Telling the shared story of Pedro Rodríguez and Jo Siffert's exploits at the wheel of the Porsche 917 is to recall one of the pinnacles of endurance racing. It was an era when two exceptional drivers crossed paths with "their" car, the one that solidified their legacy in motorsports.

Once the stability problems recurring in 1969 were solved by Gulf team engineer John Horsman, the Porsche 917 proved nearly invincible in 1970 and 1971. Rodríguez and Siffert were brought together as teammates, but John Wyer had the wisdom not to put them in the same car. In 1970, they joined forces with Finnish driver Leo Kinnunen (Rodríguez) and British driver Brian Redman (Siffert). The strategy paved the way for stunning moments on the track, the most famous of which was the start in the rain at the 1970 1000 km of Spa when Rodríguez and Siffert entered the Raidillon door to door. Over the course of the 1970 and 1971 World Marques Championship seasons, together they secured 11 wins (eight for Rodríguez and three for Siffert), but, in a strange twist of fate neither driver ever won Le Mans with the 917.

After winning three of the first six rounds in the 1970 World Marques Championship, Rodríguez and Kinnunen were the clear favorites to triumph at the 24 Hours. Before Vic Elford clinched the pole, the Mexican driver even became the first to exceed an average 240 kph per lap. He started from the fifth spot, quickly slipping into third position until he was forced to retire with a broken connecting rod just one hour 25 minutes into the race. Having qualified in third place, Siffert almost immediately entered into a duel with pole-sitter Elford. The Swiss driver and teammate Redman snatched the lead in the fourth hour thanks to the rain. Their advantage increased to seven laps overnight, but at mid-race Siffert fatally over-reved his engine in an effort to overtake stragglers. It is noteworthy that he became one of the priviledged participants in Steve McQueen’s movie Le Mans, which continued to be filmed after the race.

At the 1971 24 Hours, Gulf fielded the streamlined version of the 917, called LH for "Langheck" (long tail in German). British drivers Jackie Oliver and Derek Bell joined the outfit as new teammates for Rodríguez and Siffert, respectively. During qualifying, the Mexican driver showed once and for all that he was the uncontested master of the 917 by scoring the first pole position above an average 250 kph (3:13.9).

Rodríguez and Oliver remained in the lead of the race for the majority of the first 11 hours before changing out the car's hub carrier. Returning to the track in third position, the #18 917 LH was later forced to retire at five in the morning with oil pressure troubles. The #17 shared by Siffert and Bell secured the top spot in the second hour before falling victim to an avalanche of problems. The car plummeted in the classification with ignition and hub carrier concerns, climbed back to sixth position, then was forced to retire with an oil leak in the 18th hour.

In the wake of the 24 Hours, on 27 June 1971, Pedro Rodríguez won his final victory with the 917, in Austria with Brian Redman, before his fatal accident at Nuremberg two weeks later on 11 July. Three and a half months after that, on 24 October, Jo Siffert lost his life during the Victory Race, a non-championship event gathering Formula 1 and Formula 5000 single-seaters at the Brands Hatch circuit in the U.K.

Half a century after their deaths, their legacy lives on. Siffert's native Switzerland remembers him as a driver whose talent was forged from simplicity, determination and straightforwardness. And in Mexico, the circuit that in recent years has hosted the FIA World Endurance Championship and Formula 1 is named the Autodromo Hermanos (brothers) Rodríguez, in remembrance of Pedro and Ricardo.

The 24 Hours Museum boasts a priceless gem in its collection: the Porsche 917 LH of Jo Siffert and Derek Bell from the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, restored in 2019 with its original sky blue and orange Gulf Oil colors.

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. At top and above (Copyright - Remi Bloome): along with the 24 Hours Museum's permanent collection, the Porsche 917 LH of Jo Siffert and Derek Bell was also on display last year for the 917 1970: Made for Le Mans exhibition. At center (Copyright - ACO Archives): the short version 917 of Jo Siffert and Brian Redman at the 1970 24 Hours.