Curitiba 1:64 Porsche 917 KH 24h Le Mans 1971 Winner #22 Tarmac Works 1:64 scale

In 1971, Porsche defended its Le Mans title with the 917 KH, chassis No. 917-053, a car that featured significant innovations and risks. Building on the success of the 1970 Le Mans-winning 917, Porsche experimented with a magnesium chassis to reduce weight, as the previous 917s were heavier than the 1764-lb minimum weight required for the 5.0-liter Sports class. The choice of magnesium, known for its extreme flammability and difficulty to extinguish once ignited, introduced serious safety risks. Remarkably, engineers did not inform drivers Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko about the hazardous material of the chassis. Additionally, to meet weight requirements during pre-race inspections, Porsche mechanics cleverly manipulated the car's oil tank levels.

Despite the inherent dangers and additional challenges presented by the magnesium chassis, including hinge failures that required last-minute replacements, van Lennep and Marko drove the 917-053 to a historic victory. They set a distance record that remained unbeaten until 2010, triumphing over strong competitors like the Ferrari 512 prepared by Roger Penske. This win underscored Porsche's innovative yet perilous approach to racing at the time. Over the years, advancements in safety have thankfully mitigated the need for such extreme and dangerous measures in motorsport engineering.

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