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He was... Ferdinand Piech, the enigmatic figure who spearheaded Porsche’s rise to global sporting dominance, has died in Bavaria at the age of 82. Piech was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and arrived at the family firm as a hot-headed youngster in the mid-1960s. In later life, a more measured if no less ruthless Piech would reshape Volkswagen into the most influential automotive group in the world, but for the Porsche community he is best remembered as the passionate and ingenious engineer who took on the established racing royalty of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Ford, and won. A messianic figure with a devoted following, feared and revered in equal measure, Piech was as uncompromising as he was inspired, creating the 917 with a minimal team and within a tiny development window. The huge financial investment this required left Porsche dangerously exposed in 1969, but by the end of the year Zuffenhausen had a world beater on its hands and never looked back. Piech moved to

11 MARCH 2019 One of the strongest number sequences ever produced by Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year: the Porsche 917. The most famous racing car of all time made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 12 March 1969, and the Porsche Museum is celebrating the landmark birthday with plans to restore the first 917 ever made to its original condition, as it was when first unveiled 50 years ago. The 917-001 underwent various changes over time. “Our approach to the authentic handling of classic cars has changed considerably over the past ten years,” explains Achim Stejskal, Director of the Porsche Museum. When restoring vehicles from the company’s historic collection, the museum places great importance on retaining original material and taking into account the relevant history of its exhibits. The history of the 917-001 as a test and presentation vehicle The 917-001 marked the beginning of an unparalleled racing car career for the 917. The 9