Porsche honors Jo Siffert with a one-off

With the one-off 911 GT3 RS "Tribute to Jo Siffert", Porsche is paying tribute to the Swiss racing driver who died young and at the same time commemorating the first victory of the legendary 917 almost 55 years ago: On August 10, 1969, Siffert won the first international 1000-kilometer race on the Österreichring near Zeltweg together with Kurt Ahrens. This was the first racing success for the 917, which was initially considered difficult to drive due to its high speeds and aerodynamics.

The experts at Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur built the one-off as part of the special request program. Starting this month, the vehicle will initially be on display in Swiss Porsche Centers before being exhibited at the "Auto Zürich" trade fair (November 7-10). The buyer will be drawn at random from all interested parties in Switzerland.

Joseph "Jo" Siffert enjoys cult status in Switzerland even 50 years after his death. He contested a total of 298 races in eleven years. Sometimes he took part in several competitions on the same weekend. The family was closely involved in the development of the 911 GT3 RS. In addition to his son Philippe, who drove Formula Ford and Formula 3 races himself between 1991 and 2003, his grandson Jérémy Siffert was also involved in the project in Zuffenhausen.

The tribute model is visually based on the design of the 917 in which Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens were victorious on the Österreichring almost 55 years ago. The one-off model also demonstrates the extensive customization options offered by Porsche as part of the special request program.

The vehicle is predominantly painted in pure white and, like its role model, has viper green contrasting areas on the front fenders and parts of the front end. Both shades come from the "color of your choice" program. The middle section of the large rear wing is also painted in the same green. The start number corresponds to the historic one from the legendary 1000-kilometer opening race. The "29" can be found on the doors, the hood, under the rear wing and on the valve caps of the tires. The classic Porsche lettering with stripe design on the doors and side panels is also inspired by the racing car of the time.

With great attention to detail and thanks to the support of Bosch and Shell, the designers have reproduced the contemporary sponsor stickers. The Bosch decal with the spark plug sits on the rear wheel arches. The Shell sticker with the word mark in the shell is located below the rear window by the service flaps for oil and water.

The silhouette of the 917 KH can be seen on the central lock of the satin black magnesium wheels, and the stylized side view also adorns the side plates of the rear wing. A special plaque in helmet design sits on the B-pillars: Jo Siffert's name and signature are displayed there as a personal reference.

The interior is dominated by race text in black and Indian red. The helmet motif is embroidered into the headrests. The door sill trims are adorned with the 917 silhouette combined with the signature. The vehicle key has also been individualized: The side bolsters are painted in Purple White or today's Viper Green, and the silhouette of the 917 has been printed in the respective contrasting color. Jo Siffert's signature is embossed on the lid of the center console and in the leather key case.

"We owe the 1969 World Sports Car Championship in large part to Jo Siffert. He was clearly the fastest man in our team," recalled former chief race engineer Peter Falk of the Swiss driver in 2018. Porsche won seven out of ten races that season. Siffert took five victories together with Brit Brian Redman and one with Kurt Ahrens - the one in Zeltweg on August 10, 1969. "Our victory in Zeltweg was the start of the 917's success story and it was a great pleasure and honor for me to share the cockpit with Jo," says companion Kurt Ahrens.

In 1968, the FIA surprisingly changed the regulations for the one-make world championship and raised the engine capacity limit to five liters - and also reduced the number of cars required for homologation to 25. As a result, the 3.0-liter Porsche 908 was only competitive to a limited extent. A new 5.0-liter car was needed - the 917.

Its track record is legendary today: after the sports car championship in the first year of use in 1969, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood achieved the coveted triumph at Le Mans in 1970. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep were able to repeat this greatest motorsport success for Porsche to date in 1971. George Follmer dominated the North American Can-Am series in 1972 and Mark Donohue in 1973 with the turbo versions 917/10 and 917/30, which were further developments of the 917 and had over 1000 hp.

Jo Siffert did not live to see this: After his Porsche career, he had a fatal accident at the age of 35 in a Formula 1 race on October 24, 1971 in Brands Hatch, England. (aum)