Driving an Icon: Inside the 917 with John Morton
In my series of interviews profiling the life and times of John Morton an interesting topic came up: he has test driven not only a 917/10 but a 917/30 as well. Fascinated by these cars from a young age I wanted to get his perspective on what they were like to drive. Some of what he said was shocking, to say the least.
How much power did they make?
While the cars did produce gobsmacking amounts of horsepower and torque John suspects they only made around 1,000 horsepower when they raced. This would have been done to preserve the motors for longevity and help them attain reliability. The day he tested was slightly detuned which seemed to disappoint him, “They wouldn’t let me run it with full power, but it was still fun.”
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
Driving a Legend
As much as enthusiasts glorify certain race cars it’s funny at times to remember they are still mechanical things that aren’t always perfect. Waiting on pins and needles to hear how great everything was I had to laugh when he remarked, “It was thrilling to drive, but really hard to shift. The gearbox had some problems. Other than that It really wasn’t that scary.” Definitely not the response I anticipated!
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
Character of the Monster
This was the most intriguing part of the interview to me. When I posed the question of how difficult such a car is to drive I was again met with a surprising answer. “The engine is super smooth. I was surprised and asked the head of Porsche Motorsport if it was down on power. He said it was making around 800 horsepower,” Morton recalled before adding “It didn’t feel spooky or anything. Really great to drive.” How can that be?
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
Race car Reputation
“In the early years they were diabolical,” he informed me. “Penske and Mark Donahue really made them into great cars.” This seems to be a common misconception that John corrected during our conversation. The 917 is thought of by most enthusiasts to be some kind of wild beast, but after speaking with Morton for a while you begin to understand they really aren’t. What they are is a very well set up and balanced cars that aren’t difficult to drive fast. “It was really pretty different than you might think. I was surprised,” he added.
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
And the chassis?
Morton laughs, “It was an aluminum tube frame. A proper British designer would have never designed this in the later years, but it was still pretty darn good.” It’s incredible to look back on this car and reflect how far chassis development has come. Staring at a 919 is like looking at a spaceship. While it might not have been the best I certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a go!
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
Final thoughts
What I took away from this conversation was that the 917 isn’t such an unruly machine that we think of in our heads. Often times we think of 1,000 horsepower race cars are uncontrollable, but with the right team of engineers and developmental testing, these power levels can be tame and docile. Or maybe John Morton is just a legend who can drive the wheels off of anything.
>>Join the conversation about Being Inside the 917 right here in Rennlist.
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