'When Giants Raced' - Must have Porsche 917 Calendar

‘When Giants Raced’ - Must have Porsche 917 Calendar

Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by PB in 911

Powering through the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1970, the Porsche 917 brought Porsche to the forefront of the racing world. 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of this iconic race car. To honor this anniversary, renowned race photographer Hal Crocker is releasing a calendar featuring the magnificent Porsche 917.

gulf917_with_halsname The calendar is titled "The War Machine > Porsche 917" and covers January 2010 to February 2011. The Porsche 917 blazes through the calendar, from the cover to each month, capturing pictures from five races in 1970 and 1971 in 15 images. The pages are filled with the 917 in motion, racing past stands that are merely a blur; teams in action, in the pit and in the garage; the start of the race, the victorious finish, and the laps in between.

Each photo pops off the page in black and white prints framed by black. Above, the words "The War Machine > Porsche 917" are featured in glowing red, the only color on the page. Below, the photos are carefully captioned with the date, race, drivers, and other details. In addition, each calendar page features inset pictures in the non-dated squares. These mini photos are close ups of the cars and candid shots of the drivers: Steve McQueen, Hans Herrmann, Brian Redman and others, who brought the 917 to life and wrote its history.
917 These images, along with a book of photos titled "The War Machine", are taken from an upcoming book by Hal Crocker titled "When Giants Raced.” Hal Crocker is widely recognized as a premier photo historian of the racing world. He captures both the grace and power of the cars and the intensity of the drivers. The calendar, as well as his other work, is available on his website, www.teamunicorn.com.

In regards to the Porsche 917, Crocker was there for its outstanding win at Le Mans in 1970 and followed its whirlwind career through his sharp photography.

The Porsche 917 was originally built in 1969 but handled poorly and gained only one win. In 1970 adaptations were made resulting in two different models: the 917K with a short tail, and the 917LH with a long tail. These two models garnered the win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. First place was taken by the Porsche Salzburg team in a Porsche 917K driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. Second place was taken by the Martini Racing team’s 917LH driven by Willy Kauhsen and Gérard Larrousse.

Steve McQueen gave the Porsche 917 a big screen presence, racing it in the movie titled “Le Mans” and featuring actual footage from the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

During the 1970 racing season, the FIA changed the limitations for the Group 5 Sports Cars which meant the 917s would no longer be able to race after the 1971 championship. However, throughout the 1971 season, the 917 continued to dominate, once again taking the win at Le Mans. Also in 1971, Steve McQueen gave the Porsche 917 a big screen presence, racing it in the movie titled “Le Mans” and featuring actual footage from the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

917feb After 1971, the Porsche 917 enjoyed a brief stint in the Can-Am Challenge. Greatly modified, a version called 917/10 won the 1972 series driven by George Follmer. With more modifications a 917/30 won the 1973 edition driven by Mark Donohue.

Following changes to fuel consumption rules in 1974, the 917 raced only once more. Other than a brief return to racing in 1981 and some private enterprises, the Porsche 917 was done with racing, but certainly never forgotten. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 917, Porsche held special celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2009.

So is my beautiful new calendar hanging on my kitchen wall? Nope. Is it hanging on the workshop wall? No chance! As mine is a copy signed by the legend Hal Crocker himself, it's getting kept in perfect condition!! If you are a collector and Porsche enthusiast like myself, then speak to Team Unicorn about getting hold of a signed version. Well worth it!

I'd like to send a special thanks to Nancy at Team Unicorn for doing a fanstastic job with this and for letting us know about this release.

You can find out more at the following links:

More images of the calendar
Team Unicorn Website

Team Unicorn also have an ebay store for all who love motorsports, and especially those who appreciate its heritage.

From unique gifts to the rare and collectible, you are sure to find something special. Team Unicorn are racing specialists with photography, art, books and a large assortment of race related items.