I saw my first one in Sept. 1969 coming out of the fog at Hockenheim. What a beauty. Later met Derek Bell, the guy driving, several times in Europe and later at Daytona a couple of times. He talks about how small the car is. It doesn't look it, but I've got a picture of me standing beside Vic Elford's Martini 917 at Spa and the top of the car doesn't come up to my crotch. I always loved the John Wyer colors on the 917, and on the GT40.

Derek is an absolute class act and he wrote me a hand written letter when I wrote to him about obtaining sponsorship and possibly moving to Europe to race in F3.

Super speciman of a sports racing car, I got myself a model of this legend- & the engine noise is just outta this world!!! 917K rocks! Wish this was on GT4, I would love to race this against the Jag XJR-9LM & the Sauber C9!!!

Yes, the 1100 hp figure is the 917/30 as raced at 32 psi and the big power tests were at the higher boost. I was pointing out that it was the turbo can am cars that produced the huge figures and not the Euro coupes. Of course the cars were quite different and effectively a developement of the original 917- eventually with different mag. chassis and uprated transmission etc. Some of the developement found its way into the later interserie Euro spyders too which ran into the mid 70s in Europe.

Derek Bell was in the customs serpentine queue at Gatwick Nov 2017. I literally faced him at various points as we shuffled along, he had no idea that his Le Mans exploits in the 70s and 80s made my childhood bearable. Nobody else knew who that a sports car legend was amidst! was so awestruck that I wanted to say a big Thanks but didn’t know how to. I was practically crippled through an immense fog of shyness that descended upon me. A big thanks to you Derek, one of my inspiring heros who kept this stuttering misfit from the cliffs edge and onto dreaming, wishing and hoping that toil, selflessness, and self-belief can drive achievement beyond the wooden spoon that I was expected to stir throughout my life, many thanks.

Hi Sensinyou, the 917 engine is related to the 911 engine sort of once removed. Forerunner to the 917 was the 908/909 series which used a flat 8. It was effectively an extended 911 in magneseum. The 917 was a new block design with a 2 piece crank. In original 4.5 ltr from it also used the 911 piston/rod. Once the 917 engine had been expanded to 4.9/ 5.0 ltr there was no physical link to the 911 The lineage in design is still there. The flat 6 engine then returned in the 936, 956 & 962

Brian Redman kills me....interesting guy. 917 coolest race car ever built!

Absolutely great vid. The can-am versions of 1972-73 are quoted of being capable of 0-200 mph in 10.9 seconds! Unreal.

Un vehículo que jamás será superado a pesar de la tecnología actual. En cuanto a su concepción y demás....

I'm SO greatfull I was around to see them race for real. Time passes by, but the 917 will live on forever in my mind. The 1970 BOAC 1000kms at Brands? Pedro in the rain? The greatest race EVER?? If you know better? Talk to me!!!

A beautiful car! It's design (1969) is timeless. Even their salesposter design was like from 200X.

Major "understatement" as you say. I didn't know Bell drove in "Le Mans" the movie. I get the chills even watching this. Imagine driving one of these at speed down the Mulsanne straight at 230MPH. All I can say is that who did or could, had balls of steel. Granted todays F1 drivers are amazing...but really, do they compare...do they really??!!

I wasn't even born then,in fact my parent's hadn't even met for another 8 years,but I've read about those great races and I wish I had been alive back then. If I had a timemachine I'd like to see classic races live.

I LOVE the sound of that engine when it revs and shifts. Not even the lovliest burble from a modern F1 car can top that.

Your are missing some information; The Le Mans circuit has evolved and changed several times since its inception. The old Sarthe circuit had a much longer Mulsanne straight than they run today. That flat 12 (180 degree V-12, instead of a boxer) would turn 8100 RPM, which, with the tall gearing gave 246 MPH, which IS listed as the standing record for the Sarthe-Mulsanne straight, prior to the changes.

This beauty had 1360 horsepowers, it drove at a maximum speed of 437 km/h and went from 0-100 km/h in just 2,2 seconds. The Porsche 917-30 Can Am was undoubtably, in the hands of Mark Donahue, the world´s fastest car built. It´s in the Guiness book of records 1985. Look it up, this is one hell of a car. Never again was something as sophisticated while durable built in car-racing! ;-)

I heard someone say..."You know, for the late 60's and early 70's, these cars were badass!". I said...for RIGHT NOW, these cars are badass.

Yes, the 936 continued the sports racer class really but the 935 did as you say kick off about the same time. (And take an outright Le mans victory of course) The can am 917s would likely still be hard to beat in a straight line appropriately geared but the 917 coupes would struggle - could possibly be reset to compete though. The late 80s early 90s sports racing cars were amazingly fast. Best 917 speed has been eclipsed by about 15mph and that's without the full straight to run any more.

Derek Bell - legend

Derek Bell - Absolutely & without question the best driver ever as far as documentaries etc are concerned.Only Stirling Moss is in the same category as far as being extremely articulate, well-spoken & charismatic is concerned.Look at today´s drivers - most of them can´t string a couple of sentences together & if they can, you have probably fallen asleep by the time they have finished, due to extreme boredom.Well done Bell & Moss for your verbal skills! Your driving skills require no comment.

This is awesome! Thanks for posting the video. It´s good to see such cars driving and to listen to Derek Bell.

I Love this car & i love the Ford GT 40. They both pushed the Boundries & Beyond. And yes i have visited the Ferrari Factory in Maranello. Pieces of art all of them.

I want the dvd o this. What a beast of a car. Supercars come and super cars go - but there will always be the 917. I touched No.20 at goodwood festival o speed. If I sat in the damn thing I'd shed tears - tears o joy! Long live the marque

I was Today's Days Old when I learned that Flat-12 was air cooled and not liquid cooled Imagine how much more powerful it could have been if it was, incredible engineering on Porsche's part to make it work under such incredible pressure.

The Porsche 917 longtail did 246mph at LeMans in 1971,that's 396kph. The Can-Am version of the 917, called the 917-30 had turbos and developed 1100hp in racetrim and 1580hp for qualifying.Apparently Mark Donahue took it to 413kph at Paul Ricard in 1973.He also did a 240mph lap at Talladega in 1975.Record stood for 11 years.

A true automotive symphony.

This is a fantastic video! It's so great to see this wonderful car in this good video quality.

Awesome! One of the REAL legends of motor racing. Thx for sharing!!

What a beautiful Porsche. To hear that gear driven flat twelve.....

Also, do you really think the 917 was anything but useable? Its a purpose built racing KILLER. It still has the overall record at LeMans, to this day.

There are no words. Simply breathtakeing!

When men were men...!!! What a piece of history and machinery!

Thanks! I love that era op sportscar racing.

The porsche 917k is my favourite all time race car I love the sound of that flat 12 cylinder engine screaming down the mulsanne straight absolutely music to my ears

Just a great and entertaining video which captivates my imagination everytime I view it! Something about the air cooled engines and the wonderful sounds they make has put a spell on me since the 1960's. Will never drive a 917 but everytime I climb into my 993 Carrera I feel like I'm at Le Mans with the biggest smile on my face! :-)

I met Derek Bell in the pits at the Camel Gt race in Charlotte. I asked him which car he liked better,the 917 or the 962? He said the 962, because it was more like a really fast street car,had de-misters that actually worked and the windshield would stay clear in the rain,was reasonably comfortable,and was pretty honest in its handling. The 917 was a beast that took all your attention all the time. Would dart about at speed on the Mulsanne Straight and dart about under breaking. Superbly torquey motor that only needed a 4 speed gear box. In my opinion they were both the best of their eras, but the 917kis the most beautiful to me.

Thwere's at least one which has been made street legal and is driven on public roads here in southern Germany. It's plain white now, has a usable half-size passenger seat fittet and it has the longest of all originally available gears meaning it will top out at over 360 km/h (225 mph) and even closer to 400km/h on a good day. A truly amazing little beast!

Yes you could say that. Those are designed with pure innovation and performance

The Porsche 911 short tail still holds the record for the longest distance driven in the 24 hour race of Le Mans. It was in 1971 and is yet to be beaten. Of course back then there was no chicanes at the Mulsanne straight but neither was it until 1990.

5 stars awesome in every aspect.

My favourite race car ever! The 917/30.

Yes, I think I'd choose an original 69 Euro Coupe too, given the chance but the dollar value of the can am cars would be huge these days due to rarity if nothing else. The 917 cars just showcased the brilliance of those engaged at Porsche in those days but, as is remarkably always evident, the world catches up quickly. Takes nothing away from the brilliance of the whole 917 show from start to finish though.

Oh yes,whyever not,...917 greatest sportscar EVER

This particular car had "only" about 535 bhp and was running about 355 km/h at the Hunadiere-straight at Le Mans. (The 1100 bhp 917 was the CanAm spider of M. Donahue. That car was turbocharged.)

On the track scenes the car looks much bigger. Actually is a very small car (nearly a Peugeot 307). Face of Le Mans + Porsche + Gulf. Awesome car !

What an awesome car!

Definately. The V10 is a work of art, but a flat-12 would really fully embrace Porsche's racing heritage.

.....and a true beauty in K trim - still breathtaking =

Einfach nur eines der geilsten Autos aller Zeiten! Nicht mehr, nicht weniger.

@Camerameister Well the simple facts are we both love cars so we have alot in common, just don't agree on everything. The 917 will always be the most ultimate machine ever to me. Nice talking with you.

Machtig om te zien hoe geweldig de 917 rond gaat.

@Camerameister Yes the Guiness 85 said the 917 hit 257 in qualifying, their number not mine. The site I am referring to will not let me just copy and paste it. Porsche917dotcomdotar look at 1971 season.

I could not have said it any better. I hope to see the day Porsche comes out with a road-legal, flat 12 powered road car.

Bloody hell how beautiful you were and still I could spent a hole day watching to you my dear 917/K -

@Camerameister that still is a lot considering the engine was made for endurance racing and ran on 1000km races and the 24 hours of LeMans

what a beast of a car! 246 mph... and now everyone gathers around those silly bugatti veyrons, with their wasteful quad-turbo charged W16's... flat 12, normall aspirated, 246mph, and probably the most visceral driving experience of all time. i know they're not comparable... but there's a point to be had i suppose. :)

Just love this car soooo much, I would give away everything I have 4 a little drive ...

just went to the monteray historics, this year porsche was the highlight brand was porsche, 6 917k's.. the red n white 23, one yellow, n 3 gulf 917, including 917-022, the #20 movie car! met Vic, Brian and Stirling! EVERYBODY has to go when porsche is the highlight again!

Dude, the Bugatti Veyron is from the 2000s and this car is from the early 1970s. Plus, the Veyron has 4 turbochargers, is water-cooled, and has 16 cylinders. With way more technology into it, the 917 in my opinion is better just because of it's age and its technological advancements of its day.

@Camerameister Porsche had a top end listed on the Can Am Donohue car as being around 385km.h or about 240. Yes it had more power but the top end was not where the longtail was at.

and when you see how old it is.. and still can beat actual cars...

@CellTowerNIMBY Yeah, that was Mark Donahue on Talladega 1975. The same tweaked car saw 259mph (417km/h) on the back straight of Paul Ricard, France one year earlier. Porsche planned to race a 1500hp version in the 1974 season, but then the turbo ban was imposed...

@Camerameister My source was from the site I quoted above, the link would not post so I had to spell the letters out. The simple fact is the Porsche won the race and the longtail being faster then all others that year. The 917 is everything a race car can and should be, and will be the legend that all other cars want to have.

I wonder what happened to Porsche Racing cars. Their Cars were king of the hill back then but now Those Chevrolet Corvettes and Audi R10 are the ones taking Victories.

A Porsche 917 still has the distance record at LeMans, although they did not have chicanes on the Mulsanne at that time.

Beautful noise...... a howling 4.5-4.0 litre Flat-12. Air-Cooled, too.

@Camerameister No it was the long tail version and if you can find a Guinness Book of records from 1985 it had the top speed higher then the one I quoted.

So, in a true boxer at TDC/BDC, all crank journal centres AND cylinder bore centres are in the same plane. The boxer term relates to the pugilist but is also misunderstood. Some think it represents two boxers facing each other and making sort of reciprical punching movements. It actually compares the movement of just the 2 pistons of 2 opposing cylinders to the the habit of 1 boxer punching his two gloves together often seen prior to start of a bout in a sort of "priming" ritual.

lolle18 does offer the correct definition of a boxer engine. It is also true to say that many engines are mistakenly referred to as boxers. Ferrari for instance as I think has been said, never made a boxer engine for a road car. They used boxer engines only in racing. They key to a true boxer is that the crankjournals are all in one plane and so referred to as flat plane or single plane crank. If you remove the crank and sit it on the bench all Journals (main and rod) lie flat on the bench.

240mph+ is not "Racing myth", it's a fact.

No, you're wrong! A boxer engine has a crankshaft with 1 exclusive crankpin for every con rod. The crankpins of 2 opposed pistons are shifted by 180 degrees, this means, the 2 pistons move in opposite directions - the 911 has such an engine. In a flat 12 engine like in the 917 or in all Ferrari "Boxers", including the Testarossa (in fact, these Ferrari engines aren't boxers!), 2 opposing pistons share THE SAME crankpin, just like in every V-engine - both pistons move into the same direction.

I sat in that car. even though he stood still, but it was great

Derek was assigned as Siegfried Rauch''s (Erich Stahler) driving double so he drove the Ferrari 512 in the movie. His car caught fire towards the end of the shoot and Derek suffered some nasty burns.

The 917 was a different car built for a different time. In those days you just threw displacement at the problem and eventually you'd outpower the rest of the pack. Ford did it with the GT40, and it's no surprise that Porsche did it with the 917. Faster? sure. Particularly on the straightaways, but I'd bet that an R10 TDI would probably take the win, despite being nearly half the horses, just because of the advancement in car tech. New brakes, transmissions, aerodynamics, suspension...

Wel that's right but it was the turbo charged Canam 917/30 and that was at 32psi boost !

@gjledo Because those cars didn't have as much downforce and the mulsanne straight has chicanes now. If you were to give a Toyota GT-One that much road and lowered the downforce and set the transmission right it could probably hit 246 with ease. But then it wouldn't be as fast in other sections.

Gunnar racing at Moroso. Track days were always a treat!

an expert. I've seen several 917s too, and driven a couple of 911 and Ferraris - now, does this make me an expert in something?

a true beast

Excuse me while I scrape my jaw off of the floor.

That car isn't even breaking a sweat

I know they are very Different Although I still Prefer the Le Mans Version the sheer power of the Can Am 917's still gives me a chill down my spine just thinking about it!

God damn that's hot. It does give you goosebumps!

@Suprahampton all gears were pretty tall with 600+ hp and a car made from fiberglass and lightweight frame the car would still accelerate like a bullet

@Camerameister 396.004 km/h was the fastest time clocked by a 917 driven by Jackie Olivier during a night practice.

the design is beautifull... you can still see the shape in today's auddi

@Camerameister Roger Dorchy clocked an unoffcial 416km/h in practice for the 1988 LeMans. Anyway WM Peugeot only wanted to be the first car to clock over 400km/h on the Mulsanne straight so the car was designed accordingly, it was a dog in the curves. I think Sauber-Mercedes also did 400km/h in 1989, the last year without the chicanes.

Agreed, great video, thanks for posting this

yeh it was and in Can Am it was making 1500bhp

Awesome! I can't believe this beast has an air cooled engine x_X

247mph!!! Holy shit.

@Camerameister I have been to the Porsche museum, and the longtail was capable of massive speed and on the straight would of leveled the Ferrari's top end. It had a far higher top end then the eventual winner and of course would have won if not for problems.

How the hell is Derek Bell not dead? The man took a shit ton of risks.

What's the name of this documentary? I missed to tape the first five minutes of it on TV but I cannot find any information about this doc....

YES AND NO It actually ran up to 39-40 PSI of boost during those 1560 HP Moments and that 1800 HP hes talking about could be due to overboost.

WOW, those days, your mates dying 1 per race, in the same cars u were driving, and no safety regulations, those cars must have been the hottest shit around to make u get in and push the sound barrier race after race. Wish i was around in those days to see it first hand. DAMN

Does anyone else hear another layer of sound from the left? Sounds like another video playing in a different language.

I'm fully aware of that, but porsche and Audi still both compete in Le Mans as competitors. Porsche was founded 21 years after Audi so saying Audi wouldn't exist without Porsche is ridiculous.

A 917 would absolutely demolish a Veyron in any contest of performance.

@CellTowerNIMBY Weren't those turbocharged to get that power?