Porsche 917 - The autobiography of 917-023

This most important Porsche 917 of all – the one that gave Porsche its first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The second book in the Great Cars Series

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. This book provides detailed insight into not only this race but also the six others in which 917-023 took part, supported by a superb collection of period photographs, many in colour. All Porsche fans will love this addition to the 'Great Cars' series. 

• The complete life story of Porsche 917-023, which won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1970.

• The car’s seven races covered in detail, from the 1970 Brands Hatch 1,000Km to the 1971 Daytona 24 Hours.

• All surviving drivers of 917-023 specially interviewed for this book: Hans Herrmann, Richard Attwood, Vic Elford, Kurt Ahrens, Gérard Larrousse and Gijs van Lennep.

• The works-assisted teams – Porsche Salzburg in 1970, Martini in 1971 – outlined in detail, including interview input from mechanic Helmut ‘Käfer’ Frauenschuh.

• Nearly 300 period photographs, many previously unpublished, supported by a portfolio of specially commissioned studio photography.

 'Thanks for offering this service. I have many of your books. Your book on Porsche 917-023 is the finest book in my collection of 350 hardcover titles. You won't ever do a greater book, but I encourage you folks to try!!'  Major Irvine Brown

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.