The rain poured down for much of the 1970 Le Mans, but that wasn’t enough to keep the movie cameras away. Much of the action from the race was used in the 1971 Steve McQueen film of the same name; with the Porsche 917 playing a supporting role.

 

Here we see the 917K, driven by the team of Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood, cruising through the deluge on their way to claim Porsche’s first-ever win at Le Mans.

 

Hermann, who was 43 at the time, promised his wife before the race that if he won, he would immediately retire from racing. He had only been half-joking, but after having witnessed too many tragic deaths in the past, and having just earned the most dramatic win of his career, he decided to make good on his promise and finish his career with a happy ending. 

 

If someone were to make a list of the greatest racecars ever made, the Porsche 917 would almost certainly have to be on it. In fact, the 917 makes a pretty good case for itself to be the greatest racecar of all time. Acclaimed as “The Greatest Racing Car of all time” by Motor Sport Magazine in 1997 and declared as the “Car of the Century at Le Mans” in the 2000 edition of the Le Mans race, the Porsche 917 made history when it gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Our artworks capture the most influential races in Porsche history.

 

 

 

 

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