1973 Porsche 917/30 Sports Racer

The 917 Race Car gave Porsche its first overall win at LeMans in 1970 and 1971. That set the stage for the futuristic, technologically advanced 917/30.

The original 917 was designed by their chief engineer Hans Mezger under instructions from Ferdinand Piech. It was Porsche's first 12 cylinder engine and was built out of ultra-lightweight materials. The later iteration Porsche 917/30 was the most powerful sports racer ever built. 'It is to me the perfect racing car,' said Indy 500, Can-Am and Trans Am Champion Mark Donohue of Porsche's 1500 hp 917/30. It carried him to six victories in eight races and to the 1973 Can-Am Championship. After nearly a half-century Porsche's 917/30 is still the most powerful circuit racing car ever made. While no one knows the car's ultimate top speed it easily achieved speeds of over 200 mph at circuits like Watkins Glen and Riverside. It set a closed-course speed record of 221.16 mph at Talladega Superspeedway in 1975. Now 50 years later, that remains the fastest lap ever recorded on the steeply banked Alabama superspeedway.

This example, chassis number 003, is one of two 917/30's used by Team Penske during the Can-Am Challenge series in 1973. As the primary car, Mark Donohue drove the car and captured the 1973 Can-Am Championship. It not only won races, it dominated. Donohue and 003 won Mid-Ohio, Road America, Edmonton, Laguna Seca and Riverside in 1973. He had placed second at Road Atlanta and then won the final five races of the season in a row, securing a second Can-Am championship for Porsche and Penske. The following year, Britan Redman used the car and finished second at Mid-Ohio (its only race of the 1974 Can-Am season). In 1975, 003 was modified for a closed-course speed record attempt at Talladega, Alabama. Driven by Mark Donohue, it set a new record at 221.12 mph. This record would stand for 11 years and is still the fastest lap at Talladega.

Chassis 003 had just a few prior owners before the current owner acquired the car gave it a thorough restoration. in 1976 it was sold to Otis Chandler. In 1983, ownership passed to Jacques Setton who retained the car until 2015. The current owner had the car restored by Canepa Motorsport.

917/30-003 RACE HISTORY - 1973

Can-Am Road Atlanta, 2nd place

Can-Am Mid-Ohio, 1st place

Can-Am Road Atlanta, 1st place

Can-Am Edmonton, 1st place

Can-Am Laguna Seca, 1st place

Can-Am Riverside, 1st place

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 5.4 liter, flat-twelve cylinder, twin-turbo, air-cooled, Bosch fuel injection

Horsepower: 1500+

Torque: 820 ft / lbs

Top Speed: 250+ mph

Transmission: Type 920 four-speed

Weight: 1950 lbs / 885 kgs

PERFORMANCE

0-60 mph: 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph: 3.9 seconds, 0-200 mph: 10.9 seconds