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‘The greatest sports car of its generation’ up for auction: 1970 Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the film 'Le Mans' set to fetch $18.5M when sold by Sotheby’s in August
UK Daily Mail ^ | 07/15/2021 | Ronny Reyes

Posted on 07/15/2021 7:12:10 AM PDT by DFG

The 1970 Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the classic film 'Le Mans' will be put up for auction next month - and could fetch more than $18million.

Expected to become the most expensive Porsche ever, the car is one of racing's most illustrious vehicles having competed in the race and starred with McQueen in the movie.

McQueen even drove it while crossing the finishing line in the winning shot.

The sports car represents the culmination of Porsche's engineering at the time as the company sought to take its first victory at the 1970 race, according to the auction's site.

The 917 was one of Porsche's most successful race cars, dominating European sports-car racing and the North American Can-Am Series, according to Motor Authority.

The car was driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood, who were able to secure third place after the first four hours of the race until Hailwood refused a pit stop when heavy rain hit the course.

Hailwood eventually lost control of the vehicle during the 49th lap and slid into another car. The Porsche suffered only light damage, but it was enough to take it out of the race.

The sports car, however, was center stage in the film as it led McQueen to victory, immortalizing the vehicle in the eyes of moviegoers.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Sports; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: 917k; auction; automotive; lemans; mcqueen; porsche
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To: DFG

Next to the Gurney Foyt GT40, that’s a grocery cart.


21 posted on 07/15/2021 8:10:36 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: DFG

Definitely remember the car. But I’d look funny driving that to work, I’d prefer a 911


22 posted on 07/15/2021 8:11:44 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
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To: DFG

When I was a kid half of one wall of my bedroom was covered in these gas station posters. The local Gulf station had so many that they would give me a dozen at a time.


23 posted on 07/15/2021 8:18:34 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Play with knives long enough and you will eventually bleed.)
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To: Rebelbase
oops...


24 posted on 07/15/2021 8:19:48 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Play with knives long enough and you will eventually bleed.)
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To: Rebelbase

Was he putting on a Fauci mask, back then?


25 posted on 07/15/2021 8:22:12 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
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To: Hatteras

My vote for post of the year!


26 posted on 07/15/2021 9:10:14 AM PDT by gr8eman (A man who only talks business is a failure in all aspects of life- Camino Del Rio)
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To: Rebelbase

Prolly worth a couple grand on Ebay today!


27 posted on 07/15/2021 9:12:20 AM PDT by gr8eman (A man who only talks business is a failure in all aspects of life- Camino Del Rio)
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To: DFG
The last line of dialogue in the video is great...

"Steve McQueen stars. No one else could."

28 posted on 07/15/2021 9:22:04 AM PDT by zeestephen
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To: DFG

i remember my parents dropped me off at the movie theatre on ft. ord to see this when i was about 6or7 years old .


29 posted on 07/15/2021 9:30:33 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd ((>> ☼ << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if s/he's white?")
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To: Jimmy Valentine
The 917K won LeMans in 1970 & 71. The distance covered by the winning car in '71 set a record not broken until 2010.

Unlike Porsche's iconic flat-6 'boxer' family of engines, the 917 used a 180° V-12 engine, six crankshaft journals with the connecting rods from each pair of opposing cylinders sharing a common journal. Same arrangement as used in the engine in Ferrari's 512 Berlinetta Boxer which, despite its name, used a 180°-V design, not a "boxer" layout.


Crankshaft and jugs from a 917:
FREE photo hosting by Host Pic.Org - Free Image Picture Photo Hosting
12 jugs, six journals

30 posted on 07/15/2021 9:32:46 AM PDT by Paal Gulli
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To: DFG

They gave us a cool poster when we first went to the first run.


31 posted on 07/15/2021 9:34:50 AM PDT by NWFree (Somebody has to say it)
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To: LibertyWoman
More money than sense

I don't know. If it's bought for $18.5M next month and sold for $40M ten years from now he/she will do pretty well, not to mention some income from various car shows in the meantime.

32 posted on 07/15/2021 9:37:45 AM PDT by libertylover (Our biggest problem by far: most of the news media is agenda driven, not truth driven.)
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To: DFG
My freshman year of college, the guy across the hall had a long play vinyl record of the sounds of Le Mans.

No dialogue or music, just 40 minutes of actual race car sounds.

After a couple hours, the cars get a lot of separation, so you would be able distinctly hear just one car sound approaching and passing the microphone.

After a while, you could instantly identify the car just by its sound.

The record came out several years before the movie, so the passion for Le Mans was already very high when McQueen's film showed up.

LOL - picture this image...

Four stoned freshmen with no girlfriends, sitting around a candle lit dorm room, listening to a race car record!

33 posted on 07/15/2021 9:40:39 AM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Chode

Ping


34 posted on 07/15/2021 9:57:31 AM PDT by mabarker1 ((Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !!!!)
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To: Hatteras

Post Of The Day™


35 posted on 07/15/2021 11:26:28 AM PDT by StAnDeliver (Eric Coomer of Dominion Voting Systems Is The Blue Dress.)
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To: DFG
Greatest sports car my ass. That movie was boring. Here is the greatest sports car, and street legal.


36 posted on 07/15/2021 12:32:25 PM PDT by The MAGA-Deplorian (Democrats are lawless because Republicans are ball-less!)
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To: Paal Gulli

I’ll need to check, but the Ford won by 32 miles/4 full laps over the second place finisher. 212 mph on Mulsanne. For its time nothing better.


37 posted on 07/15/2021 1:39:07 PM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: Hatteras

lol


38 posted on 07/15/2021 2:46:54 PM PDT by Hyman Roth
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To: mabarker1

racing is life... everything else is just waiting


39 posted on 07/15/2021 4:19:56 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. P144:1)
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To: Chode

LOL

The other night We finished replacing the blade engagement cable on Mama’s riding mower and I told Her to crank it up and check the function of the new cable.

She freaked out because it was 21:30 or so and She was worried about the noise. I told Her that the neighbors would survive a few seconds of the noise.

I played this video this morning and told.Her that that would get the neighbors attention at night.


40 posted on 07/16/2021 3:24:37 AM PDT by mabarker1 ((Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !!!!)
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