Porsche KILLED the Can-Am! Or did it? ...
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- Опубликовано: 11 май 2023
- Was the Porsche 917/30 really the "Can-Am Killer"? Did it really make 1500hp? Ficarra takes a deep dive on Porsche and Penske's participation in the greatest race series of all time, from the development of the mighty 917/10 to the dominance of the 917/30 Turbo Panzer.
Bonus home movie of the 1972 Can-Am at Mid-Ohio at the end!
Thanks to © Leopold Buchmaier via Gero Hoschek
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#porsche #turbo #canam #917 
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42 minutes never went by so fast. your passion and enthusiasm is infectious.
I hope you chose to do more of these even if the views don't roll in as they should. even if its just for you to keep record of the history for yourself that you then share with the world.
Thanks so much for this history lesson.
Thanks to everyone for the amazing comments and support! I am going to try and get you one history video a month among the other garage content which I will try to get out weekly. So happy you are enjoying these geeky dives into automotive history! Don't forget to like, subscribe and tell your friends!
First time seeing one of your videos. I liked it and your story telling is very enthusiastic. I loved watching CAN-AM when I was a kid and was disappointed when it died off.
You, sir, are a captivating story teller. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is what sells the story each time. The production quality is also very very good. Relevant photos and videos are peppered in among shots of you telling the story and it’s a great balance.
You say ‘once a month’ or ‘once a week’ and I hope you don’t stick to that schedule. Keep making entertaining and informed videos and your viewers will eat up every bit of them. Frequency be damned.
Thanks for sharing your stories, we love them.
I love you
Great video! Keep them coming!
John, wouldn't Hurley Haywood be the man to ask about the 917 ????
If I remember correctly, he's the person who named the 917 The Flexible Flyer.
TYVM for another excellent video.
P.S. Do you know anything about Porsche building a 2000-plus horsepower quad turbo 16 cylinder
917 ?????
I was at Watkins Glenn for the 1973 CanAm race weekend. Donohue raced the 911 in the 6 hours on Saturday, actually met him in the pits on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was 15 years old, he actually had time and spoke to me. Best memory was Sunday, beautiful sunny day. Donohue kept on stretching out his lead on the RC cola Porsche till it was the length of the entire straight. Accelerating towards our vantage point all you could hear was the turbos sucking in huge amounts of air then a big bang as he shifted gears just past us. I remember it like it was yesterday. Great video, Thank you
Another fantastic video! The best automotive storyteller on RUclips!
True , an awesome storyteller. I saw tons of videos on those exact same car ,great video,but still as far as storytelling goes no one beats him
Agreed!!
You are a great story teller. You bring excitement and life to these great machines and the people who gave them personality. .
As a flight of fancy, what would a modern Can-Am look like? And how would a 917 compare if it was allowed back on the track?
A story about the 917 k/81 would be worth watching.
Alongside Ed and Tamarian
Temerian
the old footage of the pits is beyond amazing
I was at Mid-Ohio the years of the 917-10 & 917-30. Standing halfway down the long straight, about where the kink is, the noise was exquisite!
I worked T&S at Can Am races one year. When those beasts were on the other side of the track and accelerated it made your stomach rumble. And they were beyond loud
Hi John. I am from Brasil, and I became interested in race cars when I was kid, in the late 60's. We didn't have much info here back then, other than an occasional newspaper or magazine article and/or photo. In 1972 I went to Interlagos race track to see Copa Brasil (Brazil'sd Coup), open to all kinds of sports cars. There was a 917/10 scheduled to race the day I went there, but it had engine problems and didn't show up... I had to settle for a dispute between a McLaren M6D and a 917K... :-) Anyway, your videos bring me back terrific memories, and fill the gaps on information on the cars and their history. Thanks a lot for that.
My favorite story regarding the 917 happened at Mosport in 1973.
The McLarens decided to abandon the series, leaving it fairly open for the Porsches. Mark Donohue was in the factory 917-30, and there were a few 917-10s, most notably Jody Scheckter. Donohue started on pole with Scheckter beside him. At the start, the two of them simply disappeared into the distance to the point where they caught some backmarkers towards the end of the 4th lap (on a 2.5 mile circuit). Donohue and Scheckter collided with something, and Donohue got the worst of it.
I think Jack Brabham is worthy of consideration when it comes to greatest racer/engineers. World Champion in a car he (and Ron Turanac) designed, built, developed and raced.
Here it goes almost one hour that passes as 5 minutes. Truly an absorbing video of a great topic, told by one of the most passionate and informed car storytellers. Mr Ficarra is a living encyclopedia.
Always great content from John! You should do a podcast!
I could listen to you speak for hours, John - just wonderful 👍
You and Ed are the best storytellers bar none, that is a gift. I really enjoy your stories as you have a deep knowledge of car racing history, I can only imagine the great time you had working for Canepa. Don't stop bringing these stories to us as we enjoy them as much as you do. Keep up the good work. By the way, I saw your video with the Jaguar and the 911s, great also.
Nah. Ed is a clown and a grifter.
Thank you for an amazing video on my all-time favorite race car. I have fond memories of Mid-Ohio in the 70s and, you are an excellent historian and storyteller.
I was at Watkins Glen in both '72 & '73 and it was AMAZING to see those cars run. The excitement was CRAZY! I love the passion in all your stories, keep it up.
This is simply a historical gift to racing R&D fanatics. No other way of putting it. A million thanks, John!! I share your enthusiasm
That's awesome they put #4's livery back to its delivery design
I remember this era well as a worker with SCCA at Road America. These Can Am cars were awesome, never to be equaled again.. but close..was the C Class cars at Lemans in the 80's.
I absolutely love listening to every single one of your stories. If you could ever come out with an audiobook or a podcast type thing that literally has every nerd out any bitty thing that you know about cars because the way you talk about them is amazing I would literally buy everything that you put out. Your stories and storytelling abilities are beyond and I thoroughly enjoy every bit then I'm able to find.
John Ficarra's most epic stories: 1970 Daytona Porsche win, 1965 Ferrari win at Le Mans, the Whittington Brother's 1979 Le Mans win (all at VINWiki) and now this one about CanAm. Every single one of them MUST WATCH for gearheads.
And John, what about some stories about the Chaparral cars?
Chaparral is on the list!
@@FicarraClassic YESSSSS!!!!!!
@@FicarraClassic I have one of Milt Minters driving suits from that era. Its well used but nonetheless its pretty cool.
I'm lucky to be a Porsche fan that works for a transport company responsible of transporting the Porsche museum cars. And what a joy that is... 😊😊
Dad and I used to attend the CAN-AM events at Mosport. We were mostly Drag Race types, but when it comes to track racing, CAN-AM was superb.
The best automotive storyteller on YT. For instance, the Whittington video and the 917K vids are all time classics.
John your passion is infectious and I find myself scrambling to watch your videos as soon as I see a new one drop! Sitting here with this big, stupid grin on my face as I listen to the sage speed testimony you bestow upon us. LOL
Great story yet again. The time flew by and wanting more.
Color Vintage Can-Am film after was appreciated.
Fantastic Video!!! I was at the Mid-Ohio Can-Am event in 1972, and watched most of the race from the interior side of the track at the entry to the keyhole. Watching Follmer in the 917-10 blast up the hill, stand on the brakes at the top and then hear it blast down the opposite side was just an incredible experience. Revson in the M-20 was visibly slower everywhere to the Porsche, and those two cars were waaaay ahead of the rest of the field. It was a huge contrast from 1970 where the M-8F was dominant over the rest of the field with Hulme and Gethin. They actually upshifted, braked and downshifted thru the uphill side of the keyhole. Amazing driving, and we could walk right up to the fence in those days. Again, Fantastic Video and Storytelling.
More, more, more please. I'm not sure if I actually blinked during this show because it was so rivetingly interesting. Thank you so much John or as I now think of you Professor Ficarra. Can't wait for more telling from someone who instinctively knows and understands that Geek doesn't make you a bad person. Quite the reverse in fact.
Oh I got my geek on, I've been waiting for this one! The 917 in all of its variants is my favorite racing vehicle ever made!
Great content. Please keep them coming!
I was at that race in Mosport. I was six! It created my undying love for racing. I still have the Corgi toy. Thanks for this
Just keep doing you John and we will keep watching
Pre-spec Indy 500 and Can-Am were the most exciting races when I was growing up. I bought every magazine I could to read about those cars.
Suggestions for future episodes:
- Jim Hall's Chapparels
- Roger Penske......his road racing team days, and his involvement in developing Indy-car engines (Chevy/Ilmor, and the "pushrod" MB)
- As someone else mentioned, the Bill Elliott Ford Thunderbird, that went two laps down at Talladega, then made up two laps UNDER GREEN to win the race. A combo of a great aero body, with Ernie Elliott engine genius.
-The "Motown Missile" series of Pro Stock drag cars.
John,
You have introduced me to vintage racing history and I'm hooked. Love these stories!!
This is a superbly told story of the insanity that was Can-Am. Those cars were the most amazing land vehicles that ever turned tires to dust. I was privileged to see three of the races and they left indelible memories. It all ended way too soon.
Great stuff! I was a guest at a BMW car club holiday dinner a few years ago where the dinner speaker was a Big 3 engineer who, as a kid, saw a 917 race and was hooked. He knew he'd never be able to afford one, so he built his own! Had help from the factory with advice, plans, specs, etc., down to the last exacting Porsche detail. Keep the stories coming.
Jusy want to thank you for this wonderful video! ❤What a ride! You are a fantastic storyteller and I’ve never had 40 minutes fly by so fast😂
Glad you enjoyed it!
I watched Mark Donahue race the 917-30 coming out of the “cork screw” at Laguna Seca. It was a racing event I will never forget. He was just weaving through traffic, there was no competition. The Porsche was very quiet compared to the other cars and the acceleration was cartoon fast.
I remember catch bits of this racing a child on Wide World of Sports and it drove my love of fast cars on canyon roads. Thanks for the history, keep them coming
I had the pleasure of seeing the 917-30 at the Mark Donohue Reunion at Road America in 2010, and it is even more amazing in person. At that event the original transporter was even present.
Got to see Can-Am at Riverside in '70, 71 & 72. The sound of the Porsche Flat-12 was like nothing else. Fun & crazy times.
Thanks for the most enriching technical history of the Porsche 9 ten, and 930.
Thank you for the video!!! I was 6 years old when the CanAm series started. I had all of the CanAm 1/64th scale slot cars. I finally got to see them in person at Long Beach in 2019! CanAm the best racing series ever!!
I loved every minute!! Thanks for taking me back.. watched these races on tv w my bro n dad who was early Porsche fan.. had 356 B, 911S, 914, and my first car project was 356B.. Good Days!!
A very well done passionate video with lots at actual facts, no BS, also start selling that T-Shirt.
Didn’t even notice the video was 40+ minutes long until I noticed my lunch was cold since I was paying attention and not eating. thanks Ficarra for the cold lunch 😂 Great work man!
God bless you brother, as I could listen to talk for hours. Please keep sharing all of these great stories.
Love the historic content. 10/10
I wish I had seen this before I saw the 917-30 at Rennsport 2023! The background is fascinating. Great job.
Love the overabundance of knowledge and passion Mr. Ficarra brings
Awesome video. Don’t change a thing. Nobody is really telling these classic racing stories.
Excellent history lesson though. Enjoyed the part of the video where John expresses his enthusiasm for the subject.
I was walking through the pits at Road America during the June Sprints with my family in the late 90. My Mom and Dad, my brother and my then future ex-wife were all there. It was my wife’s first time really at any race. Definitely the first time with my family. As they started up the Can-Am cars we all reveled in the noise and our eyes and noses ran from the heavy exhaust hanging in the air. It was great to get to see those cars out in the track and experience their rawness!
My dad & I always went to Mid Ohio, we sat in the keyhole most of the time, and the CanAm was definitely the highlight of the year. Mark Donahue was my favorite driver. I remember everything you talked about. Chapparels, UOP Shadow.
The only bad thing about the Can-Am Championship was that it ended. And I was there at Mid-Ohio for the last REAL Can-Am race in 1974.
I was at Mid-Ohio in 1972 and seen the 917/30 run. It was blindingly fast, but it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. In an age of 512 Ferraris and Tipo 33 Alfa Romeos, I hated it. I'm impressed you have a shot of it after it was wrecked. Esports? Bring the noise.
I love the passionate, and knowledgeable, storytelling.
I watch mostly car oriented RUclips, and you’re probably THE most engaging storyteller, but 25 minutes is about my upper limit. There are many reasons why that is, but it is
They used to run at Mosport in Ontario Canada. The sound echoing off the trees was glorious.
Thank you so much for all the information about those very special cars of CanAm. I always knew the Porsches were faster than anything on the track but did not know why. I was at Mid-Ohio in 72 and 73. Wow! what great memories. I also stumbled into a rented garage in Westerville, Ohio, that was temporary home to the Shadow racing team. It was very cool to go into their shop and interact with them while they were prepping the car for Mid-Ohio. The footage at the end of your video is amazing. Thanks again.
Every time you said "That's a whole nother video", that's the stuff we want to know about. I remember reading about some of this in the 80's in car magazines. I'd really like to know more about the Shadow team. This is a great era of Porsche. Great content as usual. Thank you.
John, I think you nailed it with why the series went away. Particularly when the 2J was outlawed. It destroyed the core attraction to the series.
Love love love listening to you speak about automotive history!
Totally got my geek on, being from Ohio as a teenager and going to mid Ohio to watch the can am in this time period was epic
I grew up at Watkins Glen and my father was the track "Doc"....You tell the best stories of Can Am and and F1.....It's a shame they couldn't keep it going...Now it's a NACAR track. Ahhhh the good old days !!!
I must be a geek, lol. Great video! I spent five years as a station guide at the Revs Institute in Naples, FL, so appreciate the Porsche history lesson! Miss being able to stand right next to the 917s, and the 908. Always pointed out the lack of foot room to guests, and they would be suitably shocked, and amazed. More educational videos would be awesome, John!
John,
I counted at least three times you teased us with a promise to do another video on topics you mentioned. Gonna have to hold you to your word. Can’t wait for more content.
Dude, great stories around my favorite race car of all time. I came to be "aware" of race cars by watching the 917/10 Land M car when I was just a young boy. Still, to me, the most beautiful race car I've ever seen.
Great video as always. Would love to see a video about the 73 RSR.
Great video! The vintage footage at the end got me reliving my childhood of building and racing 1/24 scale CamAm slot cars. Thank you
John, great to hear another story from you! I miss the days of hearing your great stories over sushi in Scott's Valley! I look forward to your next 928 update.
Growing up in the 80's and 90's I was fascinated with Can-Am cars. I had so many toy car examples of famous cars. The Hess gas stations would sell a Hess Truck toy every year and I always got one and I loved my hauler with a Can-Am car on the back.
John, you're one of the best storytellers by far. I know I can walk into any one of your videos without absolutely no clue as to what the nitty gritty details of the subject matter is, and you perfectly guide me through the topic and make it enjoyable, entertaining, informative, easy to follow, and so on. It's a talent I can tell you have worked hard to master. So far, there has been nothing I dislike about your content. I like that nothing feels/is scripted or that there aren't a bunch of silly skits making things cringy. I am just happy to see you putting out content. Of my few suggestions is just to keep putting put content. I know it's very time-consuming, but even videos of you guys working in the shop and speeding up the work parts and then stopping a bit for content or explanations would be very enjoyable. Also, don't be afraid to retell some of your Vinwiki videos and provide more detail or walk around some of the cars featured in those stories. Do you still have the black Ferrari 308 that God loves so much? Don't be afraid to dive into your past car stories or to show us a current lineup of what's in your garage and/or more of Wing Nut Manor. Do you still have the Lambo you traded up for? I love the history lessons and being the history buff that you are I think a fun challenge would be to pick a past driver and a recent driver and to compare them a bit. For example: Ken Block died this year. We all know who he was and what genere of racing he helped influence and helped to change certain aspects/ interests into what they are today/ left his mark on the sport during his career. I do not know if rally is very important to you but what driver from the past that you consider important helped change a racing sport into something that we still know today/ or left such a significant mark on the sport?
More of these race stories pls Mr. Ficarra! History! All of it!
My dad... OK, this is gonna be a long story because I have no one to share it with that would appreciate it. Dad died. He didn't even make 70. Closest person I've ever been with. Told me about Chaparral racing when I was in high school. But this was pre internet, so his stories where from memory of what he read 30 year prior at the time. Maybe 25. More years than I was old at the time. The core was that they mounted a rear wing that connected to the unsprung part of a suspension. So the wing would be for down-force, not compressing the suspension. Now he got a lot of the details right and wrong which made it very hard to research in libraries at the time. He remembered the 2 engines thing. As he told it, 3L total cc was the rules, so 500cc for the vacuum engine, and 2.5L for the wheel driving engine. And he thought this was F1. Which led me to the BT46 of course, but it wasn't a split engine, nor was Chaparral connected with it. Only once I saw your stories could I make the connection. He was thinking of canam, though we're in south africa, there probably was articles in popular mechanics or other motoring mags here that covered that. He also thought Chaparral were 2 brothers with the last name Chaparral, which again made research impossible. But man, to just learn about all this, and actually put the puzzle together is so nice. I just want to call him, and tell him to watch these story videos, and that I found his story etc etc. To get to the cheesy part. He had a rear spoiler fitted to his E34 520i, and had a Chaparral sticker made up for either side. He later had a E34 540i without the spoiler, but that 520i will remain in my mind as the Chaparral car, though the spoiler did nothing, and if it did, it compressed the suspension....
Started going to Laguna Seca in 1966 as a 12 yr old kid. Saw the Can Am and Trans Am (Cobras, Mustang 350GTs Camaros) for the following several years. Got to see the Mclarens ( Bruce Mclaren and Dennis Hulme)and the Chapparal (highwing 2e and the vacuum car)Still have the original posters and programs (and lots of very amateur photos) from back then.You had me stolling down memory lane....Thank you
They also had to have a space for an “FIA suitcase”. And I am not certain that 4 wheels were required in the spec. Really enjoyed this series.
Dear Mr Ficarra, you have the best edutainment channel on youtube!
When you release a video its a happy day
Thank you for sharing your amazing storys! 🍻
I've heard the woosh at Monterey. It sounded like a giant vacuum cleaner, and that thing was very well glued to the track with plenty of tire. - That was a fantastic presentation with lots of juicy details all in one place.
long but great. no problem with this longer format when such a story is told!
Excellent presentation sir. My sweetie and I were nearly run over by Bruce Canepa driving the monstrous 917-30 in the pits at Lime Rock during Rennsport #1, a noble way to meet our demise! Also saw some guy named Penske doing a few easy laps in it, I do not blame him. Liked and subbed. Thank you sir!
Awesome video. As a child of the 70's I always wondered what ever happened to the CanAm series Now I know. I remember the cars from the AFX slot car tracks, a kid could race those exotic sports cars
What a great look-back ! My first race event was in 1962. Walking through Elkhart Lake on Sat night before the race I stumbled across a cowboy standing outside a local Texaco gas station at the back of his pickup trying to light up his cigarette. I picked out my Zippo and he said thanks. I asked him what they were doing and he said "we blew up our engine today, so we're pulling out my friend's motor from his truck and installing it in my Chaparral for tomorrow's race." That was at 10:30 and they hadn't starting installing the second motor yet ! Amazingly, Jim went on to come in first on Sunday. His first win of the CanAm Road America Five Hundred ! I was there with Carl Hass & his Lola team...what a surprise to see a guy operating like that blow away all those professional teams...but that's what made Can Am so great !
JF, you are a great story teller. You should write screen plays around racers/races!
Hello John: There is a 917 PA at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The flat 16 is longest car engine I have ever seen. I made a rough measurement of the engine by stretching my right arm out, so that it formed a straight line with my shoulders. The distance from my left shoulder to the tips of my right hand fingers was about the same length as the engine. I have broad shoulders and long arms. Thank you very, very much for this video.
Dope. I really like these longer videos about historic racing. More please.
I love the Mid-Ohio home movies...that was my home track! I started sitting in the esses in 1976 watching the ISMA successors and ended with ALMS in the late 2000's when I moved away. Your video brought back some great memories of my own.
Thank you so much. A real trip down memory lane. My dad took me to all the races in Edmonton from 1968-1973. They we awesome and everyone was so approachable back then. I still have autographs from Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme, Peter Reason and a couple of others. I remember standing right outside the Penske garage as they were swapping spark plugs and one of the mechanics just gave me a handful of them. Certainly not like F1 where everyone is so standoffish... it would be easier to get into Area 51. I remember Stewart and McLaren were such gentlemen, especially compared to todays F1 drivers. Fantastic.
I was at Mid-Ohio for that race. Thanks for the memories!
I was at Riverside in 1973 for the Can-Am race (1st IROC race too!). The 917-30 was WONDERFUL!
Another classic I can watch over and over
Saw a couple of CanAm races at The Glen back in the early 70’s. Including the infamous Shadow Grudge Race between George Follmer and Jackie Oliver. Such power and speed 🏁
What an enjoyable video and story. I had Porsches in the late 60’s into the 70’s and was a big fan of the racing Porsches in endurance and CANAM series. I was at the Road Atlanta race and watch Folmer blow out the McLarens. Including saw first hand when Denny Hume’s car nose lifted in the straightaway and flipped backwards. Thank you for the great details.
My 1st race i attended was in July 1973. Can Am , 6hr weekend at "The Glen". Hooked ever since.
Those 917 Porsches were insane 😮❤
Wow! I am blown away! I was at Elkhart
Lake yesterday with kids for the historic races with these cars! They are incredible at speed running the course. Ironically I also work for SC Johnson Wax who sponsored the series and I didn’t even know it….
Please more content like this. There is nothing like the drama of real sports!
Fantastic story teller John, just wanted to say, I'll watch whatever you put out, especially the 928 stuff, Rj in Oz
Gotta say....Ficarra.. you are a history hero of mine!
These were some of the most badass looking racers ever! I had the toy cars from it and all. Great video JF!
Great Show! I appreciated your history and knowledge of probably of this car (BEAST) in the world! I am a Ford fan though.289 and 427 AC Cobras were my world Anything Carroll touched turned to gold, .Anyway, i like your channel!