Synopses & Reviews
After knocking on the door for decades, Germany's Porsche finally stepped into the big time of international auto racing with its Type 917 in 1969. Its phenomenal air-cooled flat-12 engine powered the 917 to 15 wins in world sports-car championship races from 1969 to 1971, after which it was outlawed by a rules change. Included were two wins at Le Mans in 1970 and '71. First built in a series of 25 coupes that Volkswagen chief Ferdinand Piech called the biggest risk he's ever taken in business, the 917 was raced in both short- and long-tailed forms, pumping out 630 bhp by 1971. It went on to even greater glory in turbocharged roadster form in Can-Am racing as the 917/10, series champion in 1972. In '73 the incredible 1,000-horsepower 917/30 Porsche dominated the Can-Am series in the hands of Mark Donohue, who called it "the perfect racing car". The 917 stands proud in Porsche's history as the costly and daring machine that decisively ended the company's underdog status in international motor sport.
About the Author
Karl Ludvigsen has a distinguished record of accomplishment at senior levels throughout the worldwide motor industry. He has received wide recognition for his work as an editor, journalist, historian and author. Not only has he been employed at senior levels with Ford of Europe, Fiat North America, and General Motors, but he has also been involved in editorial roles with Motor Trend magazine, Auto Age, and Sports Car Illustrated and Car and Driver. Ludvigsen is in demand from the press of North America and Europe as a source of information on industry trends, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences. Currently, Ludvigsen acts as Chairman of Ludvigsen Associates Limited (a consulting company), Managing Director of Euromotor Reports Limited and Director of Ludvigsen Library Limited.