AutoArt 1970 Porsche 917 LH 1970 Le Mans Elford #25

While Ford and Ferrari made headlines in the mid-sixties with their fight for the Le Mans podium, Porsche made steady advances in making their cars as slippery and efficient as possible. Almost forgotten in Ford’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd finish in 1966 was Porsche’s two liter model 906 cars finishing 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th. The even bigger news concerned the first three of those cars made specifically to run at Le Mans. They were longer than the standard 906 cars. These so called “Long Tails” were a design concept that Porsche was to continue.

By 1970 Porsche and their 917K were the car to beat. However, the fastest car at Le Mans was a 917 introduced at Le Mans the year before; the first car to lap the Le Sarthe in under three minutes and thirty seconds.

The 917L was easy to spot both for its length beyond the rear wheels and its twin tail fins and lateral wing. The “works” #25 car driven by Vic Elford & Kurt Ahrens lowered the fastest lap record to three minutes twenty-one seconds but the car did not last the race. The “Long Tails” did acquit themselves however with a 917L coming in second and a 908L coming in third. #25 also had the distinction of being in the movie Le Mans where it showed that sometimes art follows life as the car was the early leader of the race but retired with a sick engine.

The” Long Tails”, along with the rest of the 917s, fell victim to rule changes in 1972 and while they proved to be fast they were never able to win the race they were for which they were designed.

AUTOart has done a number of 917 models and this is the latest of its “Long Tails” As we have come to expect from AUTOart the fit and finish of this car is flawless. While the inaccuracy of the rear bonnet and body pan seen on previous models remains it does not really detract from the overall impact of the model. There is a removable front hatch, opening doors and a hinged rear bonnet is with a nice hold open strut. Under the bonnet is a well detailed, if somewhat hard to see, engine compartment.

Good wheels and tires are always a must and AUTOart comes through with some nicely detailed ones. Look inside the gull wing doors and you’ll find that the interior has been excellently rendered with very little of that “plastic” look that plagues so many cars.

All in all a nicely done model and well worth adding to your collection if you are a Porsche fan a Vic Elford fan or a movie nut who wants another “Le Mans” movie car. I know I’ll get in trouble for saying this but I prefer this livery to the Gulf and Martini versions because you can see the lines of the car better with the plain factory white paint job.

By the way, rumors that AUTOart plans on doing a model of everything with wheels that Vic Elford ever drove are false – although they are planning on putting out a Rudge tricycle that Vic piloted to second place in a London playground race for four year olds.

I’ll be on the lookout for that one!

-Frank LeMire