The third triumph followed a year later: Jürgen Barth, Hurley Haywood and Jacky Ickx won at the wheel of a Porsche 936/77 flying Martini colours. For example, it also adorned the Porsche 936 of Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep, which netted overall victory at Le Mans in 1976. The livery of the white Porsche with the eye-catching light blue, red and dark blue stripes still enjoys cult status today. The duo set a distance record that seemed inconceivable at the time: the 5,335 kilometres they covered were considered a record for eternity – one that was only broken 39 years later. The breakthrough came the following year: Austrian Helmut Marko and Dutchman Gijs van Lennep won in the Porsche 917 KH fielded by the Martini Racing team. Porsche locked out the podium, with the “hippie” 917 of Larrousse/Kauhsen and the 908 driven by Lins/Marko finishing second and third behind the winning vehicle from Porsche Salzburg. In 1970, Hans-Dieter Dechent deployed his team for the first time at Le Mans with the Italian spirits brand Martini. Light blue: The Martini-Porsche and the record run for almost an eternity The fast “hippie” also made waves in the motor racing scene: while Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood achieved the first overall victory for Porsche at Le Mans in 1970, Larrousse/Kauhsen secured second place. While the paintwork caused some consternation in parts of the executive floor, racing team owner Hans-Dieter Dechent and those responsible for his sponsor Martini & Rossi were thrilled. Just one year later, the native-born Latvian made his first artistic mark in motorsport with the long-tail Porsche 917 driven by Gérard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen: the green and purple waves painted on the “hippie” car with around 1,500 spray cans created a psychedelic effect. ![]() In April 1969, Anatole Lapine was hired as the new chief designer at Porsche. Green: Porsche’s new chief designer given complete freedom with the “hippie” At the revival of the livery, the situation improved: the Porsche 911 RSR decked out in the “Pink Pig” design scored the GTE class win at the Sarthe in 2018 with works drivers Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor. In 1971, the meaty vehicle failed to perform in sporting terms: while running in fifth place, Kauhsen/Joest retired shortly before the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ultimately, the term “Sau” prevailed in German-speaking countries, while in English, the vehicle got the name “Pink Pig”. The car driven by Willi Kauhsen and Reinhold Joest was dubbed, among other things, the “truffle sniffer from Zuffenhausen”. Endearing nicknames were quick to appear. Porsche’s designer Anatole Lapine sketched the butchers’ cuts of pork on a basecoat of pink and labelled them accordingly: snout, ham, pork knuckle and brain. In 1971, the Porsche 917/20 delighted fans, drivers and officials at Le Mans. Pink: the legendary “pig” unlucky in the race Almost 50 years later, the Gulf design adorned a Porsche 911 RSR in the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC and several Porsche 911 GT3 R at the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps. Richard Attwood from the UK and Herbert Müller from Switzerland finished second overall in the 917 KH powered by the 4.9-litre twelve-cylinder engine. Although the three vehicles fielded by the team retired early that year, everyone was talking about the Gulf Porsche: The American Hollywood star Steve McQueen, who plays the character Michael Delaney, drove the blue and orange racer in the film Le Mans, which is still popular today and considered one of the finest motor racing depictions in history.īefore the spectacularly staged duel between Porsche and Ferrari hit the screens in October 1971, the Gulf Porsche clinched a podium spot at Le Mans. ![]() As the previous year’s winners, the British squad John Wyer Automotive Engineering switched to the swift prototypes from Zuffenhausen in 1970, and brought the mineral oil company along as a sponsor. The orange stripes on the Porsche 963 are a nod to the legendary Gulf design of the Porsche 917. Orange: the Gulf 917 as a movie star and podium visitor at Le Mans Thanks to 19 overall victories and 110 class wins, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at the world’s greatest endurance race, which celebrates its centenary this year. These colours pay tribute to legendary racing car liveries from Porsche’s long and illustrious history. Seven distinctive stripes in yellow, red, dark blue, light blue, green, pink and orange adorn the three Porsche 963 entered in the Hypercar class at Le Mans. They all honour glorious and spectacular performances at the greatest and most historic long-distance race in the world. The colours of sponsors such as Martini, Rothmans and Gulf as well as the iconic designs like the “pig” and “hippie” have been recaptured – through to the red of the Porsche Salzburg team.
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