Due to the aerodynamic instability of the 917 in the 1969, two separate configurations were used in 1970. These were the short-tail Kurzheck version and the less common Langheck or long-tail. Most of the 917’s accolades were achieved by the 917 Kurzheck, leaving the Langheck a less utilized, but ultimately just as potent contender.
The long tail version of the 917 was specially built for high speeds of Le Mans and only used there. Four new cars were made for 1970 – chassis 917-040, 041, 042 and 043. The first one, the 917-040 was lost on April 6, 1970, when Kurt Ahrens jr. crashed it at a high speed test on wet tarmac at the Ehra-Lessien test track. Despite the car desintegrating, Ahrens survived in good condition (19 days later he would race at the Monza 1000 km).
