Since the middle of the last century, Porsche has been a constant presence in the main endurance races around the world. And talking about Le Mans is talking about Porsche. It is simply the brand with the most victories in this mythical endurance race.
Taking advantage of the new regulations, in the late 1960s the German brand developed one of the most famous and desired prototypes ever, the Porsche 917. But Porsche engineers did not stop there: the development of the sports car culminated in an even more model. advanced and, above all, more aerodynamic, in 1970, the Porsche 917K (Kurzheck). From the restricted range of specimens that came to see the light of day, one of them has a success story, not only on the tracks, but also on the big screen.
The model in question, with chassis 917-024, was used in a test session at Le Mans that same year, by riders Brian Redman and Mike Hailwood. Later, the Porsche 917K was sold to Jo Siffert, a Porsche test driver, who turned it over to Solar Productions. to be used in the 1971 film Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen . In addition to being one of the main figures in the film, the car was used as a camera vehicle – it was the only car capable of keeping up with the other prototypes in the sequences filmed on circuit.
Jo Siffert kept the sports car in his private collection until his death – the Porsche 917K even led the funeral march at his funeral. The car was then sold to a French collector, who left it abandoned until 2001, the year the sports car was found in a warehouse.
The Porsche 917K has now undergone intensive restoration work in Switzerland and will be available for auction, with a date and location still to be confirmed. Gooding & Company estimates that the price could reach 16 million dollars, about 14 million euros.