917 Remembrance

[bigredbass]

So I was walking around today going '9.17.13, 9.17.13 . . . ' and I kept wondering '9.17, 9.17, . . . . 917, 917, oh YEAH!'
 
THIS is why:
 
http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/06/face-to-face-with-the-destroyer-porsche-917-10-canam/
 
. . . . the great regret of my life is that I never got to see these Great-White-Asphalt-Sharks turn a wheel in anger.  Watch McQueen's 'LeMans', repeat as necessary.  What a car, so terrifyingly fast and barely manageable that well-known racing drivers looked for a way NOT to have to pilot these things.  Nudging 240mph down the Mulsanne straight (when there was no chicane as today) at LeMans, when the areodynamics of these cars was at best an educated guess, and the nose would get light enough at those speeds where you'd have to back out of the throttle to get enough weight on the front end to regain all of your steering.  Have Mercy !  
 
Out of years of memorable race cars from Porsche AG, surely this is one of the foundations of their remarkable legacy, paving the ways for all the RSR's, 935's, 956's, 962's, and on and on.
 
J o e y

[cozmik_cowboy]

Before I clicked, I had a brain fart; was reading 917 & thinking 914.  That's very different........
 
Peter

[lbpesq]

I always thought the 914/6 was pretty cool.  But then again, I drive a 968, the red-headed stepchild Porsche.
 
Bill, tgo

[lbpesq]

Oops! Double post. (I haven't done one of these in a while.)
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by Lbpesq on September 17, 2013)

[elwoodblue]

I had the slot car version
( with a g-plus motor IIRC ).It was my fave.
 
I thought maybe '917' was a '77 Alembic .

[alembic76407]

Bill, Your a Porsche guy too, I've had mine for 18 years
 

[lbpesq]

David:
 
I'm not sure my 968 qualifies me as a Porsche Guy.  I believe most 911 people would say no way  That's actually one of the things I like about the 968!
 
I was looking for a two seat ragtop with a stick manual with enough room for me (6'2), my guitar and amp.  The 968 fit the bill, and little else did.  I have to say, Porsche may have a snobbish elitist rep, but I am very impressed with the design and execution.  I've had mine for three years and during that time it has started the exact same way virtually every single time I've turned the key.  I can't say that about any other car I've ever owned.  
 
So is yours a 924 or 944?  It's hard to tell from the pic.
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on September 19, 2013)
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on September 19, 2013)

[alembic76407]

It's a 1987 944 I got with 50,000 miles an now has 210,000 miles It has NEVER left me on the side of the road, the best built car I've ever owned, and I have owned other Porsches but this 944 can set in the garage for 4 weeks and it will still start on the first turn, the Alembic of car's
 
Sir David T

[pace]

Some amazingly pristine Cayman S models (off lease) have been starting to show up at auction for the past year or so.... I'd really like one, but a dually 2500 diesel Sprinter would much better meet my needs!...

[dfung60]

Interesting theme building up here...  I had a 1984 944 which I bought new back in the day and was my daily driver for almost 5 years.  It was a nice car and very practical although I do remember having the motor mounts changed repeatedly.  
 
I would have kept it forever, but encountered an excellent 1978 930 with very low miles.  My boss at the time was a big Porsche fan who had a 1979 930 that was modded to about 550hp.  I asked him to come take a look a this one and he told me that I should get it and that he was going to take it if I didn't. Even though the 930 is not very practical compared to the 944 (I had a second car by that point anyway), I couldn't really keep two Porsches in the stable.  I've still got the old 930 now!
 
David Fung