Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95869 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Synopsis
Here, from a Porsche expert with access to company records and the engineers involved, is the full story of the Porsche 917, which in 1997 was voted the world's greatest racing car. The book charts the rivalry between Ferry Porsche's sons and his nephew Ferdinand Poech, the gifted automobile engineer who led the development of the 917; engineers describe the development of turbocharging for road racing and drivers Vic Elford, Brian Redman, Dickie Attwood and Derek Bell describe racing in an era when mistakes could so often prove fatal.

Customer Reviews

Brings the legend of the 917 to life
Arguably the greatest racing car ever built the Porsche 917 has long been a legend in sports car racing. I have long been obsessed with it ever since I first came across motorsport in the early 70's and Peter Morgan's book is a highly readable account of the car's speedy birth, difficult early years and awesome turbo Can-Am twilight years. Those looking for detailed references to technicalities and race statistics are likely to be dissapointed but Morgan really brings the story to life by using liberal quotes from the people who designed and drove the car. It also throws light on what were possibly the golden years of sportscar racing in the late '60s and early '70s when Le Mans was but one of a series of challenging races each year which rivalled F1 for attendances and prestige. If you only ever read one book on the 917 you could do far worse than this one.