by The Porsche 917 was developed under the leadership of Ferdinand Piëch to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race—and it succeeded.
Originally built as a sports car, one of these monsters was converted into a road car for an Italian count.
This 917K is now located in the south of France and regularly hits the road, despite being 50 years old.
You are clearly forgiven for not being familiar with Teofilo Giscardo Rossi di Monteleera; in fact, we didn’t know either. He is recognized by his impressive name, but for simplicity, the Italian businessman and heir to the Rossi family, co-owner of the Martini & Rossi company, is known simply as Count Rossi.
If you are a motorsport fan, you have no excuse for not being familiar with the Porsche 917 in Martini colors, the second most popular after Gulf, featured on the silver screen by Steve McQueen.
An Italian Count Ordered This Masterpiece, and Porsche Built It
So, in 1971, the Porsche 917K (where K stands for “Kurzheck,” or “short tail”) in Martini colors secured the brand’s second consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, forever cementing its place in motorsport history. At that time, Count Rossi, besides being a businessman, was a two-time world champion in powerboating and a bobsledder, as well as a motorsport enthusiast. So, when he knocked on Weissach’s door and asked for a road-legal 917K, they kindly obliged.
Only they didn’t build a new car but chose a former race car, chassis #30, which had participated in just one race (where it broke down) and modified it to the count’s wishes. Finished in Martini Silver, the road-going 917 had primitive exhaust mufflers, additional mirrors, side indicators, and even a horn. Under the rear hood, it also had a mandatory spare wheel (this was an achievement, considering the limited space where the twelve-cylinder inline engine and its cooling fan on top were housed), and it was initially fitted with an Alabama license plate that Count Rossi obtained, as the car could not be registered in Europe.
Just the Basics, Please—And a Bit of Leather from Hermès
The term “spartan” doesn’t quite capture the twilight of the interior. The Porsche 917 made even a Rolls-Royce seem lavish, as there is nothing superfluous here. And that’s not much; just a steering wheel, a column shifter, three pedals, instruments, seat belts, and two seats, as required by endurance racing rules. However, in this particular case, Porsche upholstered the seats in beige leather by none other than the renowned summerhouse of luxury, Hermès, and the dashboard, door panels, and headliner in a shade of suede.
Beyond that, nothing was changed, leaving the (now legendary) wooden gearshift knob, which decades later was copied in the 911, and even the same drilled, weight-saving key. You see, the 917 didn’t have a start button, but drivers started the engine just like in any other car: by turning the key.
The Crown of Gratitude in Porsche’s History
If you didn’t already know, the reason Porsche’s ignition is on the left side of the steering wheel is because endurance racing teams wanted to save precious seconds when starting the engine. Back then, cars were lined up sideways, and when the flag dropped, drivers rushed to them. At the next stage, this was deemed too dangerous, as some didn’t bother with seatbelts to gain positions at the start. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, the mastermind behind the 917, knew that a few seconds could determine the winner and the runner-up (i.e., the first loser) in a 24-hour endurance race involving multiple pit stops and driver changes.
To this day, this road-legal 917, now 50 years old, has British license plates and is used by its current owner on the roads of southern France, where it resides. Moreover, it recently underwent some restoration work that preserved the original paint and interior to keep it in perfect condition, hopefully for at least another 50 years.
The future may be electric, but the past has its own charm. Just look at this 917; I’m sure petrolheads would gladly mix a Martini Rosso or a Negroni on its hood in memory of Count Rossi, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 89.
