Porsche have chosen a significant anniversary to tease the forthcoming June reveal of a likely roadgoing version of their Porsche 963 LMDH hypercar with this image forming a part of an online video posted yesterday.
Monday April 28 will see the 50th anniversary of the date that a one-off Porsche 917 race car left the Weissach development centre, bound not for the race track but instead, and for the very first time, it took to public roads.
It was a project driven by the passion of a private owner (Italian businessman and Martine heir Gregorio Rossi di Montelera – known more simply as “Count Rossi”, a renowned powerboat racer, bobsledder and Porsche enthusiast) and the commitment of a small team within Porsche.
That first drive was not simply a brief potter around the local Weissach roads, the car was driven immediately to Paris – several hundred miles later!
The car – 917 chassis 30 – which was originally raced, featured an array of changes that dominated endurance racing in the early 1970s. Some of the enhancements were mandated by the laws of the time, and others at the request of its owner –
Finished in Martini Silver, the car featured a set of rudimentary exhaust mufflers, additional mirrors, side indicators and even a horn. It carried the mandatory spare tire beneath its rear clamshell. Inside there were small concessions to comfort – the two seats (a requirement for endurance racers of this period) were re-finished in tan leather (commissioned from Hermes) with accompanying suede surfacers for the roof lining, doors and dashboard.
The gear shifter retained the same wooden finish as the racers, and even kept the same drilled, lightweight key. The car originally wore an Alabama license plate obtained by Count Rossi.
Today the car is still enjoyed by its owner, Francois Perrodo, on the open roads in the south of France where it resides (Watch DSC in the coming days for more on this!) now registered in the U.K. and having undergone recent restoration work (albeit preserving its original paint and interior) to prepare it for its next half century.
So, 50 years on, just what will Porsche reveal in June?
