Post by Lee on Aug 22, 2017 18:39:38 GMT
For many Steve McQueen's "Le Mans" is one of the greatest pieces of cinema to focus on the world of motorsport and one of the icons of the film is the Porsche 917K whicht takes the checkered flag. Like all films, a number of cars had to be used to capture the required footage. One of the cars used in the film has just been sold for a little over $14 million.
Chassis 917-024 was used for testing at Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Ehra-Lessien. It was then sold by Porsche to Jo Siffert, a factory test driver who helped turn the the car from one that was incredibly difficult to drive, to something both quick and good.
McQueen was preparing to film Le Mans and the production crew had been tasked with gathering up a number of vehicles to use in filming. Chassis 917-024 was part of this group and it still wears the iconic Gulf livery to this day. After filming, Siffert kept the car and it is said he even drove it on the street once, so that he could arrive in style at his own birthday party.
Following the death of Siffert the Porsche 917K was sold to a collector in France in 1978 and didn't resurface until 2001. Found in a warehouse, it made headlines in the car collector world and was snatched up a buyer in Switzerland where the car was then restored. The engine is from a different car, as the original was given back to Porsche after Siffert used it in the film. The engine code is 917-021 and has been with the car for decades.
Chassis 917-024 was used for testing at Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Ehra-Lessien. It was then sold by Porsche to Jo Siffert, a factory test driver who helped turn the the car from one that was incredibly difficult to drive, to something both quick and good.
McQueen was preparing to film Le Mans and the production crew had been tasked with gathering up a number of vehicles to use in filming. Chassis 917-024 was part of this group and it still wears the iconic Gulf livery to this day. After filming, Siffert kept the car and it is said he even drove it on the street once, so that he could arrive in style at his own birthday party.
Following the death of Siffert the Porsche 917K was sold to a collector in France in 1978 and didn't resurface until 2001. Found in a warehouse, it made headlines in the car collector world and was snatched up a buyer in Switzerland where the car was then restored. The engine is from a different car, as the original was given back to Porsche after Siffert used it in the film. The engine code is 917-021 and has been with the car for decades.
