By 1969, Porsche develops the 917 Spyder with a view to competing in the extremely popular Canadian American Challenge Cup (Can-Am). There were two 917 Spyders created by the factory, chassis 917-027 and -028. The 027 was a test car and the 028 with a 4.5-litre twelve cylinder, was made for action in the hands of Jo Siffert. The car becomes known as the 917 PA Spyder, with “PA” standing for “Porsche + Audi” as they are the two sales organisations in the US at the time.
The second car serves as a test vehicle, becoming famous in 1971 when it is used to test the most powerful naturally aspirated race engine ever built at Porsche: a sixteen-cylinder engine with 6.5-litre displacement and 755 PS, developed in a Turbo technology. The 917 Spyder aluminium frame is reinforced and extended to accommodate the engine’s extra 25 cm length, taking the race car’s weight up to 841 kg. This 917 Spyder is destined instead for the Porsche Museum in October 1971.
In the Can-Am, the 917-028 (originally the PA) received a new shorter nose and rear fins during the season. The rear fins had appeared in the beginning of 1971 on all factory team 908/03 and 917 K racing cars and some private teams also upgraded their cars with that new feature.
Three racing teams in Europe built their own 917 spyders for the 1971 Interserie. These cars were built from the previously crashed 917 coupé chassis. 917-026 was the first Spyder to enter racing in Europe, then 917-007 and then 01-021 (not a Porsche chassis number). The 01-021 AAW Racing team was created using some parts of 917-021 and remains of chassis 917-015. The 01-021 chassis car gets a 5.4-litre engine, the first of this size among the 917s.
For 1972 Interserie one more 917 Spyder was created from chassis 917-031. It was the chassis of the 1970 Zeltweg 1000 km winning and the 1971 Le Mans 2nd place 917 K coupé.
The 917-028 (originally the PA), gets a 4.5-litre turbo engine by the end of October for the last Can-Am race of the 1972 season. For 1973, the 917-028 (ex PA), got a body of the 917/10.
Porsche 917 chassis 01-021
On April 10th 1970, chassis 021, in Kurzheck trim, was sold to Racing Team AAW run by Finnish industrialist, Antii Aarnio-Wihuri. He established Racing Team AAW to support promising Finnish drivers like Hans Laine, Leo Kinnunen, Pauli Toivonen and Sten Axelsson.
An ex-works Porsche 908/02 was purchased (chassis 011) which for 1970 was joined by the 917 and a pair of 911 STs.
Hans Laine and his Dutch co-driver, Gijs van Lennep, took fourth overall and won the Group 6 class on their maiden outing of 1970 with the 908/02 at the Brands Hatch 1000km.
In the Nürburgring race, Hans Laine got killed in an accident with the 908. Despite this, David Piper, who brought backing from drinks firm Sandeman joined Van Lennep for the 24h LeMans race in the 917 chassis 021.
The 917 retired in the race after 122 laps. David Piper had been off track and damaged the front bodywork when lying third. 021 was mended back at the pits but the crash had knocked the wheels out of alignment and, shortly after, Gijs van Lennep went back out a tyre blew at 180mph. Big damage to the bodywork.
Chassis 021 was sent back to Porsche for repair. However, because there was little time before AAW’s next race at the Norisring two weeks later, the mechanical components were stripped from 021 and rebuilt around a new chassis: 012.
For carnet reasons 012 continued to race as 021. It is however unclear whether the original chassis 021, once repaired, was used as the basis for AAW’s 917 Spyder or a new chassis was simply numbered 01-021 for carnet reasons...
Chassis 01-021 contested all seven races that made up the 1971 Interserie Championship. The 917’s reliability and Kinnunen’s consistency (he only failed to finish of the podium twice) delivered Porsche its second Interserie title.
After the 1971 Interserie Championship had concluded, the AAW Racing Team entered 01-021 for one final race: the non-championship Paris 1000km at Montlhery where Kinnunen and Gerard Larrousse came home second behind the Gulf Racing 917 K of Derek Bell- Gijs van Lennep.
At the end of what had been a very successful season, chassis 01-021 returned to Porsche who subsequently loaned it to Ernst Kraus for a trio of late season Interserie races in 1972 after Kraus’s own 917 Spyder (chassis 031) had incurred damage at Hockenheim. In his three outings with the now plain white 01-021, Kraus finished eighth around Keimola and posted DNFs at the Norisring and Hockenheim.
During 1973, chassis 01-021 was used for three races by the Finn, Lasse Sirvio, who finished in the top ten at all three of his outings with the car. In 1974, 01-021 is believed to have been used for a one-off appearance by Swede, Sten Hillgard.
Chassis 01-021 remained in its Spyder format until 1999 when, under the ownership of Bob Rapp, it was converted by Gunnar Racing to 917 K trim. The car remained in this form until it was purchased by Bob Rapp in 1999. It was known that the car had previously been a Coupe, with a chance of it having been an ex-Gulf/Wyer car. After thoroughly stripping the chassis to bare metal, and under careful inspection, the electrical cut off switch brackets were found on the rear chassis tubes. This switch location was unique to Gulf/Wyer cars. Upon research, some of the missing 917 chassis numbers were 003, 009, and 015. The facts pointed to this being 917-015, and the process began to turn it back into the 917K that won the Daytona 24-hour race in 1970, driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen (race #2). It's interesting that Kinnunen won the Interseries Championship in a spyder manufactured from the chassis that won Daytona the previous year.
Kevin and Bob Rapp felt that 917-01-021 (the spyder), which was very historic, should not be lost forever. A new chassis was constructed, using the original roll bar and rear section of the chassis. All of the original suspension, engine, gearbox and bodywork from the spyder will be reinstalled on the 90% new chassis.
The reconstructed Kinnunen 917 Spyder made its debut at the 4th HSR Brumos Daytona Historics.
More to read on : https://www.gunnarracing.com/project/917spyder
The Gulf Oil-backed John Wyer Automotive Engineering squad entered this Porsche in the 24 hours of Le Mans 1970. It was driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood but failed to finish after it aquaplaned and crashed into a stationary Alfa Romeo during the fifth hour. However, chassis 026 (which wore number 22 in that race movie) proved the inspiration for the winning car in Steve McQueen’s seminal movie Le Mans. . This 917K with race number 22 crosses the line first driven by co-star Christopher Waite, after McQueen’s haunted character Michael Delaney sacrifices his own chances to ensure a team victory.
After Le Mans, 917-026 was dismantled at JW Automotive, and the original chassis rebuilt by the factory in Spyder form and designated 917-031/026. Thus reborn with 5 litre engine numbered 917-031 retained today, she enjoyed three further period seasons in the European Interserie Championship.
For 1971 chassis 026 was sold to Team Shell Heckersbruch and raced by Jurgen Neuhaus in a stunning yellow and red livery. After one race in 1972, the 917 passed to George Loos whose team campaigned it until 1973.
Since retirement 917-031/026 has been held in just four private collections befitting its superstar status. From 1974 she was in the ownership of the Chandon family of Champagne fame and kept at the Mas du Clos museum of French collector Pierre Bardinon. From 1987 she was for 22 years held and raced by Florida collector Michael Amalfitano at U.S. events, restored and prepared by Bill Bradley racing and the engine rebuilt to 5.4L.
Under present ownership since 2012, the renowned Paul Lanzante Ltd undertook a major restoration to the very highest standards, reinstating the iconic Gulf-liveried enclosed coupe bodywork (whilst retaining the factory Spyder body for posterity).
This is the 1970 Jurgen Neuhaus Posrche in Spyder configuration. In 1971 used by Michael Weber for the Gesipa Team.
