Brakes

ventilated and cross drilled discs, all-round

Gearbox

5 speed Manual

Drive

Rear wheel drive

Porsche Paddock

2011-01-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

These are the current livestock in the corral- From furthest row top, the BRM 956 Afrom Porsche, a pair of Scalextrics RS Spyders, a purple and white, a yellow model, both LMP's. Starting left is the Slot.It Porsche 962 Baby Cresci, a MRRC Red 908, a Silver MRRC 908, a vintage Revell 908, a Dynamic RS-61, and the vintage Revell RS-61 finishing the row. The sleeved an boxed Slot.It 956 Baby Cresci start row 3, followed all by Scalextric's, a 962 Gemini Shell, the 962 Texaco Havelin, the 962 Shell, the 962 Porsche Racing, the 962 Synchron-X, and finally a Riggen 962 ending the row. The rare Ninco 934 Jagermeister, the Fly 917/10 Interserie 1974, followed the a Scalextric finish out the current collection.

Enzo's Garage Featuring Sal's Sonoma Valley Raceway, California

2011-01-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Anatomy of a 57 foot scale model racetrack

East Side Curves

An Audi and Peugeot LMP, model racers


Mario's Slot.It Ferrari 321 PB

This is our Friday night track, thanks to Sal's donation of space. Built from 3 1/2 sheets of 4X8 ply on 2X6 X10 rails underneath supported by saw horses, Scalextric track and Scalextric lap counters, and guard rails. Sal built the skid pads from foam-core which gave an extra area for the car's tails to slide out. Sal also came up with the best system of protection for the valuable model racers. Normally at any track's curves emerging from a fast straight, (and The Sonoma Valley Raceway's straight-away is FAST), your car is off the track if you're unable to maintain discipline, ego and testosterone. In other words, you must SLOW DOWN or.......

Sal's Model Car Racer Saviour - 2 sheets to the wind

Your cars are off to concrete destruction, no longer destined to the Royalty of the Shelf Queen. Fuggetaboutit! Sal's clean system was genius, he decided to hang sheets from the ceiling where hanging and hugging the curves total area radius and it acts like a gentle net that catches errant and off guard wannabe Zen masters who get distracted in a race and want to win. This is a brilliant solution saving many cars in many races.

Enzo's Porsche Paddock

Ninco Porsche Jagermeister 934 - RARE Long Out of Production - $190.00

2011-01-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is my personal racer. Used, modified and RARE. I'm willing to part with this rare collectible that was manufactured in Spain. I have the original NINCO unlabled box. This has a powerful NINCO NC-5 motor and with the mods I made, it is a very controllable and fast racer on the Scalextric track. The car came stock with Ninco's 'Pro-Shocks'. The car is meticulously detailed and beautiful. I have added magnets on the exterior rear where it is visible in the photos. However, (if a buyer were interested, I would remove the magnets, without any marring of the model restoring it to the original condition).


"Is the Porsche 934 Jagermeister of Ninco discontinued?" Enzo's Garage At Amazon.com

The following dialogue is an answer and discussion posed by the Spanish enthusiast website slotcar adictos in March 2005

"If you have a question about any car from Ninco, the best way to clarify is send an e-mail asking for information. (ninco.com), The only answer that I give is this: It is the company policy not to report the units manufactured. It's easy to guess why, NINCO reserves the decision to produce more units depending on the success they've had in that car in a particular market".

Front View -Note the details on the headlight glass by clicking on the image.

What NINCO does is tease out small batches of this model, especially exports and do so through very specific distributors and areas. The policy is different in Spain since it is Spain's domestic market. Spanish collectors all know the story of the famous white Subaru Prorace that disappeared in it's day, and was practically impossible to find.

But it reappeared abroad, disappeared again, and now it's back in the Spanish market, again. (03, 2005)

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Note wheel details - click on image

"These cars cost over 50 euros for their initial release, and now are worth over 100 euros.
How is this possible? A car so sought after, with so few units available, now cost 150 to 200 euros".

Crisp printing details

"There was a great demand for this car in Spain, which made Ninco. Then everyone was talking about a car that has been discontinued, the proof is that the first release was the small box and outer cardboard, which were then discontinued. The new box design no longer wore the outer carton, but carried the plastic wrap inside". The (Porsche Guatemala), was Ninco's first small box, and also the last in the big box. It is also true that Ninco's first printing brought no more cars to market in this configuration."

You can see evidence of the Hot Glue attaching the necessary magnets in the photo, above. Click on image for detailed view

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Ninco is certain what it does for certain models gains the acceptance by the public. For example, their are two versions of the White Clio, a green and yellow Mercedes Classe C, a red and silver Alfa Romeo clio packaged in crystal display boxes. What make these cars hard to find is the fact that Ninco no longer produces these units, making it popular and reach fame levels among collectors. A company policy which Ninco knows intimately.

"It is company policy not to disclose the units produced." Fly makes a number of units and no more are built. If you ask Fly by e-mail, they will tell you that, Fly company's policy are not hiding the data. Other manufactures produce many more models while limited model offerings are produced by Ninco. Fewer models offered, but Ninco makes up for it on longer production runs."

A company can not afford to make fewer models per year and generate large production runs, due to risking acceptance in the marketplace. It would have to eat half of the production, so it's going to manufacture what is selling. In the event that a car has a lot of success, such as the Porsche Jagermeister, if the stores run out of inventory and their is not enough time to replace it, unhappy retailers abroad is the result. It is a rare occurrence domestically since you will see more samples in retail outlets here in Spain.

Editado por slotcar , Viernes, 4 de Marzo de 2005, 02:09 slotcar , Friday, March 4, 2005, 2:09

Leads to the 997 RS

For the 1976 season, the FIA devided sportscar racing in six classes; Group 1 through 6, with Group 6 being the full-bore prototype racers. Porsche had been the dominant force in what was now known as the Group 4 class, but a new car was needed to continue the success. To be eligible for Group 4 at least 400 road cars had to be built within 2 years and the dimensions of the racing version could not be different from the road car it was derived from. Very few modifcations compared to the road car were allowed, except for those to increase safety like the installation of a fuel cell and a roll cage. To even the competion, displacement was tied to a minimum weight, from 495 kg with less than 500cc to 1270 kg for over 6000cc.
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Porsche's entry in GT-racing in the first half of the 1970 consisted of the 911 RS and RSR models. These were powered by Naturally Aspirated engines of up to 3 litres. However, these models were unlikely to be homologated, because of their limited production numbers, so a new car was needed. In 1975 the new 930 (911 Turbo) model was launched and this would form the base for the new Group 4 racer, aptly named 934. The displacement of Turbocharged engines are multiplied by 1.4 to get the normally aspirated equivalent displacement, this mean that the 3 litre Turbo engine placed the new Group 4 car in the 4000 - 4500 cc class. When Porsche designed the 930, the competition version was already anticipated and many components like the clutch and gearbox were made much stronger than needed for the 260 bhp 930, an ingenious way to evade the non-modification rule.

To comply with the regulations, the 934 would have to weigh at least 1120kg. This was easily achieved by removing most of the interior and weight was brought down to 1090kg even with the electric windows still in place. In race trim it was balasted to 1120 kg. Major modifications to the engine were not allowed, but due to the nature of Turbocharged engines, a higher output is fairly easily achieved. In Group 4 trim the 3 litre engine was good for a tarmac blistering 480 bhp and equipped with larger valves in 1977 over 550 bhp was reached.
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In competition, the 934 picked up where the 911 RSR had left off, by winning the European GT championship in the hands of Toine Hezemans and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, George Follmer was TransAm champion with a 934. Although Porsche's interests wandered from Group 4 racing to Group 5 racing where the 935 was decimating the competion, the 934 kept on winning in the last years of the 1970s. Most notable are the three successive class victories at Le Mans from 1977 to 1979.

Pictured is a Valiant livered 934, it seen here on the Spa Franchorchamps track where it took part in the Group C revival race which was part of the 2003 RMU Classic weekend.

Article by Wouter Melissen

Courtesy of Ultimate Car Page

FLY - Circuitos Con Historia Porsche 917 K1000 Km - MINT

2011-01-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

Mint Fly Collectors Edition Porsche 917 K1000 Km. The model racer has never been tested. It has only been open for photography. It is in other wise, MINT condition and for sale at $179.00. Shipping and Insurance is provided. The Fly Porsche is available exclusively at Enzo's Garage and cam be purchased through PayPal. E-mail enzos.scuderia@gmail.com with your e-mail address and you will be invoiced. When funds are cleared Enzo's garage ships the same business day. Expedited shipping is available, write for details.

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After FIA's CSI banned mid-1967 the over 3-litre prototy-pes from the circuits, Porsche had good hope that it could eventually win the famous Le Mans 24-hours. However, both in 1968 with the 3.0 Porsche 908LH and in 1969 with the 4.5 Porsche 917LH ànd the 908LH, the proud make of Zuffenhausen was beaten by the rejuvilenated Fords GT40 Coupe of John Wyer Automoti-ve Gulf Racing. Under race director Rico Steinemann, the successor of Huschke von Hanstein, a good old strategy was followed: if you can beat them, join them! Indeed, after having won Le Mans 4 times in a row, Ford Motor Company decided to stop endurance racing. So John Wyer at once was free. For Rico Steinemann that was a unique opportunity to make a master deal with John Wyer: if he could maintain his main sponsor (Gulf) Porsche should deliver him 3 cars per race plus its two best factory racers, Jo Siffert (CH) and Brian Redman (GB). Wyer accepted the deal and attracted two own racers: Pedro Rodriguez (MEX), in 1969 still a Ferrari work's driver, and the unknown Leo Kinnunen (SF), who scored some fine results in Formula Vee racing.
Meanwhile the American Audi-Porsche importer, John von Neuman insisted to receive full work's cars for his team from Zuffenhausen. He made a racing joint venture with KG Salzburg and obtained that two other factory cars could be raced - in the 3 American Rounds of FIA's Manufacturer's Championship for "Porsche-Audi USA", in the other rounds for KG Salzburg Austria.

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So doing Rico Steinemann & Co installed a kind of intramural competition, in 1966-67 already extremely fruitful at Fords. Later during the season Martini's signor Rossi made a similar deal, allowing him and Martini International Racing a semi-factory car at Le Mans and (off-championship) at the Kyalami 9-hours.

UPC Codes

Of the 25 built Porsches 917 - already homologated in April 1969 - the 010 was already sold to the former Ferrarist David Piper. The 021 went to Finland's Aarnio A. Wihuri, having Shell as sponsor. The 007 went to Gesipa Racing Team (the rivets manufacturer) and the 018 to Alex Soler (who raced it exclusively in sprint races Spain). And the 025 went to Dominique Martin of Zitro Racing. In the course of 1970 no less than 20 other copies of the 917 were manufactured.
Contrary to 1969 nearly all Porsches received a new nose, another emplacement of the exhaust pipes and the short tail rear, inspired by the 917PA, raced by Jo Siffert in the CANAM series. For Le Mans 2 new LH versions were built, going res. to KG Salzburg and Martini International Racing. The story goes that John Wyer invented the short tail version during the October 1969 tests at Zeltweg, but there can be no doubt that Wyer was inspired by the much better road hoalding of the 917PA CANAM spyder.

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In the course of the season the 4,494 cc motor, developing 560HP at 8,300 revs/min with a maximum couple of 50kg at 6,800 revs, was replaced by a 4,907cc motor with 600HP at 8,500 revs/min and a maximum couple of 54kg at 6,800 revs. Compression ratio was maintained at 10.5:1. The 4.9-litre motor was used for the first time in competition by the JWA Gulf cars at the 1970 Francorchamps 1,000-kms on May 10. At Le Mans John Wyer used the new motor on his #20 and #21 (not on his #22). KG Salzburg used it at its #25 917LH but not on its #23 917K and not on its T-car.
The organisation of Steineman's racing division was at all points superior to the organisation of Mauro Forghieri at SpA SEFAC. Indeed, at no occasion Ferrari showed with a T-car, whilst JWA Gulf - later also KG Salzburg - had at nearly all races a T-car. Furthermore Porsche's help to the privateers was much etter than Ferrari's.

Awesome Porsche By Fly

THE 1971 SEASON AND LATER
The 1971 season missed the thrilling suspense of the previous year. Although it was proven at the Österreich-ring and at Kyalami that the new 5.0 Ferrari 512M was faster than the 4.9 Porsche 917K, Enzo Ferrari believed no longer in the future of the 5-litre sports cars. His 512S cars were transformed in new 512M cars, but raced by privateers, no longer by the factory, thus without the smallest hope on winning. At Porsche KG Salzburg retired from competition after a serious dispute between Ferdi-nand Piech and his uncle Ferry Porsche concerning the 16-cylinder engine, built by Piech without the approaval of uncle Ferry. At once the sharp intramural competition - being the real thrill of the 1970 season - was no longer there. The relation between JWA Gulf and Martini Racing (the successor of KG Salzburg) was one of co-operation, not one of strong competition.

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In 1971 Porsche won 8 of the 11 rounds of the Manufac-turer' World Championship: Buenos Aires, Dayona, Monza, Francorchamps, and the Österreichring were won the new 630HP 5.0 Porsche 917 of JWA Gulf. Martini Racing won Sebring, the Nürburgring (with the 908/03), and Le Mans.

View From Top

Alfa Romeo, however, won Brands Hatch, the Targa Florio, and Watkins Glen with it's 3-litre prototype. It's true that the Porsche 917K was a fantastic car, but certainly not so unbeatable as often is believed. In one year time Alfa Romeo and Ferrari gave full evidence that the heavy 5-litre sports cars could be beaten by the much lighter prototypes. Indeed, considering that the 3.0 Ferrari 312P, with its V12 engine was no good racing concept, Enzo

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Ferrari let build his famous 3.0 312PB, equipped with a flat boxer motor, making the rear of the car much lower than that of the 312P. Whilst in 1970 Ferrari lost at least 3 races from the Porsche 917K by the hopeless structure of its race division under Mauro Forghieri, the new 312PB lost in 1971 several races by pure bad luck. But at the end of the season there was full evidence that lighter 3-litre prototypes were able to defeat the 5-litre Porsche 917.

Fly's detail - outstanding

At Sebring the new 3-litre Ferrari 312PB - 450HP for 625kg - had after 5 hours already 4 full laps over the fastest Porsche 917, proving that the future belang to light protypes, not to the 5-litre sports cars. A broken transmission, however, let hope that the 3-litre cars were too fragile for winning. At the BOAC the 312PB took the pole. Unfortunately Ickx was forced off the road during the opening laps by a spinning tail ender. He lost 6 laps in the pits on mounting new body sections, taking back 2 laps on the fastest 917K, to finish 2nd at 4 laps.

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At the superfast Monza, where the 5-litre cars were estimated to be unbeatable, the lonely 312PB was 2nd on the grid, ahead over all Porsches 917K but one. A stupid collision with a private Porsche made that the 312PB failed to demonstrate its racing abilities. At the still faster Spa circuit a stupid collision made Clay Regazzoni loosing a sure 3rd place. At the Nürburgring Ickx took without problems the pole and team mate Regazzoni was leading all Porsches when a steaming radiator aborted. At the österreichring the 312PB was once more leading all Porsches 917 until the last hour, when the suspension broke and the 312PB crashed into the guard rail.

Note the Long Tail which was implemented after trials - see text

Add to this the 3 times the Porsches 917 were beaten by the Alfa Romeo 3-litre prototype and one understands that the 917 was vulnerable. However, the clear proof of it could not be given, since the 5-litre sports cars were banned by the end of the year from competition by the CSI. In 1972 the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB won all rounds it entered, beating time after time the records set by the 917 on the tables.
Only in its CANAM version - 917/10, 917/20 and 917/30 with nearly 1000HP at its last version - the 917 was a nearly unbeatable machinery, so unbeatable that in 1974 the organisers of the CANAM series found no other way than to refuse it at the start, since it killed all American fan interest. Especially at the CANAM - where Ferrari failed with its 612P and 712P - Porsche gave full evidence that it was able to make faster race cars than could be done by the Prancing Horse.

Low & Sleek

MONZA 1,000-KMS 1970 - Start of the race with in front the 4.5 JWA Gulf Porsche 917K - chassis 009 - shared by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman. The car TQ-ed but will be brought home as 12th. In the left line we find the #1 Ferrari 512S - chassis 1026 - of Chris Amon/Arturo Merzario (4th at the finish), the #3 Ferrari 512S Spyder - chassis 1004 - of Nino Vaccarella/Ignazio Giunti (2nd), the #2 Ferrari 512S - chassis 1042 - of John Surtees/Peter Schetty, the #9 Salzburg Porsche 917K - chassis 020 - of Hans Hermann/Richard Attwood (DNF) followed by the first Alfa Romeo T33/3.

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In the right line we find the #10 KG Salzburg Porsche 917K - chassis 023 - of Vic Elford/Kurt Ahrens (DNF), the #7 JWA Gulf Porsche 917K - chassis 016 - of Pedro Rodriguez/Leo Kinnenunen (1st at the finish), the #14 Gesipa Porsche 917K - chassis 007 - of Helmut Kelleners/Jürgen Neuhaus (10th), the #12 AAW Shell Porsche 917K of Hans Laine/Gijs van Lennep - chassis 021 - (11th) and the second Alfa Romeo T33/3. PICTURE: Sport Auto (French edition), #101, cover.

Front End - Untaped Version

LE MANS 24 HOURS 1970 - The Siffert/Redman Porsche 917K - chassis 004 - used the new 4.9-litre engine. The car qualified as 3rd but was retired after 156 laps with a blown engine. Only later chassis 004 was replaced by the 017. Earlier the 004 was 20th at the Brands-Hatch 1,000-kms. It TQ-ed at the Francorchamps 1,000-kms but was retired with a broken gearbox. In 1969 the car - in 917LH shape - was 8th at the Nürburgring 1,000-kms.

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At the famous Darren Galpin Racing Archives the 004 is erronously mentionned as the 017, despite the fact that the 017 chassis was only used by November 1970, to replace the 004.
The victory of the KG Salzburg Porsche 908-03 at the Nürburgring (round #7 of the Manufacturer's Worlds) gave Ferdinand Piesch and his mom great confidence that they could do what nobody at Porsches earlier could: winning the Le Mans 24 hours, more important than all other rounds together. So KG Salzburg came to Le Mans with 3 cars, 2 917K and 1 917LH. Of them the #24 917K (the blue one with the white stripes) - with chassis 020 - was equipped just as the #25 917LH with the new 4.9-litre engine, whilst the #23 had the old 4.5-litre engine. Since the #24 was at the qualifications hardly faster than the #23 (3'31"5 versus 3'32"6) Ferdinand Piesch decided to withdraw the #24. Before the start - given by uncle Ferry Porsche himself - nobody believed that KG Salzburg had a serious chance against JWA Gulf having won the 2 last editions of Le Mans. In front of uncle Ferry Porsche, who was often not happy with the ambitious plans of his nephew Ferdinand Piech, the young ambitious engineer realised the pole position with his special 4.9 Porsche 917LH http://www.imca-slotracing.com/images25).

Nice detail of the 'fan' through rear glass

That car dominated during the 2 first hours, until the rain became more definite. At KG Salzburg they made the mistake not to fit wet tires on Elford's #25, so that he was passed by Siffert on the #20 JWA Gulf 917K. The rain got heavier and heavier, and an enormous storm carried on through most of the night. After 4 hours of racing Siffert and Redman were leading the race, followed by the KG Salzburg #25, the Piper-Van Lennep #18 AAW Porsche and the #23 KG Salzburg 917K with chassis 023. Having lost no less than 4 cars at the accident provoked by Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari found its first car only in 6th position (Ickx/Schetty).

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However, after 6 hours of racing, Ickx and Schetty, pushing as devils, came into 3rd position, just behind the #20 JWA Gulf 917K and the #25 KG Salzburg 917LH. When, after 7 hours of racing, Elford came in the pits, he complained that the handling of the #25 became peculiar. Finally a slow puncture was found, so that the Ickx/Shetty Ferrari 512S could move up to the second place. Elford dropped into 5th. Piper, now 3rd, however spun his #18 AAW Shell 917K, and damaged seriously the car. So Hermann/Attwood brought their #23 in 3rd position.

Front End Details

At quarter-to-two in the morning Ickx spun at the Ford Chicane, killing a marshal and writing off his Ferrari 512S. After 10 hours of racing the #23 KG Salzburg 917K is second, however 7 full laps down to the #20 JWA Gulf of Siffert and Redman. Then follow the 2 Porsches 917LH, Martini's and KG Salzburg's. At that moment John Wyer has no other cars in the race, since after 3 hours his #21 (Rodriguez/Kinnunen) was withdrawn with a broken connecting rod, and since after 4 hours Mike Hailwood, on the #22 JWA Gulf 917K, couldn't evade Carlo Facetti's Alfa Romeo T33/3, having spun in the slippery curve behind the pits.

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Shortly after 2 a.m. Siffert is in at the pit with 9,600 on the rev-counter and oil pouring from practically everywhere. Now the #23 leads, followed by the 2 LHs, Martini's and KG Salzburg's. Storm broke again and the rain bucketed down, when during the night Elford/Ahrens can pass the Martini Porsche for the 2nd place. When uncle Ferry wakes up at 8 a.m. he finds the 2 Porsches of nephew Ferdinand Piech at the 2 first places. The first non-Porsche was the Alfa Romeo T33/3 of Galli/Stommelen on the 5th place, followed by N.A.R.T.'s Ferrari 512S, res. 11 and 12 laps behind the leader. At 8.30 a.m. an inlet valve has broken on the Elford/Ahrens #25, so that KG Salzburg looses its best car. However Hermann/Attwood maintain the lead until the finish and offer Porsche its first and most important win at Le Mans.

Rear End Details - Note Treads On Tires and Spare

BRANDS HATCH 1,000-KMS - After the Buenos Aires 1,000-Kms and the Buenos Aires 200-mi David Piper changed the nose and the rear tail of his Porsche 917 - chassis 010 - and changed the colour from white to red. Being one of the first drivers to pay his expenses by sponsor money, he found Wetson's Drive Ins as main sponsor.

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The car appeared a first time in the new colour at the Thruxton sprint race of March 30, 1970, where Piper won. Two weeks later at Brands Hatch, having qualified as 31st, Piper decided to withdraw his car before the start (just as was done at the Daytona 24 hours). Four weeks after Thruxton Piper entered the car as #11 at the Monza 1,000-kms. It qualified as low as 17th and was retired after 55 out of 174 laps with a broken gearbox selector shaft. When the Porsche clan, within Porsche AG, made the famous deal with John Wyer Automotive, Ferdinand Piech and mother Louise decided to use their own racing division (Porsche Austria) and to let race full factory cars under the new banner of KG Salzburg. For the American rounds of the Manufacturer's Worlds Louise co-operated with the American importer.

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The 011 was only raced at the Daytona 12 hours (where it qualified as 4th, but was retired) and at the Targa Florio (where a mechanic crashed the car before the start and destryed it). It is not 100 per cent sure that the KG Salzburg 917K, having qualified 3rd at the Sebring 12 hours, was the 011, especially since the car (#16) missed the window on the roof.

Sealed Booklet Inside Collectors Sleeved and Boxed Set THE 1971 SEASON AND LATER
The 1971 season missed the thrilling suspense of the previous year. Although it was proven at the Österreich-ring and at Kyalami that the new 5.0 Ferrari 512M was faster than the 4.9 Porsche 917K, Enzo Ferrari believed no longer in the future of the 5-litre sports cars. His 512S cars were transformed in new 512M cars, but raced by privateers, no longer by the factory, thus without the smallest hope on winning. At Porsche KG Salzburg retired from competition after a serious dispute between Ferdi-nand Piech and his uncle Ferry Porsche concerning the 16-cylinder engine, built by Piech without the approaval of uncle Ferry.
At once the sharp intramural competition - being the real thrill of the 1970 season - was no longer there. The relation between JWA Gulf and Martini Racing (the successor of KG Salzburg) was one of co-operation, not one of strong competition.
In 1971 Porsche won 8 of the 11 rounds of the Manufac-turer' World Championship: Buenos Aires, Dayona, Monza, Francorchamps, and the Österreichring were won the new 630HP 5.0 Porsche 917 of JWA Gulf. Martini Racing won Sebring, the Nürburgring (with the 908/03), and Le Mans.
Alfa Romeo, howeber, won Brands Hatch, the Targa Florio, and Watkins Glen with it's 3-litre prototype.
It's true that the Porsche 917K was a fantastic car, but certainly not so unbeatable as often is believed. In one year time Alfa Romeo and Ferrari gave full evidence that the heavy 5-litre sports cars could be beaten by the much lighter prototypes. Indeed, considering that the 3.0 Ferrari 312P, with its V12 engine was no good racing concept, Enzo Ferrari let build his famous 3.0 312PB, equipped with a flat boxer motor, making the rear of the car much lower than that of the 312P. Whilst in 1970 Ferrari lost at least 3 races from the Porsche 917K by the hopeless structure of its race division under Mauro Forghieri, the new 312PB lost in 1971 several races by pure bad luck. But at the end of the season there was full evidence that lighter 3-litre prototypes were able to defeat the 5-litre Porsche 917.

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At Sebring the new 3-litre Ferrari 312PB - 450HP for 625kg - had after 5 hours already 4 full laps over the fastest Porsche 917, proving that the future belang to light protypes, not to the 5-litre sports cars. A broken transmission, however, let hope that the 3-litre cars were too fragile for winning. At the BOAC the 312PB took the pole. Unfortunately Ickx was forced off the road during the opening laps by a spinning tail ender. He lost 6 laps in the pits on mounting new body sections, taking back 2 laps on the fastest 917K, to finish 2nd at 4 laps. At the superfast Monza, where the 5-litre cars were estimated to be unbeatable, the lonely 312PB was 2nd on the grid, ahead over all Porsches 917K but one. A stupid collision with a private Porsche made that the 312PB failed to demonstrate its racing abilities. At the still faster Spa circuit a stupid collision made Clay Regazzoni loosing a sure 3rd place. At the Nürburgring Ickx took without problems the pole and team mate Regazzoni was leading all Porsches when a steaming radiator aborted. At the österreichring the 312PB was once more leading all Porsches 917 until the last hour, when the suspension broke and the 312PB crashed into the guard rail.
Add to this the 3 times the Porsches 917 were beaten by the Alfa Romeo 3-litre prototype and one understands that the 917 was vulnerable. However, the clear proof of it could not be given, since the 5-litre sports cars were banned by the end of the year from competition by the CSI. In 1972 the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB won all rounds it entered, beating time after time the records set by the 917 on the tables.

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Only in its CANAM version - 917/10, 917/20 and 917/30 with nearly 1000HP at its last version - the 917 was a nearly unbeatable machinery, so unbeatable that in 1974 the organisers of the CANAM series found no other way than to refuse it at the start, since it killed all American fan interest. Especially at the CANAM - where Ferrari failed with its 612P and 712P - Porsche gave full evidence that it was able to make faster race cars than could be done by the Prancing Horse.

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2011-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

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The Fly Porsche 917/10 Interserie 1974

2011-01-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

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The Fly Porsche 917/10K Interserie 1974

General specifications:
Country of origin - Germany
Chassis number - 917/10-007
Numbers built - N/A
Produced in 1972