The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans marked Porsche's first overall victory in this prestigious endurance race. The Salzburg team's 917K, driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood, crossed the finish line first after bitter duels, pile-ups and despite the most adverse weather conditions.
The weather conditions were a disaster for the vehicles of the factory competitors Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Matra and six of the seven Porsche 917s that started could not withstand the challenges of the race this year. The leading vehicle, the Gulf-designed 917K driven by Jo Siffert and Jim Redman, also retired early due to engine failure. But the fiery red 917K with starting number 23 and the German-British driver duo of Herrmann and Attwood came through and won with a five-lap lead over the long-tail 917 of Gérard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen.
The second Le Mans overall victory for Porsche was to follow directly a year later. In 1971, the 917K returned to Le Mans. With a distance record of 5,335 kilometers, which was only broken in 2010, Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep won in the 917K in Martini colors with starting number 22.
Porsche also continued the 917K's series of successes in Spa-Francorchamps in 1971. The later Le Mans winning duo also took the wheel in Belgium. However, the team in the Martini short-tail Porsche dropped out early in the 1,000-kilometer race through the Ardennes. The race was decided between the two Wyer Porsche 917K, which were driven by Pedro Rodríguez and Jackie Oliver, as well as Jo Siffert and Derek Bell. A bitter battle between the two teams from the starting gun to the checkered flag was ultimately decided in favor of Rodríguez and Oliver by just one second.
In addition to the models of the winning cars from Le Mans in 1970 and 1971, WERK83 also offers the Gulf Porsche of Siffert and Redman and the Martini Porsche of Marko and van Lennep in scale 1:18. The models are produced in the usual high quality and reflect the legendary 917K as best as possible. A piece of racing history, innovation and engineering for the home collector's shelf.
Porsche 917K #23 Winner 24h LeMans 1970 Attwood, Herrmann 1:18 WERK83, RRP €69.95, item-no.: W1802601
Porsche 917K #22 Winner 24h LeMans 1971 Marko, van Lennep 1:18 WERK83, RRP €69.95, item-no.: W1802602
Porsche 917K #20 Gulf 24h LeMans 1970 Siffert, Redman 1:18 WERK83, RRP €69.95, item-no.: W1802604
Porsche 917K #23 1000km Spa 1971 Marko, van Lennep 1:18 WERK83, RRP €69.95, item-no.: W1802603