Porsche 917 vs Porsche 956/962: Which was better?

[gt917]

Originally Posted by nobster

I have to go for the 917, have it's engine sound at full throttle as my mobile ringtone. what a gorgeous peace of work that car was. I remember two or three years ago in the paddock at Le mans there was a replica of the 917 in Gulf colours in front of the Barazi Motorhome.

That was me and we still run and represent Gulf Oil UK with it. Glad you liked it.

GT.

[gt917]

I should add that i was at LeMans in 1970 and took cine 8 film of the race, including the camera car, shooting film for the movie itself.

I fell in love with the Gulf 917Ks there and then. Raw, brutal, beautiful racing cars and i can tell you that without the 906, 908, 910 and finally the intense development work of the 917, you would not of had the long term success of the 956/962.

It is very easy for those who never experienced the 917s and the big boys in real racing from 1969 through to 1971 to rate the later cars as being better. Thats understandable ....... on paper.

But to have been there and witnessed them at 240 mph on the Mulsanne, the sound of the flat 12 and the looks, oh the looks of those 917s. All that era of cars with their vunerability and relative lack of the technology that was to follow rapidly, deserve total respect.

Yes, i wish i was younger, but boy am i glad i was around in those days.

GT.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by gt917

I should add that i was at LeMans in 1970 and took cine 8 film of the race, including the camera car, shooting film for the movie itself.

I fell in love with the Gulf 917Ks there and then. Raw, brutal, beautiful racing cars and i can tell you that without the 906, 908, 910 and finally the intense development work of the 917, you would not of had the long term success of the 956/962.

It is very easy for those who never experienced the 917s and the big boys in real racing from 1969 through to 1971 to rate the later cars as being better. Thats understandable ....... on paper.

But to have been there and witnessed them at 240 mph on the Mulsanne, the sound of the flat 12 and the looks, oh the looks of those 917s. All that era of cars with their vunerability and relative lack of the technology that was to follow rapidly, deserve total respect.

Yes, i wish i was younger, but boy am i glad i was around in those days.

GT.

Raw. Best description. Just awesome cars. Take nothing away from the 956/962, but they simply would exist if it was not for the heritage of which the 917 was a huge part of.

[Broadclystboy]

Define 'better'?

(OK I've worked in IT for 40 years)

The term iconic has been used a number of times in this thread and means different things for different generations.

I was induced (non-IT) into the sport in 1963 when there was a 1.5 litre Formula 1.

The appearance of the 917 (I saw Pedro at Brands Hatch) and the Interserie versions at Silverstone in 73 / 74 took racing cars to a different quantum level. As did the turbo F1 cars in the early 1980s.

So in change terms the 917 is 'better'.