Test report by CoMod Martinmm and JoergW on the Carrera DIGITAL 124 Porsche 917K, JW Autormotive Engineering No.2, Daytona 24h 1971 (Art.No. 23777)
One of the most hotly debated 1:24 Carrera cars is finally here! It's also arguably one of the most beautifully designed racing cars from a German sports car manufacturer, featuring one of the most attractive liveries—and not just of its era.
According to the pit lettering, it depicts the Porsche 917K (Porsche chassis no. 917-015) driven by the driver duo Rodriguez and Kinunnen from the 1970 Daytona 24 Hours. They also won the race. However, the printing—specifically the placement of the starting number on the rear—is different.
The body shape—purely visually compared to corresponding photos—is excellently captured. The proportions all appear very harmonious. The rear rods are less delicate, but absolutely suitable for slot racing while still maintaining sufficient detail. The small window, which was specifically designed for races with banked corners, is stylized in the Carrera model. However, this does not detract from the overall good appearance.
On the practical side:
The wide rear wheels sit quite close to the rear end. Depending on the production-related lateral play of the rear axle, they may also rub against the body. There is no taillight, but the digital decoder has a connection.
The chassis is enclosed—there's no separate cover for the center magnet, which makes it easy to remove. The tires are made of a softer material, similar to 'tuning tires.'
In its original, fully magnetized, delivery condition, the handling is identical to other D124 vehicles. However, the driving noise is quite loud (the gear play is a bit too tight). Without additional magnets, the good front axle guide keel adjustment and the grippy tires are pleasantly noticeable. Both axles (including the wheels) run smoothly. Grinding and flattening the rear wheels has once again proven beneficial.
To throw the 917 off course – even without a magnet – requires some serious driver misconduct. When paired with the two outer center magnets, like the way we drive the CD124 classic cars in the club, it's right up there with the front runners, judging by the lap times.
Despite a few minor flaws, this is a car you need twice: for the track and for the display case. The variety of variants of the 917K is very large – we can certainly look forward to many more beautiful and good racing cars.
Best regards,
your Martin
***************************************
Let's start with the 1:1 scale!
The endurance races of the late 1960s were mainly dominated by the Ford GT40
dominated, but then a relatively small German sports car manufacturer came along and put its Porsche 917 on the racetrack. In 1969, due to various technical and aerodynamic problems, a Ford GT40 managed to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but in the 1000 km race at the Österreichring that same year, a Porsche 917 K made its mark and won. Even though many of the factory drivers were initially reluctant to use the Porsche 917 and preferred to use the tried-and-tested Porsche 908, constant development and optimization resulted in a winning car. The Porsche 908 was only used on mountainous circuits (Spa, Nürburgring, Targa Florio), and the other racetracks were served by Porsche 917s, with either the short- or long-tail version depending on the track.
The red and white Porsche 917 K (K = short-tail) of the Porsche Salzburg team achieved the first major victory of the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours. Second place went to a long-tail Porsche 917. This was followed by victories at the Daytona 24 Hours and almost every other race of the year, and Porsche was able to secure the undisputed overall victory in the Sports Car World Championship. The model, now known as the Carrera 124 and bearing starting number 2, was originally driven at the Daytona 24 Hours by Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen. Weighing just 830 kg, the vehicle, bearing chassis number 15, still featured the 4.5-liter engine producing 560 hp, later upgraded to a 4.9-liter engine producing 600 hp.
And now we come to the 1:24 version from Carrera!
Optics:
The new 124 model looks true to its predecessor in both shape and color. Flatter, wider, lower...
or something like that. The vehicle fits seamlessly into the existing phalanx of GT40 and
Ferrari 330 P4. The wide rear tires and the rear construction with suggested
Spare wheels – which were mandatory back then, even for races – are delicately and meticulously crafted… Rear-end collisions should be avoided at all costs; with a GT40 in the back, you'll be in for a real blast.
The low-seated driver is only half-finished; there's just not enough space... but at least some visual adjustments have been made. I would remove the delicate, very well-replicated windshield wiper for racing.
The paintwork and decals are flawless. The rather light blue matches the 1:1
Judging by the photos, it looked very good in the early days of the John Wyer team, but later the blue became much more vibrant. The wheels sit well in the wheel arches.
Technology:
202 g total weight (of which 45 g body, 154 chassis with technology + 3 g screws)
The upper of the two headlights is supplied with light, but unfortunately the rear is not illuminated.
The slightly greenish light cast by the lenses gives a realistic effect. The generally smooth and straight front axle doesn't rotate in some places when pushed along the track (yes, the tracks aren't 100% flat). The tires are treaded, but have sufficient grip and sit fairly flat. The insides have some very slight burrs that should be sanded down.
Mileage:
Wide rear tires and a flat silhouette are combined with the already known components
A bench for fast and safe driving. The transmission runs very smoothly and responds directly to the throttle. Even though I've only driven the car on a small home track with magnet assistance, I'm convinced that the Porsche 917 can compete with its peers. There's plenty of room in the chassis for lead experiments, because it's only really fun once the magnets are out and the car is sprinting and drifting realistically. For me, the wait was worth it.
Until then,
joergW
One of the most hotly debated 1:24 Carrera cars is finally here! It's also arguably one of the most beautifully designed racing cars from a German sports car manufacturer, featuring one of the most attractive liveries—and not just of its era.
According to the pit lettering, it depicts the Porsche 917K (Porsche chassis no. 917-015) driven by the driver duo Rodriguez and Kinunnen from the 1970 Daytona 24 Hours. They also won the race. However, the printing—specifically the placement of the starting number on the rear—is different.
The body shape—purely visually compared to corresponding photos—is excellently captured. The proportions all appear very harmonious. The rear rods are less delicate, but absolutely suitable for slot racing while still maintaining sufficient detail. The small window, which was specifically designed for races with banked corners, is stylized in the Carrera model. However, this does not detract from the overall good appearance.
On the practical side:
The wide rear wheels sit quite close to the rear end. Depending on the production-related lateral play of the rear axle, they may also rub against the body. There is no taillight, but the digital decoder has a connection.
The chassis is enclosed—there's no separate cover for the center magnet, which makes it easy to remove. The tires are made of a softer material, similar to 'tuning tires.'
In its original, fully magnetized, delivery condition, the handling is identical to other D124 vehicles. However, the driving noise is quite loud (the gear play is a bit too tight). Without additional magnets, the good front axle guide keel adjustment and the grippy tires are pleasantly noticeable. Both axles (including the wheels) run smoothly. Grinding and flattening the rear wheels has once again proven beneficial.
To throw the 917 off course – even without a magnet – requires some serious driver misconduct. When paired with the two outer center magnets, like the way we drive the CD124 classic cars in the club, it's right up there with the front runners, judging by the lap times.
Despite a few minor flaws, this is a car you need twice: for the track and for the display case. The variety of variants of the 917K is very large – we can certainly look forward to many more beautiful and good racing cars.
Best regards,
your Martin
***************************************
Let's start with the 1:1 scale!
The endurance races of the late 1960s were mainly dominated by the Ford GT40
dominated, but then a relatively small German sports car manufacturer came along and put its Porsche 917 on the racetrack. In 1969, due to various technical and aerodynamic problems, a Ford GT40 managed to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but in the 1000 km race at the Österreichring that same year, a Porsche 917 K made its mark and won. Even though many of the factory drivers were initially reluctant to use the Porsche 917 and preferred to use the tried-and-tested Porsche 908, constant development and optimization resulted in a winning car. The Porsche 908 was only used on mountainous circuits (Spa, Nürburgring, Targa Florio), and the other racetracks were served by Porsche 917s, with either the short- or long-tail version depending on the track.
The red and white Porsche 917 K (K = short-tail) of the Porsche Salzburg team achieved the first major victory of the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours. Second place went to a long-tail Porsche 917. This was followed by victories at the Daytona 24 Hours and almost every other race of the year, and Porsche was able to secure the undisputed overall victory in the Sports Car World Championship. The model, now known as the Carrera 124 and bearing starting number 2, was originally driven at the Daytona 24 Hours by Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen. Weighing just 830 kg, the vehicle, bearing chassis number 15, still featured the 4.5-liter engine producing 560 hp, later upgraded to a 4.9-liter engine producing 600 hp.
And now we come to the 1:24 version from Carrera!
Optics:
The new 124 model looks true to its predecessor in both shape and color. Flatter, wider, lower...
or something like that. The vehicle fits seamlessly into the existing phalanx of GT40 and
Ferrari 330 P4. The wide rear tires and the rear construction with suggested
Spare wheels – which were mandatory back then, even for races – are delicately and meticulously crafted… Rear-end collisions should be avoided at all costs; with a GT40 in the back, you'll be in for a real blast.
The low-seated driver is only half-finished; there's just not enough space... but at least some visual adjustments have been made. I would remove the delicate, very well-replicated windshield wiper for racing.
The paintwork and decals are flawless. The rather light blue matches the 1:1
Judging by the photos, it looked very good in the early days of the John Wyer team, but later the blue became much more vibrant. The wheels sit well in the wheel arches.
Technology:
202 g total weight (of which 45 g body, 154 chassis with technology + 3 g screws)
The upper of the two headlights is supplied with light, but unfortunately the rear is not illuminated.
The slightly greenish light cast by the lenses gives a realistic effect. The generally smooth and straight front axle doesn't rotate in some places when pushed along the track (yes, the tracks aren't 100% flat). The tires are treaded, but have sufficient grip and sit fairly flat. The insides have some very slight burrs that should be sanded down.
Mileage:
Wide rear tires and a flat silhouette are combined with the already known components
A bench for fast and safe driving. The transmission runs very smoothly and responds directly to the throttle. Even though I've only driven the car on a small home track with magnet assistance, I'm convinced that the Porsche 917 can compete with its peers. There's plenty of room in the chassis for lead experiments, because it's only really fun once the magnets are out and the car is sprinting and drifting realistically. For me, the wait was worth it.
Until then,
joergW
