Porsche 917 - The autobiography of 917-023 (Limited Edition)

A stunning Limited Edition, bound in red leather with gilt edges, and cased in a grey cloth slipcase. As a special touch, there is an embossed reproduction of the chassis number on the front of the book.  This leather-bound deluxe edition is limited to just 100 copies and is signed by the author.

Signed by Ian Wagstaff and Richard Attwood

This magnificent book (the second title in our 'Great Cars' series) tells the story of the most important Porsche 917 of all – the one that gave Porsche its first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 1970 the world’s greatest sports car race was ravaged by periods of torrential rain but through it all came 917-023, driven by  Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood, to achieve a landmark success for the German manufacturer.

Le Mans 24 Hours, 1970

This 917 was short-tailed and powered by a 4.5-litre engine, whereas Porsche’s ‘hot-shot’ drivers were all in 4.9-litre cars, two of them aggressive-looking, long-tailed versions. On top of that, one of 023’s drivers was ill: Richard Attwood, unbeknownst to him at the time, had mumps and could eat hardly anything. Attwood and co-driver Hans Herrmann found themselves in front after others struck trouble and then had to defend their lead in atrociously wet weather – in the book Attwood describes how he had to battle with ‘an unbelievably dangerous track and seemingly impossible conditions’. Thanks to Ian Wagstaff’s meticulous research, which has included interviews with all six of 023’s surviving drivers, this is a richly detailed book that all fans of the Porsche 917 – and sports-car racing in general – will adore.