In 1969 it was make-or-break time for Porsche. After over a decade of dominating small-bore racing, the factory team was ready to go for overall honors at the major endurance races, and at Le Mans in particular. Porsche was well known in the marketplace for creating the 911, the best 2-liter sports car in the world, but had recently seen its turf invaded by the Ferrari Dino and was competing price-wise with the bigger-engined Corvette and Jaguar. Porsche wanted to be known as the builder of the fastest racing cars in the world, not just as class winners. But the main obstacle to victory wouldn’t come from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ford, or Matra, but from inside Porsche itself.
Taking advantage of a loophole big enough to drive a rulebook-beater through, Porsche created the 917 to dominate the World Championship of Makes. Photo: Harold Pace
The decision to build the 917 was forged in 1967 when the FIA announced its upcoming regulations for the 1968 season. In an effort to reduce the blinding top speeds of the 7-liter Ford GTs, Group 6 prototypes would now be restricted to 3 liters. This was thought to play directly into the hands of Porsche, who had been building the quickest cars of that type. Indeed, in 1966, the three winning Ford GTs were followed across the line at Le Mans by three diminutive Porsche 906L long-tail models with 2-liter engines.
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