The story of our Porsche 917K
Who can resist the allure of a powerful Porsche 917K? This legend of the racetrack exploited gaps in racing legislation to become one of the most iconic and successful race cars of all time. And, with its striking Gulf livery, it stood out for all the right reasons.
About Porsche
Founded by Ferdinand Porsche and his son in 1948, the company’s mission was to create the ultimate sportscar.
Their first successful effort was the Porsche 365, followed closely by the 550 Spyder. Ferdinand Porsche had worked at Daimler Benz and helped create the Volkswagen Beetle, so he had a lot of experience with popular cars. The first Porsche had a Beetle engine, prioritising comfort and reliability. But, by the 1950s, Porsche cars had their own engine and the cars become more powerful.
These early years helped to cement the brand’s name as one of luxury and performance, setting a strong benchmark for the industry.
About the Porsche 917K
By the time the company started building the 917 models, it had been in business for quite some time, giving senior figures a confidence that was essential in the race world.
Race regulations in 1970 dictated that all competition cars had to have engines of less than three litres unless created in batches of 25 or more. Porsche took this challenge and manufactured 25 4.5 litre 917s, with the aim of finally winning the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The 917 wasn’t instantly successful and so it underwent a few variations, one of which was the 917K. This car won seven out of the ten races it competed in, including the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. Of the 48 cars that started that race, 33 were Porsches, so the odds were in their favour.
The blue and orange car that our Pocher model is inspired by was driven by Derek Bell and Jo Siffert in the 1971 1000km Monza event. It came second in that race, losing to Porsche 917 teammates Pedro Rodriguez and Jackie Oliver.
The 917s did so well, that they were ultimately banned when organisers imposed a fuel-limit on turbo-charged cars in 1974. Porsche had no choice but to pull their cars from competitive racing and set their sights on America instead.
About the Pocher model
This Pocher model has been two years in the making, with a beautiful new tooling, but what a beauty it is. A perfect replica of Derek Bell and Jo Siffert’s famous car, it is highly detailed and meticulously crafted, so that you feel as though you are building the real thing.
We are the only model kit brand to create this particular variant of the car, including the vertical tail fins of the 1971 model. These tail fins were responsible for solving all the problems the car had with instability and turned the 917 into a race-winner.
With a high die-cast metal content, this is one of our heavier models, weighing 6kg. This 1:8-scale model has over 300 pre-painted pieces to put together, giving you roughly 30 hours of kit-building fun. There’s no timer though, the complete kit is in every box so you can build your 917K at your own pace.
Will this Porsche be the latest luxury car to grace your collection? With its stunning blue and orange Gulf livery, it surely deserves centre-stage on your display shelf – don’t forget to buy a case to place your creation in to keep it in tip-top condition!
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