The Ultimate Porsche?

I think so... Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls I give you the mighty Porsche 917/30 aka the "Turbo Panzer" aka the "Can-Am Killer".



Can-Am was probably the silliest race series ever. 200 mile "sprint" races for "sports cars" on a pretty much "anything goes" basis. This led to monstrous beasts like 8.3 litre V8 powered MacLarens and the "Low Flying Boeing" March 707/717 with their 8.8 litre V8s.

Can-Am had been a MacLaren benefit for 5 years until Porsche decided to come along and spoil the party in 1972. Ultimately this led to the 1973 917/30, the silliest race car ever to run in that truly silly race series.

It was based on the 917 Le Mans car, but that wasn't nearly powerful enough. So Porsche got tinkering. The end result was

• 12 cylinder 5.4 litre twin-turbo
  
• 1,100 bhp / 1500 bhp+ in race / qualifying trim
  
• 1,112 Nm / 820 lbft
  
• 850kg
  
• 0-62mph 1.9s, 0-100mph 3.9s, 0-200mph 10.9s
  
• @240-260mph depending on gearing
  

In 1975 tri-oval Talladega Superspeedway, the car was configured for top speed running and set a closed course land speed record of 221.160 mph.

Ultimately, the 917/30 was so fast and so powerful that it killed off Can-Am as a series, no-one else was willing to compete.

I would like to see it against a modern F1 car

The F1 car would win by a country mile, of course.

Whilst the Porsche has massive grunt the advances in tyre and brake technology over the past 40 years would surely hand the advantage round a circuit to the F1 car or indeed a modern Le Mans car. In a straight-line drag race, though... who knows

Thats one for Top gear - might email the idea for a fee

0-62mph 1.9s, 0-100mph 3.9s, 0-200mph 10.9s

Those are kind of figures to make you eyes pop out!

would mean it could hit 150mph in about the same time that a 911 of the same era could muster 60

But try driving it over a speed bump

When cars stop looking great my interest dies .... and that looks ugly.

calisfar wrote:But try driving it over a speed bump

Wouldn't get posted on the TG power lap board then

At least one 917 was converted to road-legal use after its racing days were done. That was a closed cockpit one, though, not 917/30.

Mmmm nice, not a 944 but still nice