Times Five

Porsche racing cars are always awesome, but when they wear an iconic livery they are even better. Here are five, reports Damien O’Carroll.

The Original

The first is a true number 1: the car with the body number 917-001 was a concept/demonstration car completed just two days before the Geneva Motor Show in 1969. It wasn’t even homologated for racing, but it went on display anyway.

The green and white livery was simple and very distinctive, but the car was repainted orange and white for the subsequent Frankfurt motor show.

However, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 917, Porsche used cutting-edge 3D technology to restore this model to its original condition, complete with the green and white colour scheme.

The Pink Pig

The 917/20 from 1971 was an experimental car that was more than 24 centimetres wider than previous 917 iterations and underwent further modifications to improve aerodynamics that lent it a, shall we say, bloated look.

It was ridiculously aerodynamic, however, and brutally fast, although it failed to finish its one attempt at the Le Mans 24-hour race, crashing out while running in fifth place.

It was nicknamed The Pink Pig, thanks to definitive proof that German designers do have a sense of humour. The reworked body inspired them to give the car its distinctive pink finish and apply markings that show cuts of meat.

Shaken, not stirred

Also dating from 1971, the Porsche 917 ‘‘long-tail’’ with a Martini livery is a true legend.

One year earlier this racing car – at that time still bearing a psychedelic green and purple stripe livery – retired from Le Mans due to engine failure. Unfortunately, it was unable to cover the full distance on the Sarthe circuit in the following year either.

What it did do, however, is set a record that stood until very recently – it was the first racing car to set a record average speed of over 240kmh at Le Mans, a record only broken by the Audi R15 TDI in 2010.

The Hollywood star

Not only is the Gulf livery one of the most iconic of all time, the 917 to wear it was also a movie star.

The light blue and orange finish arguably became even more famous because of its appearance in the Steve McQueen film Le Mans and to this day the 917s that wear it have remained some of the most valuable models of 917 because of that.

McQueen had intended to drive the car himself in the race – alongside Jackie Stewart – but their entry wasn’t accepted, so the car shown on screen as McQueen’s was driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman instead.

The Austrian flag

Porsche ranked the 917 in Salzburg Red as its top livery pick for two reasons – it looks awesome, but it also was the first car to claim an overall victory for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970.

Based on the colours of the Austrian flag, the red and white liveried car followed on from a disappointing debut for the 917. The 917K (which stood for ‘‘Kurzheck’’ or ‘‘short tail’’) was developed from an improvised modification at a test session (they took off the plastic engine cover and taped aluminium sheets to the rear!) that instantly improved its stability and aerodynamics.