The 2017 WEC competitor from Porsche, the 919 Hybrid. Though looking different from the previous year,, it retained the monocoque from 2016, but 60 to 70% of the 2017 car was new, with the largest alterations being to its aerodynamic demands. This included a major redesign of the front of the 919 Hybrid with wider arches for the front wheels to make it less aerodynamically sensitive from small bits of discarded rubber from the track surface. To the…
The 2017 WEC competitor from Porsche, the 919 Hybrid. Though looking different from the previous year,, it retained the monocoque from 2016, but 60 to 70% of the 2017 car was new, with the largest alterations being to its aerodynamic demands. This included a major redesign of the front of the 919 Hybrid with wider arches for the front wheels to make it less aerodynamically sensitive from small bits of discarded rubber from the track surface. To the car’s side, a new channel from the monocoque to the wheel arch was made visible, along with redesigned rearward air intakes for the radiators to cool the engine.
New cost-cutting regulations mandated LMP1 teams to slow the cars and use just two aerodynamic packages for the season, restricting the amount of flexibility depending on the type of track. One aerodynamic alteration raised the front splitter to lower its cornering speeds and featured two strakes on its underside. Porsche elected for a low-downforce package that minimised air resistance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a second that compensated for an increased amount of drag and downforce for tighter circuits.
Four Porsche 919 Hybrid chassis exist for the 2017 season, with numbers: 919-1701, 919-1702, 919-1703, 919-1704
Chassis 919-1701 competed as:
#2 car in the WEC rounds at Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps
#1 car in the WEC rounds at Nürburgring, Mexico City, Austin, Fuji, Shanghai, Bahrain
#2 car at the Monza Pre-Season Testing
#1 car at the Bahrain Rookie Test
Chassis 919-1702 competed as:
#1 car in the WEC rounds at Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps
#1 car at the Monza Pre-Season Testing
Chassis 919-1703 competed as:
#2 car in the WEC rounds at Le Mans 24 Hours, Nürburgring, Mexico City, Austin, Fuji, Shanghai, Bahrain
#2 car at the Le Mans Testing
Chassis 919-1704 competed as:
#1 car in the WEC rounds at Le Mans 24 Hours
#1 car at the Le Mans Testing
Chassis 919-1701 is assumed to have been rebranded as the Tribute car at the end of the season, touring the world and having various journalists drive it before being included in the Porsche Museum collection
Chassis 919-1702 current whereabouts are unknown but assumed to still be in the hands of Porsche Motorsport
Chassis 919-1703 is in the the Porsche Museum (presented as the Le Mans winning car in 2017)
Chassis 919-1704 is assumed to be the 919 converted into the Evo spec, blitzing track records at circuits around the world before being included in the Porsche Museum collection