20.11.2020Colors of Speed: 50 years Porsche 917

One of the most important racing cars of the motorsport history celebrated its 50th birthday in 2019: the Porsche 917. This anniversary pays tribute to the Porsche Museum with an extensive special exhibition. Under the title "50 years Porsche 917 - Colours of Speed" 14 exhibits were to see from May 14th to September 15th: this had included ten 917-vehicles with a total of 7,490 hp. On the occasion of this event, Spark and Porsche released multiple modelcars in scale 1:43, which include miniatures of the design study of the racing car 917 Living Legend that was created as a homage to the first Le Mans winner in 1970. In addition, the collector can find the models of a Porsche 935 based on the current 911 GT2 RS as well as the original model, the 917 KH with starting number 23 by Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann. 

The modelcars of the Porsche 917 Living Legend Concept Car are available under the item number WAP0209340L in a special packaging; those of the Porsche 935, based on the 911 GT2 RS type 991 come in a limitation of 1,935 pieces under WAP0209410M935 to the collector and also wear the red-white Salzburg deisgn as the other miniatures. In this painting and with Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood at the wheel with the short-tail version of the racing car for the team Porsche KG Salzburg, the starting number 23 won the 38th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: the first overall victory for Porsche. Spark offers this vehicle limited to 1,917 units under the number WAP0209400M917; Like the other models, it is made of high-quality polyurethane cast resin and has a perfect finish and lines management.

But now back to the role model: The 917 was originally developed as a group 4 sports car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the brand world championship. The number one was created in 1969 as the first of a total of 25 units required for homologation. The 917-001 marks the start of an unprecedented series of success and was thus the highlight of the special exhibition. Over the course of a year, museum mechanics, former technicians and engineers from Zuffenhausen and Weissach, the historical archive of Porsche AG and partner companies worked together on its return. It was now presented for the first time in the same green and white paintwork as it was presented to the world public on March 12th, 1969, at the Geneva Motor Show. Right next to the first Porsche winning car at Le Mans, No. 23.

In 1970 Herrmann and Attwood managed to achieve the first of 19 overall victories for Porsche at the Sarthe in the 917 KH with starting number 23 in the world-famous red and white Salzburg design. In the following year Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep managed to repeat this success. With an average speed of 222.3 kilometers per hour and a raced distance of 5,335 kilometers, they set two records that were to last for 39 years! You can also find the matching modelcars for this vehicle under the link embedded below: The Porsche 917 is an absolute pillar of the ck-modelcars.de program in all scales and made of resin as well as diecast and it is impossible to imagine the collector's showcases 50 years after its debut without it ! Like its successors, the Porsche 956, 962 and most recently the 919 hybrid.

More than 40 years later, the designers took up the topic 917 again - this time as part of a design-study with the designation "917 Living Legend", which was presented by the Porsche Museum as part of the special exhibition for the first time. This 1:1 model in plasticine arose in 2013 on the occasion of the comeback of the rear lights from Porsche in the LMP1-class and thus in the endurance race sport. A small team of desigerns, aerodynamicists, package-specialists, chassis and drive technicians built this homage to the legendary 917 with starting number 23 in the Salzburg-design in just six month. What brings us back again to the beginning of this article. The editorial team wishes all readers a beautiful weekend and aks to put the focus on the cyber-week: modelcars and all other products are for sale at special conditions - also the Porsche 917!

Here: Click to all modelcars of the Porsche 917