Porsche 917/30

1972

In November 1972, the first 917/30 with chassis number 001 is created as a test vehicle for the Can-Am racing series. What makes this test vehicle special is its adjustable space frame that is designed for different wheelbase sizes. After the first test drives on the practice circuit in Weissach, the car completes wind tunnel testing at the University of Stuttgart and further test drives on the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet in the south of France. It becomes apparent during testing that a longer wheelbase is advantageous, so the wheelbase is made 184 mm longer than the 917/10, for a total length of 2,500 mm. Soon after, Vic Elford wins on the car’s first outing at the Interserie race in Hockenheim on 15 July 1973. A year later the 917/30-001 wins five out of six Interserie races: Swiss driver Herbert Müller wins four races while Finnish driver Leo Kinnunen secures the fifth victory. Müller achieves another first place with the car at the Interserie opening race in Hockenheim in 1975. Just before the launch of the “50 years of 917” special exhibition in 2019, the 917/30-001 is exhibited in newly restored condition, featuring the livery of its 1975 sponsor, central heating manufacturer Vaillant.

Year: 1972
Engine: 12-cylinder V 180˚ twin turbo
Displacement: 5,374 ccm
Output: 809 kW (1,100 PS)
Weight: 800 kg
Top speed: 385 km/h

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1973: Porsche 917/30
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