After a difficult debut season for the original 917 in 1969, the Porsche 917 K brought the German manufacturer to the absolute forefront of international sports car racing. Key to turning the 917 into a winner was the adoption of a the Kurzheck or short-tail that cured the handling issues. Raced for Porsche by several satellite teams and privateers, the 917 K won almost every major race in 1970 and 1971, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Today, we have taken a closer look at four interesting examples of this legendary racer. Seen in action more recently was 917-037, which was raced in the Jarama Classic earlier this month. This car started life as a spare chassis and was more recently restored to the striking Martini livery it wears today. Certainly boasting a strong racing pedigree is 917-016, which is understood to be the only car campaigned by Team Gulf that has survived with its original chassis. Raced predominantly during the 1970 season, it scored three outright wins that year. Also wearing Gulf colours and one of the stars of the movie Le Mans is 917-022, which is now part of comedian Jerry Seinfeld's fabulous Porsche collection. Certainly unique is 917-030; the only road-legal 917. Raced in period, it was later sold to the Rossi family of the Martini & Rossi company. Count Rossi had the car modified and registered for road use. It has survived in this guise and is today still part of the Rossi family.

Enjoy the links:

1970 - 1971 Porsche 917 K - Images, Specifications and Information

1969 Porsche 917 K Chassis 917-016 - Ultimatecarpage.com

1969 Porsche 917 K Chassis 917-022 - Ultimatecarpage.com

1971 Porsche 917 K Chassis 917-030 - Ultimatecarpage.com

1970 Porsche 917 K Chassis 917-037 - Ultimatecarpage.com