Before more people ask, here's a short explanation about the engine. The 917K has a 180° V12, which is often called flat-12 Some people think however that a "flat engine" is the same as a "boxer engine" That is incorrect.. The way the pistons move is different for each configuration. In a "V" engine the pistons for 1 bank move in the same direction. In a boxer engine the pistons move towards eachother and then away from eachother. Imagine 2 Boxers hitting eachothers fist. Coming towards eachother. According to someone from the Porsche museum (Some people will know him, Benjamin from the JP Performance video's) it is a 180° V12. Even the info next to the 917 cars in the museum says this. I've seen it myself many times.
Same with early 70s Ferraris like the 312B family (F1) and 312PB (Sportscar), 512BB and Testarossa/512TR/512M, the "B" refers to boxer however all of these are 180°-V12s and no true 12cyl-boxers - AFAIK a Boxer crankshaft would make the engines too long because it would need a crank for each cylinder/piston, while the 180°V crankshafts have "shared cranks" for each pair of opposing cylinders and the already did things like the 917s crankshaft is putting out the power in the middle by a tooth wheel instead of at an end of the engine, so they did that compromise to keep a flat engine. Same with Volkswagen's "W" engines, it began with the Audi avus quattro concept study and it had a real W12 engine, so three banks with four cylinders each but it wasn't good, they couldn't rev it above approx. 5500 rpm (so basically a Diesel^^) and a legendary motor engineer said these real W engines have a large flaw: they're asymmetric, you can put the exhaust side on the outer side of banks 1 and 3, or on the inner side like a hot V, but the middle bank is always one side inlet and one side exhaust and it can't match to both other banks, so basically you need to make an exhaust (manifold) for a V8 for banks 1 and 2 and then an exhaust manifold for an inline-4 for bank 3 or has someone thought about making the middle bank "ambidextrous" like cylinders 1 and 3 "odd" have their inlet side on the right and exhaust on the left and 2 and 4 "even" have their inlet on the left and exhaust on the right? However they've instead built a V8/V12/V16 but each bank isn't a inline-4/6/8 but instead a VR4/6/8 and call it W8/W12/W16 (however the "W" letter on cars with these engines looks like it's made of two "V"s) instead of "Dual-VR" or "VR²".
Great to see this comparatively rare footage of a successful evolution of the classic 917. It's interesting how this still sounds like the iconic car made famous by the 1971 film, but the 917/30 was a totally different (and scary) beast altogether!
It all depends on the chassis numbers and when it was built, not when it first raced. This was a European Interseries car, not in the Can Am Series. Jo Siffert's STP Porsche 917/10-002 Can Am car arrived at Watkin's Glen in 1971 for its debut race. 001 was a test prototype. The Turbo cars came later. After Siffert's death, the car became the #11 Bosch car in the Interseries in 1972 and then received a turbo engine later on. That car was destroyed at the Nürburgring, and this 917/10-015 replaced it. What was left of the 002 chassis was later restored by the original 917 mechanics but there is nothing left but the serial number as everything has been replaced many times over. Click on my name to see why I know so much about it.
@@JB91710 I'm not doubting anything you're saying. I had always been under the impression that the 917-10 which showed up at Mosport in June 1972 was unique in body configuration and powerplant. My understanding was that the 1971 Can-Am race field was comprised of regular Group 7 cars as well as WSC cars which had raced the previous day. Based on video that I've seen of the race, the Porsches were closed cockpit 917s typically used in endurance races. From what I could see, there was nothing running in this race which resembled Donohue's car used in 1972. Perhaps it's semantics. They're all 917-10s, but the bodywork is different. I don't know.
That's a common misunderstanding. Even the Porsche museum say it's a 180° V12. The difference between a boxer-12 and 180°V12 is the way the pistons move. But the weird / misleading thing is, is that they are both called "flat" engines.
@@Belgian-Motorsport I’ll agree with it being a misconception but still weird since there is a distinct difference between a flat and boxer engine (Subaru vs Porsche for ex). After all it’s a combination of two 2.25L flat 6 engines Porsche used in various race cars. They’re not referred to as 180° V6 engines in this regard. Why the museum would say V12 is beyond me.
