FAVORITE RACING CARS, PART IV.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Every time we run our "Favorite Racing Cars" columns in Fumes, our AE readers can't seem to get enough of it. And I enjoy it even more. This week, I would like to talk about the Porsche Can-Am cars. I think you could safely break the Can-Am series into two halves. The first was the McLaren era, when Bruce McLaren and Co. built a succession of damn-near unbeatable racing machines that were wonderfully executed and beautifully prepared and presented. Not to mention the driving talent, which included McLaren himself, Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney, Peter Revson and Peter Gethin. All of the McLaren Can-Am cars were memorable, from the M6A to the M8F, all the way to the ultimate McLaren Can-Am execution, the M20. And the second was the emergence of the Porsche Turbo era.

I had the pleasure of seeing many Can-Am races, and I also witnessed the transition from McLaren domination to Porsche's onslaught on the series. Porsche domination came on quickly after the debut of the 917; then it was the 917/10 Turbo and The Ultimate Can-Am Porsche: the 917/30 KL. Many blame the Roger Penske/Mark Donohue/Porsche combination for "killing" the series, but that's not really accurate. Racing itself was undergoing a transition and coming under intense pressure from the emerging threat to the economy brought on by the oil crisis. Sponsors stepped back or stepped away from the sport altogether, and the Can-Am series suffered gravely from it. Yes, the Porsche Turbos were dominant, but when you really think about it they were no more dominant than the McLarens were in their heyday. 

I prefer to think that the Porsche era in the Can-Am was a triumph of engineering might - much of it due to the brilliant engineering mind of Mark Donohue - and technical superiority. The Porsche Can-Am cars were simply better, quicker and a giant leap ahead. And in Mark Donohue's and George Follmer's hands, they were simply incredible machines to watch and damn-near unbeatable. Yes, I wish the Can-Am had gone on forever, but as advanced technology swallowed the sport of motor racing whole, and the game became one of "managing" and "restricting" speeds, the idea of an "unlimited" series simply could not survive. But I will always remember being at Road America in September of 1973 for the Can-Am weekend and seeing Mark Donohue unleash the full measure of his Porsche 917/30 KL in qualifying - with over 1200HP at his disposal - and setting a track record that stood untouched for fourteen years. It was simply magnificent in the truest sense of the word, and it remains vividly etched in my memory to this day.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(Pete Lyons)
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 1969. Jo Siffert in the beautiful No. 0 Porsche Audi Porsche 917 PA during practice for the Can-Am. He qualified eighth but suffered a blown engine in the race.
Watkins Glen, New York, July 1971. The No. 20 STP/PORSCHE AUDI/Marlboro Porsche 917/10 driven by Jo Siffert in the Can-Am that weekend. He qualified ninth and finished third behind Peter Revson (No. 7 McLaren Cars/GULF/REYNOLDS ALUMINUM McLaren M8F Chevrolet) and Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren Cars/GULF/REYNOLDS ALUMINUM McLaren M8F Chevrolet).
Watkins Glen, New York, July, 1972. George Follmer sits in the No. 6 Roger Penske Enterprises, Inc. L&M/ PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917 Turbo during practice for the Can-Am. After Mark Donohue was injured early in the 1972 season, Roger tapped Follmer to wheel the 917 Turbo Can-Am machine. He promptly went out and won the Can-Am Championship.
(Porsche)
George Follmer (No. 6 Roger Penske Enterprises, Inc. L&M/PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917/10 Turbo) turned in a series of masterful performances for Roger Penske and Porsche in the 1972 Can-Am series.
Watkins Glen, New York, July 23, 1972. George Follmer (No. 6 Roger Penske Enterprises Inc. L&M PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917/10 Turbo) leads Francois Cevert (No. 22 Young American Racing McLaren M8F Chevrolet, without his signature helmet graphics) in the Can-Am.
(Pete Lyons)
Laguna Seca Can-Am, October, 1972. George Follmer (No. 7 Roger Penske Enterprises, Inc. L&M PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917 Turbo) and Mark Donohue (No. 6 Roger Penske Enterprises, Inc. L&M PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917 Turbo) finished 1-2 in that order.
Lexington, Ohio, August 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing SUNOCO PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917/30 Turbo) dominated the Mid-Ohio Can-Am, sweeping both heats.
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Inc. SUNOCO/PORSCHE+AUDI Porsche 917/30 Turbo) leads the Porsche 917/10 Turbos of George Follmer and Charlie Kemp in the Can-Am at Road America. Donohue's record lap in qualifying (1:57.518) was three seconds quicker than the next competitor - Jody Scheckter (No. 0 Vasek Polak Racing Porsche 917/10 Turbo) - and a record that stood for fourteen years. Donohue dominated the race, finishing ahead of Scheckter and Follmer.