Peter notes “The driver looks like he’s completely canted and angled towards the middle of the car.”
True enough.
Picture this – 1994, Freeman Thomas, an acquaintance of mine, came over after the arrival of our Porsche Tag engine. He knew Metzger and had been a designer at Porsche. He went on to design the Audi TT and co-authored the “New Bug” working on J Mays design team.
I asked Freeman – when designing a vehicle, where do you start? The windshield placement? Nope – the foot box. Huh? Yeah, how big are the front tires.
So the 917 was built in an era, an unsafe era if you are the driver or the corner worker at the end of a long straight, where by the drivers legs could extend beyond the front axel plane. The 917 driving position certainly does that.
Yeah, the 917 with a Type 912 engine. Oh ho you say – the Porsche 912 had a 4 cylinder engine. True enough and a Type 616 engine. During the 917 engine development phase Porsche was paranoid their flat 12 cylinder engine would be found out but felt less so if spies picked up they were designing a Le Mans car with a (heh heh) 912 and perhaps a four cylinder engine.
Fake out to you Signore Ferrari.
Doug
Wow, no kidding. Despite fundamental differences between a liquid-cooled V-12 and this air-cooled flat 12, there is still that characteristic whine and pitch of this cylinder count.
Driving position looks incredibly uncomfortable. The driver looks like he’s completely canted and angled towards the middle of the car. I can’t see how anyone would put up with that at race speeds for hours at a time.
Peter
Sent from Mail for Windows
I've got a raw copy of this one from Chris on my Plex server.
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I’m sure you mean this video where it’s just him driving.
No talking, no music. Just the pure engine sounds, working through the gears...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHgD0wJGcR0
Peter
Sent from Mail for Windows
I don't know exactly where that GTO video was filmed, but it's very much like where I live.
I'm with you Peter, of the some 2.5M views, at least 35 are mine. Sometimes I just play the audio through the shop speakers to hear it.
I also have one of Chris McCallister in his 917K I listen to for hours.
Indeed. Although I could do without the play-by-play commentary.
The only exception is Derek Hill’s assessment of the 250 GTO. I still watch this on a regular basis. The emotion behind the experience of driving the car, especially one his Dad had driven in full-on race mode is palpable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewQaikxTUJs
My last encounter with a 275 was Jon Shirley’s NART Spider at a local concours... Competing in the same class! I didn’t have a chance. But to be on the same field, parked next to it, was a win for me and a memory I’ll never forget.
Peter
Sent from Mail for Windows
Amazing noise going up the Hill!!
https://youtu.be/SrpY0WBNQHQ
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