Record-Setting, Never-Raced Porsche 917/30 Returns to Auction at Amelia Island
Hemmings Daily
February 12, 2016
Story by Kurt Ernst. Photos by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy Gooding & CompanyIntroduced to the Can-Am series in 1973, the Porsche 917/30 was the ultimate evolution of the storied
Porsche 917 model range. With a wind tunnel-tested spyder body and an air-cooled, twin-turbo, flat-12 engine, its acceleration was as impressive as its 240 MPH top speed. In March of 2012 the 917/30 carrying chassis tag 004 crossed the block in Amelia Island, selling for $4.4 million and setting a record for a Porsche model at auction. Next month, Gooding & Company will again offer the car, one of six 917/30s ever built, for sale at Amelia Island as part of the Jerry Seinfeld collection.
The predecessor to the 917/30, Porsche’s 917/10 dominated the 1972 Can-Am season, winning six of the season’s nine races and delivering podium finishes in eight events. If anything, the car’s performance may be understated, as star Penske driver Mark Donohue sat out four events after suffering a broken left leg in a 917/10 testing crash. As good as the car was, however, Porsche and Penske both believed there was room for improvement, and in time for the 1973 season, this came in the form of the 917/30.
The 917/30 used a larger 5.4-liter flat-12 engine, equipped with twin KKK turbochargers and reportedly dyno tested at as much as 1,500 horsepower (though for reliability reasons, boost was often dialed back in race trim to a produce a modest 1,100 horsepower). The car’s wheelbase was lengthened, too, allowing for additional fuel capacity, and suspension components (such as the lower wishbones) were strengthened to cope with the car’s new capabilities. An all-new, low drag body was fitted, and in testing, the 917/30 was reported to run from 0-60 MPH in 2.1 seconds, break 100 MPH in 3.9 seconds,
That isn’t to say the car came without a learning curve. At the 917/30’s first race, Can-Am Mosport in June of 1973, Mark Donohue set the fastest lap but had to settle for a seventh-place finish. At the next round, Road Atlanta, Donohue once again set the fastest lap but achieved a second-place finish, behind an ex-Penske Racing 917/10. Things would change at Watkins Glen, where the 917/30, with Donohue at the wheel, once again set the fastest lap but went on to take the win. For the season’s remaining five races, it was the same story –Donohue, and his Penske Racing 917/30, simply dominated the competition.
