Pelican Parts: The Porsche 50th Anniversary Exhibit at the Peterson Museum

1971 Porsche Type 917 Langheck ('Long Tail')

A Lesson In Aerodynamics

For 1971, Porsche continued development of the 917, with the twin goals of winning the world championship and Le Mans. Six 917s started the Le Mans race: three long tails and three short tails. The Porsche 917 short tail of Dr. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep only qualified fifth, but they drove consistently to take the lead in the 13th hour and held it to the finish. Only thirteen cars reached the finish line, but ten of them were Porsches. The lower-drag body of the 917 long tail promised even higher speeds down the nearly four-mile-long Mulsanne Straight. A long-tail 917 set a new speed record during the race at 386 km/h (240 mph). The car on display was running in second place when sidelined by a broken cooling fan.

Engine:

Porsche Type 912 4907 cc mid-mounted 180-degree V12, air cooled, four gear-driven overhead cams, two valves per cylinder

Fuel delivery system:

Bosch mechanical fuel injection

Drivetrain:

Five-speed rear-mounted manual transmission, limited slip differential

Horsepower:

600 hp @ 8400 rpm

Body and Chassis:

Aluminum tube frame, composite body

Weight:

800 kg (1760 lbs.)

Top speed:

386 km/h (240 mph)

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