Every year Monterey Car Week offers automotive enthusiasts the chance to indulge their passions. And this year, at the Pebble Beach Concours, fans had a chance to take an especially deep dive into Porsche Le Mans History.
It’s been exactly 70 years since Porsche won its first race at Le Mans. The Porsche 356 SL was the companies first winning car. And since then, the company has had 19 overall victories as well as 108 class wins. To celebrate, they brought 13 examples of the historically successful Porsche 917 to Monterey. The most famed of the bunch is the 917 KH, a truly incredible machine.
Porsche 917 KH – 1971
The 917KH And Porsche Le Mans History
Very few cars are capable of making the same impact that the Porsche 917 KH did in the same short time that it was used. Completed just eight days before the race in 1971, this rocket on wheels put on a dominant performance.
As the first Porsche in Le Mans History to use a magnesium tubular space frame, it was extremely light. So light in fact that the engineers could integrate the 55-liter oil tank into the chassis. Combing that lightness with a 591 horsepower engine allowed the car to cover 3,315 miles during the race at an average speed of 138 miles per hour.
That’s a record that stood until 2010. Also, it proved to be so efficient that it won the “Index of Performance” award for the most efficient ratio of fuel consumption to displacement. After the historic win, the 917KH retired for good.
Porsche And Its Road Show
Moreover, Porsche has announced that they’ll be taking this incredible show on the road. Monterey is just one stop of 14 total cities.
In fact, more cars will be incorporated as well. So, by the end of the year, Porsche says some 20 cars will be on display in more than 10 different countries. And included in the cars on display will be both the Porsche 919 Hybrid as well as the 962 C. Destinations of the tour include Dubai, Shanghai, and Zandvoort.
Fans outside of those cities still have a chance to enjoy the festivities though. Porsche Experience Centers similar to the one here in SoCal will be operational in Atlanta, Silverstone, and Le Mans as well as other cities.
Traveling display coming to a city near you?
These PECs as Porsche calls them will offer fans the chance to get up close to some real Porsche Le Mans History. And engage in interactive automotive experiences. At Porsche’s home in Stuttgart, fans will have the chance to look into the actual workshop inside the Porsche Museum as work is taking place.
All the latest automotive news HERE.
