Iconografix Publishing

Porsche 917 Zuffenhausen's LeMans and Can Am Champions

Intro by  Karl Ludvigsen

Reviewed By  Doug Hamilton, IPMS# 21985

MSRP: $29.95 Icongrafix website is www.iconografixinc.com. During the late 1960's and early 1970's, German automotive manufacturer Porsche decided to mount an all-out assault on Le Mans and the Can Am racing series. Winning was the domain of the 917, and many versions of this car rampaged over racetracks across the world. From the outset in early 1969 the 917 looked very much like a 908, but this was to change. A test session in Austria resulted in major modifications to the body styling and saw a very different 917 hit the tracks soon there after. Gone was the 908 type styling, being replaced by the more familiar 917 aero package. An improved engine/transmission package had also been installed in this new version, and a very competitive race car was born. Manufactured in short and long tail versions, in addition to the open topped Can Am monsters, the best drivers of the day found this car to be a winning combination. Published by Iconografix Publishing, under the Ludvigsen Library Series banner, this softbound volume contains 128 pages of high quality black and white photos. The author details the development and history of the 917 very well in a solid picture format. Concise captions, in addition to a nice introduction to the subject complete the contents. Many of the most famous 917's are depicted including the Pink Pig, Hippie Car, and the famed Salzburg car, to name a few. The one negative side of this book is that it's printed in black and white. Many of the liveries the 917 raced in are some of the most famous as well as the most colorful. I would have really liked to see this book printed in color to show off the beauty and imagination that went into the paint schemes. Interesting bits of information is contained in the captions regarding the appearance of the Pink Pig and Hippie car, but without a visual reference, it's hard to visualize what the author is trying to get across. That however is the only negative point associated with this fine book. Coverage begins with the development, and subsequent FIA inspection process. Wind tunnel and clay models illustrate the development that went into the initial production series. Detail pictures of engine bays and cockpits are very clear and offer the modeler a good idea of part placement for a super detailing project. The photos of the transaxle and engine are excellent in showing every detail of these components. They are shown on shop stands that eliminate the clutter of "in car" pictures. In addition, interior parts of the engine complete the engine section. The photos nicely cover every version of the 917 including both Coupe and Spyder variants, culminating with the very fast 917/30 Can Am car. The end of the Can Am series saw the end of the 917 as a front line racer. Porsche didn't rest on its laurels, and went on to produce other great racers, continuing its lineage of race winners, all of which can thank the innovation of the 917 for today's success. 917's can still be seen tearing up race tracks in Vintage races, and in museums, and are in my opinion, still one of the nicest looking race cars ever developed. I highly recommend this fine book to any modeler contemplating building any one of the 917 variants available in kit form if only for the detail pictures contained in this book. I would also recommend it to any student of the fabled Porsche nameplate, Le Mans or Can Am aficionado interested in this fascinating era. This is a very good piece of work, and I offer my thanks to Iconografix Publishing for supplying this copy for review.

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