Porsche 917: The Winning Formula [Hardcover]

Peter Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1999

The super-fast Porsche 917 dominated international motorsport in the early 1970s. Designed to win the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hours race, the 917 became the focus of obsessive ambition for all connected with its spectacular existence. Here, from a Porsche expert with unprecedented access to company records and the engineers involved, is the full story of the 917, which in 1997 was voted the world's greatest racing car. Includes coverage of 917 development, the 1970 Le Mans 917 win, the 1100bhp racers, and drivers Elford, Redman, Attwood and Bell describing racing in an era when mistakes could so often prove fatal. Must-have literature for your racing library!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Morgan has a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and trained in the automotive industry. He has written for publication since his teens and became Technical Editor of Porsche Post (the magazine of the Porsche Club Great Britain) in 1981. He was Editor from 1991 to 1994. His first Porsche book, Porsche 911 -- Purchase and DIY Restoration was published in 1987. To date, he has written 20 titles on all aspects of Porsche, including racing, and his books have been translated into seven languages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Haynes Publishing (November 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859606334
• ISBN-13: 978-1859606339
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #774,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Porsche 917: The Winning Formula, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Porsche 917: The Winning Formula (Hardcover)

"Porsche 917: The Winning Formula" traces the history of the engineering and development of the Porsche 917, from its origins as a challenger to Ferrari through victory at LeMans and onto the later development of the all-conquering Can Am Porsche 917-30. Morgan uses interviews with those most closely tied to the project development and provides insights far beyond the typical photo-history and race history books. This is one of the best written, best researched and most enjoyable books of its type I have read in a long time. Highly recommended.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reference, June 5, 2002

By 

Robert S. Truesdell (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Porsche 917: The Winning Formula (Hardcover)

I build scale model cars and this book is a great reference tool. It covers all of Porsche's racing cars of the '60s leading toward the development of the 917 and recounts all the roadblocks and pitfalls along the way. People who are not saavy about the real world of large-stakes motorsport can be surprised to learn about how much rule-bending goes on. "Unfair advantages" are aggressiviely sought through research and experimentation. An interesting aspect of the 917 is much refinement and modification was needed to turn this complicated and dangerous car into a successful racer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fanatastic book - this one is a classic, October 31, 2008

By 

FFracer (Horseheads, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Porsche 917: The Winning Formula (Hardcover)

I bought this after getting the Formula 1 in camera series from Haynes (50s,60s,70s,80s).

This is a stunning book. Excellent pictures and great history. Very well written and covered, as is the Porsche 956/962 book from Haynes.