I looked at these at Rennsport II in Daytona a few years back when the Aussie who originally developed the car was still involved. A very nice piece of kit and I'm very envious!

 

Those last few pics with your RS are pretty nice. The scale of the two cars close together is quite interesting, as I found out two weekends ago in a historics race at Kyalami. So if you've ever wondered, I can vouch that it's quite possible to tailgate a 917 in a 911 without losing your line of sight. He-he.

 

Yeah, I had to move the 911 out of the garage to put the 917 where I wanted it, and that was my first time seeing it near something like that, too. Thought the pics of the two together were neat.

RCR will build a tube-for-tube chassis, but to me a clone is a clone. Well, besides that I'm 6'2" and would never fit in a tube-for-tube clone, but the monocoque works. So I had to go with what I could fit in. Well, that and if it's "just a clone" I didn't see any reason to spend more than double on it when most people just care what the OUTSIDE looks like. Sure, if I had a 12 cylinder to stick in it I would have probably wanted something more accurate. But since I don't, and won't even be willing to pop for a top mount fan (OUCH!), I'll just have to go with something with the correct body and an original livery.

My RS isn't very realistic, either. I have most of the interior cloned, but I left my AC in (and upgraded it!), and have a stereo in it with speakers in the doors and the rear panel. I left the moonroof. It's also got 17" Fuch replicas so they'd fit over the 930 brakes I upgraded to (BARELY). And lots of other suspension upgrades. Oh, and a mildly massaged head on an otherwise stock 80k mile 3.2 and G50.


--Donnie

 

I saw this replica a few years back, I think it's from Kraftwerks in Australia. It looked nice, too bad I'd never fit in it. The shape of these cars makes them look big in pictures but they are tiny. I saw a cool picture a while back of a 917 next to a 914, the 914 looked huge.

 

Nothing better than a sports racer! Though every time I drive the 910 I'm amazed anyone survived.........

 

i think the gulf colours are getting a bit over done..

 

That is the coolest thing I've seen on here in a while. AWESOME!

 

I don't know anything about these replicas. Where are they made?

 

Yeah, 917s are just legendary, how cool up have a slightly updated replica with a little better technology underneath.
Would be cool to have Brian Redman or Vic Elford sign it....

I gave famous #23 a hug at the Historics, ha.

 

+1. The very thought of owning ( and driving ) my own 917 (clone or not) is mind boggling. Awesome

 

That's the #1 reason I wouldn't be all over one of these, I'd be worried about crash worthiness.

 

An aluminum monocoque chassis is going to be much more crash worthy than the tube-for-tube clones, but you're right, it's still not something you would want to race, I don't think. I didn't get mine to race or even try to set blazing lap times...I'm actually planning to get it street legal so I can drive it occasionally. RCR has a pretty cool hydraulic lift pack you can put in between the front springs and the perch. Push a button and it raises the front end by 3" or so. A big help for getting in and out of driveways or going over speed bumps.

I do hope to take it to a VIR Club day and exercise it, too, but I won't ever be truly pushing it hard, either. And it would make that ride up and back on the trailer. And FWIW, it's nearly impossible to trailer one of these without a liftgate. That front bodywork doesn't really come off and it's LOW. That lift system is a requirement for any ramp based trailer, and even then you're going to be using some LONG stuff.

It's not going to be easy, but I may be able to get the pedals far enough forward with some mods that King Leh will fit. I'll let him push it as hard as he feels comfortable pushing it.


--Donnie

 

Pierre,

Maybe go with this Martini livery. It's very different and not the standard Martini livery. I know it's not the Gulf colors but everyone paints them in the Gulf colors. IMO this livery look really wild on the curves of the 917.

 

The problem is that sh*t happens even when you're not pushing it. Blown tires, debris, oil, whatever can hurt at 6, 7, 8/10s.

 

I can't imagine this 917-esque car is much different in the height/overhang than the 910 (or the soon-to-be-completed 907K's my cousin is doing). On and off the stacker is really no big deal on the top or bottom. Maybe some 2X4's specifically set to where you need them, but that's about all. And the 910 fit in my old car trailer just fine way back when it was being built.

And I think a bigger concern with any track car, whether they are vintage sports racers or modern constructions, is the emergency egress. I can get out of the Radical RIGHT NOW with the open cockpit. It's a tossup with the 910 or Spec Miata that I'd be stuck if something really, really bad happened in either.

Ultimately though, I don't think you'll enjoy at all just going out there and parading around. My friend, the guy who actually owns the 910.........well, let's just say that I routinely catch and pass him in the basically stock RSA or C4S. He's having fun at his skill/interest level, but if you're hauling *** in whatever you drive now you'll want to do the same in this car.