After limiting the displacement of prototypes to three litres in 1972, the Porsche 917, Le Mans winning and winner of the World Championship of Brands in 1970 and 71, went into exile in the Can Am Challenge, in Canada and the United States. Its 12 litre five-cylinder could not compete with the big V8 engines usually of seven litres, and a decision was taken to increase the engine power of the 917 by fitting a turbocharger. With an open body, the 917/10 could achieve  over 800 hp and dominated the 1972 season with the American George Follmer. In 1973, Porsche pushed a further evolution: the engine switched to 5.4 litres and the 917/30 showed a power to weight ratio of 1100 hp compared to 800 kilos! In 1973, the driver and engineer Mark Donohue  took the wheel and won the title without a fight in 1973, before the promoters of Can Am imposed a drastic reduction in fuel consumption which excluded the 917 /30.

When the Porsche 936 appeared for the first time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976,  a certain familiarity was found with the 917/30, particularly at the rear, with the long tail section at the side connected by a very high fin, and also at the front, with the louvres located at the end of the bonnet. The 2.6-litre turbo engine also received lessons from the block from the 917/30 ... A brilliant technical heritage that made 936 the first prototype turbocharged winner at the Sarthe, driven by Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep. The memory of the 917/30, created just forty years ago is an essential and overlooked chapter of the saga of Porsche at Le Mans, it is good to remember this, while the Stuttgart company prepares a comeback in prototypes in 2014.

Find out in the video with the Porsche 917/30 with onboard camera at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​2011 (UK), driven by the British driver  Brian Redman, an expert in the  917 with the blue and orange colours of Gulf in 1970 and 1971. Commentary in English.
For more pictures please visit: www.lemans-tv.com.

To learn more about the history of Porsche at he Le Mans 24 Hours, please visit the microsite Mission 2014 - Our Return.