Spiel

JUNE 2020 WWW.PNWR.ORG 41 If we were to ask what the national color for Germany is, some might think the answer to be silver. The great 'silver arrows' of the 1930s may come to mind. The amazing Grand Prix cars from Mercedes Benz and Auto Union (designed by Ferdinand Porsche) often raced in bare metal, giving them their distinctive color. Porsche's racing cars of the 1950s and early 1960s also raced in silver. However, the official color for Germany is white. With so many German cars racing in silver or bare metal, it calls into question the enforcement of the color rules. Historians will note that around 1965, Porsche factory-entered racers start to appear in white. This timing coincides with the promotion of Ferdinand Piech to leadership of the R&D/competition department. It also coincides with Piech's decision to build the cars with composite bodywork over tubular space frames (starting with the 906). This design change meant that the cars could no longer appear in the color of bare metal. Perhaps there was a hint of national- ism as well. From the 1965 season through 1969, the Porsche factory prototype racers always appeared in white. They often featured different color 'flashes' on each car's nose and tail fins to assist the team in telling one car from another. When Porsche teamed with Jo Siffert to enter the 917 'PA' in the 1969 Can-Am series, the car was white with blue stripes in keeping with its American entrant (Porsche-Audi of North America). Here are some other significant Porsche factory cars that appeared in 'German Racing White': • The 914/6 that won the GT class at Le Mans in 1970 and the longtail 917 in that same race (although with red flashes to represent the Austrian flag, for Porsche-Salzburg). • The 1971 Le Mans-winning 917 (white under Martini stripes). • The 936 racers that won Le Mans three times were white under Martini and Jules sponsor logos. • In 1980, the factory raced the 924 Carrera GT, a turbo version of the 924 that predicted the look of the 944. At Le Mans, three cars appeared in white with red, black and yellow striping. Elford/Attwood 917 at Le Mans, 1969. 908/03 in Austrian Porsche-Salzburg colors. 1981 Le Mans-winning 936 at Amelia Island, 2019. 935 in Martini colors over white. continued on next page

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