Review by CoMod Lotus of the Carrera DIGITAL 124 Porsche 917K "Gespipa Racing Team, No. 54", 1000km Nürburgring 1970 (Art. No. 23780)
He didn’t clean anything…
At the 1970 Nürburgring 1000 km race, the GESIPA Porsche with starting number 54 retired on lap 9 with wheel bearing failure. Drivers Jürgen Neuhaus and Helmut Kelleners probably had a slightly different vision, having finished ninth in practice with a time of 8.17 and driven the only 917 in the field (the other 917 belonged to the AAW team and was withdrawn from the starting field after the fatal accident of Finnish driver Hans Laine).
1970 was the year of the great battle between Ferrari and Porsche. The previous year, the 908/3 dominated, with Ferrari's unreliable 312Ps not standing a chance. And there was no way to beat the 917 anyway. That was supposed to change with the Ferrari 512S. As I said: It was supposed to! It didn't work out. While the 512 delivered thrilling battles with the Porsches, it was too heavy and usually inferior.
The 1:24 scale Porsche 917s caused quite a stir when they were released last year, and the first cars sold out pretty quickly. So, naturally, there were high hopes that a color version would be released this year as well.
Following the already visually appealing GAISBERGRENNEN special model, only the car of the well-known GESIPA Racing Team follows. The team is owned by Dr. Biermann, and the name GESIPA is an abbreviation for "GESellschaft für Internationale PAtentverwertung mbH," the company's original purpose. However, this quickly changed, as the company filed patents for break-stem hollow rivet connections, a blind rivet pliers, and blind rivet processing tools, which are still being manufactured today. Hence the BLINDNIETE lettering on the sides of the vehicle; it has nothing to do with the drivers. ;-)
GESIPA produces worldwide, and business is so good that Dr. Biermann acquires a motorsport team in 1969. The first races are contested in the 908. The vehicles are painted in the GESIPA company colors. In 1970, the 917-007, including spare parts, is purchased for 150,000 DM. Dr. Biermann receives the number 007 of the 65 917s ever built (all versions). The car is subsequently used in the Interseries.
I have this very beautiful 917 in front of me. What I like most about the 917 series so far is the colorful starting field. Not the black, silver, and white uniformity that often prevails these days with some series or car manufacturers. The Porsche starting field is simply beautifully colorful and creates a truly interesting scene on the racetrack.
Based on comparisons with the (few) original photos, the paintwork is true to the original and well executed; there was nothing wrong with the quality of the paintwork on my car. I don't need to say much about the handling; the wide track makes the car very stable, and it's only really likely to be thrown off course by serious driving errors. The axles run smoothly, the front lights are OK, and there are no rear lights this time either.
So, that's it in a nutshell for the 917, I hope there will be another car released next year.
One more thing: Porsche actually won the 1970 Nürburgring race. Specifically, the SALZBURG team, with drivers Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens, drove a 908/3.
Jürgen Neuhaus ( www.rennfahrer-juergen-neuhaus.de) was not left out either, as he won the entire Interserie in 1970 in his GESIPA 917!
Best regards,
your Lotus
He didn’t clean anything…
At the 1970 Nürburgring 1000 km race, the GESIPA Porsche with starting number 54 retired on lap 9 with wheel bearing failure. Drivers Jürgen Neuhaus and Helmut Kelleners probably had a slightly different vision, having finished ninth in practice with a time of 8.17 and driven the only 917 in the field (the other 917 belonged to the AAW team and was withdrawn from the starting field after the fatal accident of Finnish driver Hans Laine).
1970 was the year of the great battle between Ferrari and Porsche. The previous year, the 908/3 dominated, with Ferrari's unreliable 312Ps not standing a chance. And there was no way to beat the 917 anyway. That was supposed to change with the Ferrari 512S. As I said: It was supposed to! It didn't work out. While the 512 delivered thrilling battles with the Porsches, it was too heavy and usually inferior.
The 1:24 scale Porsche 917s caused quite a stir when they were released last year, and the first cars sold out pretty quickly. So, naturally, there were high hopes that a color version would be released this year as well.
Following the already visually appealing GAISBERGRENNEN special model, only the car of the well-known GESIPA Racing Team follows. The team is owned by Dr. Biermann, and the name GESIPA is an abbreviation for "GESellschaft für Internationale PAtentverwertung mbH," the company's original purpose. However, this quickly changed, as the company filed patents for break-stem hollow rivet connections, a blind rivet pliers, and blind rivet processing tools, which are still being manufactured today. Hence the BLINDNIETE lettering on the sides of the vehicle; it has nothing to do with the drivers. ;-)
GESIPA produces worldwide, and business is so good that Dr. Biermann acquires a motorsport team in 1969. The first races are contested in the 908. The vehicles are painted in the GESIPA company colors. In 1970, the 917-007, including spare parts, is purchased for 150,000 DM. Dr. Biermann receives the number 007 of the 65 917s ever built (all versions). The car is subsequently used in the Interseries.
I have this very beautiful 917 in front of me. What I like most about the 917 series so far is the colorful starting field. Not the black, silver, and white uniformity that often prevails these days with some series or car manufacturers. The Porsche starting field is simply beautifully colorful and creates a truly interesting scene on the racetrack.
Based on comparisons with the (few) original photos, the paintwork is true to the original and well executed; there was nothing wrong with the quality of the paintwork on my car. I don't need to say much about the handling; the wide track makes the car very stable, and it's only really likely to be thrown off course by serious driving errors. The axles run smoothly, the front lights are OK, and there are no rear lights this time either.
So, that's it in a nutshell for the 917, I hope there will be another car released next year.
One more thing: Porsche actually won the 1970 Nürburgring race. Specifically, the SALZBURG team, with drivers Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens, drove a 908/3.
Jürgen Neuhaus ( www.rennfahrer-juergen-neuhaus.de) was not left out either, as he won the entire Interserie in 1970 in his GESIPA 917!
Best regards,
your Lotus
