917 turns 50

March 12th, 1969, is an important date for some gearheads (like yours truly). On this day, 50 years ago, at the Geneva Motor Show, Porsche unveiled the 917. It was a very important car for the manufacturer, since it was their shot at attempting an overall win at Le Mans. As history shows us, the begining was really rough, but in the end the 917 won not once but twice at La Sarthe.

The first 917 ever, chassis #917-001, has been restored to it’s original condition of that famous homologation photo. After a painstaking and meticulous job that took over an year, the car is ready and is now displayed at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

Up above is a nice short video (3m40s) about the 917 by The Wheel Network.

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