Porsche 917 : 50 years ?

[DiaboliK.]

It’s been 50 years since the iconic Porsche 917 first moved under its own power, and Stuttgart’s marketing department has been flat-out, reminding us of the fact. To celebrate half a century of one the brand’s most legendary cars, Porsche has taken 917 chassis 001 on a tour of the UK.

First it was driven at the 77th Goodwood Members’ meeting, and then it joined the Concorde – another engineering legend celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Turns out, the Concorde set off on its maiden flight from Bristol, and the very same month, Porsche began developing its 12-cylinder racecar. Tenuously linked? Yes. Interesting – also, yes.

Porsche took the 917 to Yeovilton to meet the last airframe of the supersonic jet to be flown – and also brought along Richard ‘Dickie’ Attwood who won Le Mans with the car in 1970. There, he had a chat with Captain Tim Orchard, ex-Concorde pilot and record-holder for the quickest commercial flight between New York and London.

‘Like a lot of people I’m a big fan of Concorde and always wish I could have flown on her – I’ve missed my chance,’ said Attwood. The 917 and Concorde seem so pure and simple from the outside, but both mask an array of engineering ingenuity that is still extremely impressive by today’s standards.

I would like to thank Tim for his time and patience in showing me around – I so enjoyed reminiscing about what it was like in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and our belief that we could achieve just about anything if we put our minds to it.’

Edited April 11, 2019 by -Dark*
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