Porsche's Technological Innovations Part 10: The 917

At the end of the 1960s, even though it had already secured 28 class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche had never achieved an overall win. The company, which remained very much a “daughter and granddaughter” of the Porsche family, found in Ferry’s cousin a man determined to change that. His name was Ferdinand Piëch (to find out more, click here: Unforgettable Car Geniuses: Ferdinand Piëch) who, loyal to the tradition of air-cooled boxer engines, saw a new opportunity in the 24 Hours’ updated regulations that allowed up to 5000cc for naturally aspirated engines. He instructed Hans Mezger to create a V12, naturally in boxer configuration, for a model that would be named the 917.