The last Porsche 917 the Kremer K-81. In 1981 the crazy bet of the Kremer brothers Erwin and Manfred already very involved in the Porsche world decided to rebuild an optimized 917 and beat the factory with it as he had already done in 1979 at Le Mans with a modified 935 and repeated again in 1995 with a 962 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
The year 1981 was a year of transition for prototype endurance, engines with a displacement of more than 3 liters prohibited from 1972 were again authorized and the arrival of Group C was imminent.
This is how the Kremer brothers were not going to simply build a 917, they were going to create the most modern of the 917s with unique developments and revisited this cult model from the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their own way, the beautiful yellow will even be part of the favorites of the test of June 13 and 14 as the 917 has remained as a reference.
Significant modifications were necessary to meet the requirements of the safety regulations and technical developments, and in particular to the tires which will allow slick tires and 16-inch . New aerodynamics, new brakes, a new larger chassis with additional diagonals, new geometry of the suspensions, the aluminum frame now weighs 65 kg it is only 15 kg more than at the time but it greatly improves the behavior of the car and its resistance to torsion at high speed and support in turns. The scale indicates 893 kg at the technical inspection against 850 kg for the old version with the new 5.0 liter Flat 12 engine and 570 hp coupled to an also new 5-speed gearbox. The K81 drives for the first time to be presented to the press at the Nürburgring a few days before Le Mans, finally after the tests the technicians make the decision to switch to the 4.5-litre engine for a question of consumption and management of the race. The K81 therefore drove in Sarthe with both engine versions. A small axial opening is made in the roof to cleverly divert the rules and compete in the Spyder category and thus allow you to take the start. The Le Mans week will not be a great success because the 917 K81 suffers on the Mulsanne Straight because of its huge spoiler and tops out at around 290 km/h. Bob Wollek, Guy Chasseuil and Xavier Lapeyre capitulated at the start of the evening because of an oil leak which destroyed the engine… It was a failure for the German team.
September 27, 1981 at the 1000 km of Brands Hatch. Our car is very fast, the excellent Bob Wollek associated with Henri Pescarolo will lead the race after a start in 3rd position on the grid. But a suspension problem stopped their boost after 52 loops. It was the last participation in an official competition of the 917 K81
An extremely clear history
The car remained for several years in the showroom of the brothers in Koln, it reappeared in 1986 in test at the Nürbugring for an automobile review, in 1991 it was sold to Bill Bradley in the UK, then back in 1995 in Germany with Mike Rietner, it will even be exhibited at the Georges Pompidou center in Paris in 1996, Charles Feustel, collector and experienced driver, will own it from 1996 to 2011, when he sells it to a French Gentlemen driver who uses it regularly for track driving without ever leaving it. engage in historical competition. During the 2014 Le Mans Classic, the car took part in the “Le Mans Heritage Club” competition and received the special Jury prize.
This Porsche 917 K81 is a unique original car having retained its original chassis and has never been the subject of an excessive restoration whose provenance and authenticity are indisputable, it is one of the too rare Porsches 917 never cloned. It is in perfect working order. Its engine completely redone in 2019 by Crubilé establishments in France. Eligible for Classic Racing Endurance, Daytona Classic, Le Mans classic and Rolex Monterey,
Important photo file and press articles and literature.
Many invoices
4 additional wheels
Certificate of originality issued by Porsche
Expertise
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