27.01.2026Porsche 917 LH: Record pole position without downforce

Overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was high on Porsche's agenda in the late 1960s. Today, the Zuffenhausen-based manufacturer is the most successful brand in the French endurance classic with 19 triumphs. Back then, however, Porsche had only managed class wins. To make the leap to the grand podium, Porsche debuted the now legendary 917 in 1969. The radical and uncompromising race car impressed the established competition from the moment it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

The rest is history. After the 917 hadn't yet been eliminated from the field at its debut, Porsche achieved its long-awaited first victory in 1970. Hans Herrmann, who passed away in early 2026, and Richard Attwood steered the famous red and white 917 across the finish line in first place.

Before that, however, another 917 became one of the main protagonists of the Le Mans weekend. This was, ironically, the internally infamous long-tail variant. This version of the already radical 917 was designed entirely for top speed, aiming to gain an advantage on the long, uninterrupted Mulsanne Straight. The low downforce made the car extremely tricky to drive and caused some mistrust, even within the Porsche team. And with good reason. Just a few months before the Le Mans race, Kurt Ahrens had survived a terrifying crash during testing at Ehra-Lessien.

However, during qualifying at Le Mans, the driver from Braunschweig gained the necessary confidence in his 917 LH, car number 25, to set an impressive fastest lap time. Never before had the circuit been lapped at an average speed exceeding 240 km/h. Ahrens took advantage of the higher oxygen content in the air during the dark, which allowed for more engine power, and the relatively clear track to achieve his phenomenal time.

Starting from pole position, the fragile 917 LH driven by Kurt Ahrens and his teammate Vic Elford held out surprisingly long. It wasn't until Sunday morning that a failure of the intake valve forced the duo to retire from the lead. While this denied Ahrens the Le Mans victory, the pole position lap remains a highlight of his career, which he ended later that same year out of concern for his safety and health, his family, and the takeover of his father's business.

CMR has faithfully reproduced the Porsche 917 LH driven by Kurt Ahrens and Vic Elford at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans in resin at a special scale 1:12.

Porsche 917 LH #25 Pole Position 24h Le Mans 1970 Elford, Ahrens 1:12 CMR, RRP €219.95, item-no.: CMR12015v

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Porsche 917 LH #25 Pole Position 24h LeMans 1970 Elford, Ahrens 1:12 CMR

197,96 €