Special exhibition "50 years of the Porsche 917" at the Porsche Museum

TEXTMay 15, 2019 · 3 min

Porsche Museum, automatically translated

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Porsche Museum · 21 Photos

The Porsche 917-001 will be on display in its original condition in the museum for the first time.

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Where it all began - Porsche 917 group photo at Plant 1 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen

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917 group picture at the birthplace Plant 1 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen

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The concept study transfers the design of the 917 into the present day and pays homage to the Le Mans winning car of 1970

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The first victory at Le Mans - Porsche 917 KH in 1970. The original vehicle will be part of the special exhibition

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Two 917 KHs in the famous "Gulf" colors, including the short-tail with starting number 20, competed at Spa-Francorchamps in 1971

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG November Foto-Galerie 2026

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Porsche Type 911 Turbo 3.3 Coupé (1978) - Technology transfer from racing to series production using the example of the brake system

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The special exhibition "50 Years of the Porsche 917 - Colors of Speed" will be on display at the Porsche Museum from May 14 to September 15

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A model wind tunnel demonstrates the aerodynamics of a Porsche 917 to visitors

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Porsche 917 KH Coupé at Le Mans 1971, driver and overall winner - Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko

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The barbecue apron is based on the design of the famous 917/20 with the nickname "Sow"

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In 1970, a 1:4 scale studio model of the Porsche 917/20 "Sau" is created

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The Porsche Design Beefer and the barbecue apron with the "Sau" motif are available in the Porsche Museum store

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The 917 short-tail with the number 23 secured the first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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Lined up as they once were in 1969, when a total of 25 917s required for homologation were assembled in front of Plant 1 for the representatives of the motorsport authorities.

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The first Porsche 917 was presented at the Geneva Motor Show on March 12, 1969.

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The success of the Porsche 917 in motor racing is illustrated by various exhibits.

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So-called "toolboxes" explain the technology of the 917 models to visitors, among other things.

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The special exhibition "50 Years of the Porsche 917 - Colors of Speed" will be a colorful experience.

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The book "50 Years of the Porsche 917" is being published today, May 14, and will be available in bookstores as well as in the museum store

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The book costs 19.80 euros in the Porsche Museum store and 19.95 euros in bookshops

917-Gruppenbild an der Geburtsstätte Werk 1 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen

Die Konzeptstudie transferiert das Design des 917 in die heutige Zeit und ist eine Hommage an das Le Mans Siegerfahrzeug von 1970

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Der erste Sieg in Le-Mans - Porsche 917 KH im Jahr 1970. Das Originalfahrzeug wird Teil der Sonderausstellung sein

Zwei 917 KH in den berühmten „Gulf“-Farben, darunter der Kurzheck mit der Startnummer 20, gingen 1971 in Spa-Francorchamps an den Start

Porsche Typ 911 Turbo 3,3 Coupé (1978) - Technologietransfer vom Rennsport in die Serie am Beispiel der Bremsanlage

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Vom 14. Mai bis zum 15. September wird die Sonderausstellung „50 Jahre Porsche 917 – Colours of Speed“ im Porsche Museum zu sehen sein

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important racing cars in Porsche motorsport history: the Porsche 917. The Porsche Museum is celebrating this anniversary with an extensive special exhibition. Under the title "50 Years of the Porsche 917 - Colors of Speed", 14 exhibits will be on display from May 14 to September 15 - including ten 917 models with a total of 7,490 hp.

917-001 restored to its original condition from 1969

The Porsche 917-001 will be on display in its original condition in the museum for the first time.

As a Group 4 sports car, the 917 was specially designed for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the one-make world championship. The number one was built in 1969 as the first of a total of 25 cars required for homologation. The 917-001 marks the start of an unprecedented series of successes and is therefore the highlight of the special exhibition. Museum mechanics, former technicians and engineers from Zuffenhausen and Weissach, the Porsche AG Historical Archive and partner companies worked together for more than a year to bring it back to life. It is now on display for the first time in the condition in which it was presented to the world public at the Geneva Motor Show on March 12, 1969.

917 hatchback - the Le Mans winners of 1970 and 1971

The 917 short-tail with the number 23 secured the first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Further highlights of the special exhibition are the two winning cars of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. In 1970, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood succeeded in achieving the first of 19 overall victories for Porsche at the Sarthe in the 917 KH with starting number 23 in the world-famous red and white Salzburg design. The following year, Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep managed to repeat this success. With an average speed of 222.3 km/h and a distance covered of 5,335 kilometers, they set two records that would stand for 39 years.

The fascinating technology of the Porsche 917 in detail

So-called "toolboxes" explain the technology of the 917 models to visitors, among other things.

In addition to seven other examples of the 917 - including the 917 PA Spyder, which became a test car with a 16-cylinder engine, as well as the long-tail and turbo versions - the special exhibition also provides deeper insights into the technology. Numerous small exhibits such as crankshafts, running sets, camshafts and turbochargers illustrate the high art of the twelve-cylinder engine designed by Hans Mezger. Fiberglass components from the restoration phase of the 917- 001 show the high standard of body construction at the time.

The 911 Turbo reflects the transfer of technology from racing to series production. Having previously been used successfully in the 917/10 and 917/30, turbo technology made its first appearance in a Porsche production sports car in 1974. A short time later - for the 1978 model year - the 911 Turbo also benefited from a brake system that had previously been developed in a very similar form for the 917. The brake callipers were designed as a fixed calliper construction, made of light alloy as in the racing car, and had four pistons.

The 917 as inspiration for Porsche engineers and designers

The Porsche Design Beefer and the barbecue apron with the "Sau" motif are available in the Porsche Museum store

The extent to which the 917 has remained in the minds of Porsche engineers and designers over the decades is demonstrated by two further exhibits: a 1:4 scale studio model from 1970, which represents one of the designs created during the development of the 917/20 "Sau". This model was further developed into a visionary vehicle of the future by the team led by Anatole Lapine, head of design at the time, which even featured a computer unit in addition to its streamlined body.

More than 40 years later, the designers take up the 917 theme again - this time in the form of a design study entitled "917 Living Legend", which the Porsche Museum presents to the public for the first time as part of the special exhibition. This 1:1 model in plasticine was created in 2013 to mark Porsche's return to the LMP1 class and thus to endurance racing. A small team of designers, aerodynamicists, package specialists, chassis and drive engineers created this homage to the legendary 917 with the starting number 23 in the "Salzburg design" in just six months.

Interactive elements and an anniversary book

Visitors can experience the "racing car of the century" using a total of six toolboxes: In addition to the fascinating technology of the 917, they focus on the racing circus of those days, brand sponsorship and the technology transfer of the 917 to later racing and production vehicles. Interactive media stations help visitors to experience the history of the 917 - in a multimedia format, with gripping film scenes from the racing events of the time.

A model wind tunnel demonstrates the aerodynamics of a Porsche 917 to visitors

Numerous racing posters and small exhibits round off what is probably the Porsche Museum's most powerful special exhibition to date. To mark the 50th anniversary of the racing icon, the museum store is also offering a special selection of 917 products for sale, including the anniversary book "Colors of Speed - 50 Years of the Porsche 917" from the "Edition Porsche Museum" series and a grill shooter designed as a tribute to the 917/20 "Sau".