Porsche 917/20

Developed by the Martini & Rossi backed Porsche team as a way of combining the straight line speed of the 917L and the cornering and braking stability of the 917K led to the 917/20 or Pink Pig.
Designed in the French based SERA wind tunnel they took the regular 917 and made it about 5 inches wider and gave it a very stubby nose.
The hope was to have the best of both worlds but as we all know, it never quite works out that way.
While the car was being constructed it picked up thename "Big Bertha" by the building crew but once the Porsche stylistssaw it they went a little wild and painted it pink and added the names of different butcher cuts to the paint scheme.
After that the racing press dubbed it the "Pink Pig" :giggle

Martini and Rossi were not amused and did not allow the Martini name to appear on the car!
I can't imagine a race team getting away with that today.

In the pigs only race, Le Mans 1971, it was driven by Willi Kauhsen and Reinhold Joest (of the Audi R8 fame) it crashed out during the night while running in 5th place.
Some of the blame for the crash was alway laid on Joest as it was thought he was overdriving the car.
It wasn't until the mid 90's when the car was restored by Porsche that it was discovered that the front brake pads were completely worn away and that the brakes were the cause of the crash.
The car had been put ondisplay for all of those years with nothing more done to it than having the body repaired from the 1971 wreck!

I guess this car is nothing more that an oddity in Porsches racing history.
But I am sure glad Minichamps made it :cheers
This one always has my visitors asking about it :nicejob