Porsche 919 and 917/30: A Meeting of Racing Legends
Daily Slideshow: Two of motorsports' biggest icons get together for a rare photo op.
Brothers in Spirit
Porsche has been synonymous with motorsport since the first 356 was conceived. From the very start, Porsche set its sights on developing high-performance road cars using racing as a catalyst for research and development. Thus, we've been treated to some incredible, record-breaking race cars over the years. But few have had the level of success of the legendary 917/30 and its spiritual successor, the 919 Evo.
Rare Photo Op
Thus, the fact that Porsche took the pair on a whirlwind tour together makes perfect sense. The historic meetup took place on the 919 Evo's final stop on its "919 Tribute Tour" at Rennsport Reunion VI. The largest gathering of historic and current racing and road-going Porsches was a perfect venue for the two to "get together" for a rare photo op.
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Dominant Performers
Though they came about 4 decades apart, both the 917 and 919 share some attributes, both were simply dominant during their time on the track. From 2015-2017, the 919 won the Le Mans 24-hour race three times in a row as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC for manufacturers and drivers in those years.
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Beginning of an Era
The 917 was no less impressive. In fact, it secured Porsche its first two – of what has now become a total of 19 – outright Le Mans victories back in 1970 and 1971. It also helped the brand win the manufacturers’ title in the World Sportscar Championship those same years.
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Forced Retirement
Technical regulations are also what spurned the eventual retirement of both the 917 and 919. The 919's goal (aside from winning races), was to develop hybrid technology for road car use. For Porsche, Formula E now offers better opportunities to pursue these endeavors. The 917, on the other hand, saw its 12-cylinder engine banned from competition because it was simply too dominant.
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Going out with a Bang
Of course, neither of these cars went out without leaving their mark in the history books. For the 917, that meant evolving into the 917/30 and dominating CanAm racing, scoring driver Mark Donahue 6 of 8 wins and a championship in 1973, not to mention a long-standing world speed record secured at Talladega Superspeedway in 1975.
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Legends of Motorsport
The 919 Evo, of course, shattered the ages-old Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record with two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard behind the wheel. Thus, it's hard to think of two legendary Porsche machines that deserve to sit side-by-side than these two legends of motorsport!
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