GALLERY: Porsche 917 and 919 Hybrid in Malaysia

The Porsche 917 and 919 Hybrid made an appearance at Porsche Centre Damansara last week. One a Le Mans legend, the other aiming to be one, we have detailed photos of the two incredible race machines for you to enjoy.

The first time is always the most memorable, as the saying goes. For Porsche’s motorsport division, the Porsche 917 remains the stuff of legends as it was the first car to bring Porsche to the top step of the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, and then again in 1971. Powered by Porsche’s first ever 12-cylinder engine, it made a “measly” 520 hp in its original state, which rose to an unbelievable 1,000 to 1,500 hp in various states of tune.

The 917 was born as a result of a rule change in 1968 when the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile – commonly known as the FIA, announced a new racing class for cars with engines no larger than 5.0 litres and a minimum weight of 798.3 kg. Other requirements for this class were for participating manufacturers to build 25 road legal examples of the race version. The man tasked with this responsibility was none other than Ferdinand Piëch – current chairman of the Volkswagen Group.

Apart from its famed engine outputs, the 917 also featured numerous weight-saving techniques that were either unheard of in its time or extremely rare. A lightweight space frame chassis which weighed in at a mere 42 kg formed the base, which was then coupled to a 4.5, 4.9 or a 5.0 litre(depending on race configurations) flat-12 engine. One of the most defining feature of the car – also as a result of obsessive weight cutting, was the inclusion of a gearshift knob made out of balsa wood. This small but significant gesture was then echoed in the interior of the Porsche Carrera GT.

The 917 was also known for making an appearance in a variety of distinct paint schemes and liveries, such as the colours of Gulf Oil, a “Pink Pig” version and green-and-purple car – known as the “Hippie Car” – which was fielded by Martini Racing.

As with most race cars of that era, the Porsche 917 was considered a relatively difficult car to drive as quoted by Porsche’s factory driver at that time, Brian Redman, who called it “…incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed.” At the height of its career, the 917 was rumoured to produce a maximum of 1,580 hp during the 1972-1973 Can-Am campaign. The 5.374 litre flat-12 were equipped with twin-turbos that ran up to 39 psi of boost and raced with more or less 1,100 hp to preserve the engine.

Fast forward 44 years later since the 917’s first Le Mans win, Porsche marked a return to the famed endurance race with the introduction of the 919 Hybrid. Designed to compete in the Le Mans Prototype 1-Hybrid (LMP1-H) class, the 919 has a radical 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that’s paired to a lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid motor.

At the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, car number 20, driven by Mark Webber, had looked like it had a podium position bagged when the car suffered a broken anti-roll bar with less than two hours left. Not long after, car number 14 which was driven by Marc Lieb at that time, was forced into the pits with an identical issue. Unfortunately for Porsche, car number 20 was unable to return to the track in time and was not officially classified while car number 14 was classified eleventh.

As of now, only time will tell as the 2014 endurance racing season continues whether or not Porsche would be able to reignite its top-level motorsport glories. With a trip down memory lane in the Porsche 917, here’s something to keep that journey going with a gallery of classic Formula 1 cars – it’ll certainly make for interesting discussions when compared to 2014’s new Formula 1 cars.

Porsche 917

Porsche 919 Hybrid

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Learn more:

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Gregory Sze

An “actor” by training, Gregory Sze realised that he has had enough of drama in his life. Following his number one passion (acting was actually number two), he decided to make the jump into the realm of automotive journalism. He appreciates the simple things in life – a simple car with nothing but back-to-basics mechanical engineering and minimal electronics on board.

 

Comments

  • Semi-Value (Member) on Sep 03, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    pdk only right?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • macan on Sep 03, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      Tun Penasihat tak datang jenguk kah? Porsche fan No.1 lah katakan.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • How dare they park that fugly, disgusting panamera next to the beautiful legendary 917. Blasphemy

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 7
    • paulz on Sep 03, 2014 at 6:50 pm

      Mind your typo, my friend. This car is an ultimate V4 powered hybrid car that can succeed unlimited challenge. They grab their FIRST podium in third position during WEC Silverstone GP after gone hiatus since 98′.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • heybadigol on Sep 03, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Was just admiring the beautiful exterior and spartan interior of the 917. Then realised how low the driver’s seat is, when compared to the rather high-ish steering wheel. How do the drivers see out (especially in front) from the seat?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • AVH (Member) on Sep 03, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    I’ve went to Porsche center Damansara(my first time) to get shots of this 1971 Le Mans monster for my photography page. And the sales people even went as far out to open the interior for me, those lads and lass are one of the best people I have ever met, and honestly hats of to them. I Sat on just the door sill and I was feeling top of the world. The wide wheels, metal welding and the wooden knob harks back to a bygone era of Motorsport racing. It was truly an intimidating machine.

    I was told by another FB page that the 919 is just a replica car, and to be honest, my 919 pictures and the 919 itself at Summernats I find, gets more attention than the 917, and honestly I really felt a little sadden at that fact.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • ‘the Porsche 917 was considered a relatively difficult car to drive as quoted by Porsche’s factory driver at that time, Brian Redman, who called it “…incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed.” ‘

    As the 917 had up to 1580hp, I can imagine that… :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required