The Pocher Porsche 917K: approved by Derek Bell

When we start designing a new Pocher model kit, we know that one day, the driver/owner/designer of the original car will want to see our replica. No matter how many times we hand over our newly created model to the person behind the original machine, it is always a nerve-racking experience. Want to know what Derek Bell, the legendary driver of the Porsche 917K in 1971, thought of our finished model? Read on!

Delighting the legend

We met up with Derek Bell at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to hand over our built Pocher model. He was delighted with the design, and spent a long time examining it, discovering which parts move and basking in the glory of the replica of a car that made his career. He said:

“The Porsche 917 is a car that personally means a great deal to me, and I was thrilled when Pocher chose it for their next big launch. The attention to detail and craftsmanship in the Pocher Porsche 917 model is astonishing. It truly captures the spirit and essence of a car that I once drove. I feel anyone with a love for motorsports and cars will appreciate the dedication and precision that has gone into creating this remarkable replica."

Talking to a racing icon

Despite years of meticulous research, designing and building ensuring that this Pocher model was as close to the original as possible, our Lead Engineer, George, was still anxious to get Derek Bell’s approval. He said:

“I really enjoyed meeting Derek Bell, he was such a gentleman and very welcoming. We spoke for a while about all the races he’d competed in whilst racing the 917 and his knowledge of them after some 50 years was spot on, remembering each as if it were yesterday, including Monza.

“There are some unusual parts of the car which were only implemented for a few races, and I asked him about some of them. He recalled a few stories about each and how they worked. I also remember looking at a photo of him trying to fix a 917 on the side of a track - he told me the story of how his throttle had broken and he’d found a stick to jam it open enough to get back to the pits. A great story and personally very interesting for me to get an answer to the question I’d wondered about for a while.

“We then gifted him a built model which he appreciated, and he loved the detail we’d put into it, and we could speak about all of the different variations of 917, of which there are a lot.”

So, looks like the Porsche 917K model is another success story for Pocher! And if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing your own, you now have the blessing of Derek Bell himself! Think about that as you carefully put all 312 parts together!