Skip to content

PLEASE NOTE: Customs/import tax charges may be added to your order. The courier will notify you of any such charges by SMS or email.

PLEASE NOTE: Customs/import tax charges may be added to your order. The courier will notify you of any such charges by SMS or email.

David Piper Porsche 917
December 5, 2020

Porsche 917 ex-David Piper

By Michael Kliebenstein

One day I got a surprise call to view an interesting Porsche in northern Germany.

The car in question I knew only from pictures and the occasional Nürburgring appearance in the ‘80s. It was David Piper‘s old 917 war-horse Fahrgestell Nummer 5-LT, the car he probably raced most.

He built it up in the ‘70s on an original 917 chassis which he managed to acquire from Zuffenhausen’s Sportteilelager. After completion he stamped the new car with a non-917 serial number to avoid future misunderstandings with 5-LT (LT for Long Tail) - a good thing to do.

Fahrgestell Nummer 5-LT

 

Piper sold it in the 1990s to a Brazilian gentleman, who had an accident with the car and damaged the engine. Not easy to restore, it languished for a while and was eventually sold to top level Porsche collector Dirk Sadlowski, who restored the car meticulously with great attention to detail and kept the original engine, gearbox and chassis together.

It is race ready and extremely well set-up. I drove it, loved it and it’s pure perfection. 

 

Read other articles by Michael Kliebenstein

Filed in: Behind the Scenes, Michael Kliebenstein
Previous article Packaging F1’s magic

Comments

Joseph - April 30, 2021

Hello,

I was wondering if you could tell me whether or not Dirk is still in possession of the Piper 917. Someone recently reached out to me asking if I knew a buyer for the pair of Piper 917’s. I’m finding the hard to believe the person asking me is in contact with the the current owners of a pair.

Leave a comment

Comments must be approved before appearing

* Required fields